Stephen King Champions This Divisive Horror Remake
In addition to penning numerous books and short stories, Stephen King is also a dedicated consumer of movies and television. As such, we are always tuned to his Twitter feed to see what he will recommend next. But today’s suggestion actually comes from the author’s book, Danse Macabre. First released in 1981, King reissued the nonfiction tome in 2010 with a new forward, weighing in on a handful of more recent releases.
Among the films King spoke to was Dave Meyers’ 2007 remake of The Hitcher. His praise for the flick comes as a bit of a surprise, seeing as the reimagining didn’t garner much enthusiasm from critics or fans upon release. But King knows a thing or two about crafting suspense. So, based on his input, I am inclined to give the reboot another shot.
The setup for this 2007 reimagining is as follows:
Grace (Sophia Bush) and Jim (Zachary Knighton) are a pair of college students on their way to spring break in a 1970 Oldsmobile. Blissfully unaware of the horror that awaits them, they offer a ride to hitchhiker John Ryder (Sean Bean), a killer who subsequently terrorizes the couple and implicates them in a grisly slaying.
See what King had to say about the film in the excerpt below:
“Rutger Hauer in the original will never be topped, but this is that rarity, a reimagining that actually works. And Sean Bean is great in the role Hauer originated. Do we really need this film? No. But it’s great to have it, and the existential theme of many great horror films—terrible things can happen to good people, at any time—has never been so clearly stated.”
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