The Hitchhiker

Remember Page Fletcher, the hitchhiker who “walks a lonely road where terror awaits around every curve”? The best of the standalone episodes included in this 10 “terrifying tales” compilation from HBO's popular cable series The Hitchhiker (1983-1989) are from noted international directors who went on to find fame in Hollywood. Paul Verhoeven's "Last Scene," starring Peter Coyote in a reality-bending tale about a horror filmmaker, looks like a rehearsal for his later Basic Instinct. Phillip Noyce, a graduate of Australia's exciting New Wave in the '70s and early '80s, directed Margot Kidder in the spooky "Nightshift" before becoming an A-list Hollywood director (Patriot Games). The best of the uneven lot here is New Zealander Chris Thomson's “Why Are You Here?", which employs an engrossing, subjective point-of-view. Featuring an undistinguished but passable transfer, this double-disc set includes five audio commentaries by, among others, Noyce and Verhoeven. Optional. (T. Keogh)