The Hitch-Hiker (1953) by Ida Lupino

Among the original “tough dames” of ‘30s and ‘40s movies, actress Ida Lupino later moved behind the camera to become one of the industry’s few prominent female directors. After a series of films about social issues often categorized as “women’s pictures” (Never Fear, Outrage), Lupino took a hard turn with this gritty, hard-boiled tale based on real-life serial killer William Cook in which two men (Edmond O’Brien and Frank Lovejoy) make the mistake of picking up a tormented hitch-hiker (William Talman). Upon its release in 1953, the film earned Lupino strong reviews and prompted the occasional comparison to Hitchcock’s style. “The Hitch-Hiker” was added to the National Film Registry in 1998.

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