Movies like The Hitcher
The best movies like The Hitcher are Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007), The Rain People (1969) and The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker (2023). If The Hitcher hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCast Away (2000)7.7/10 from 12,731 votes
- NewestLove of Your Life (2026)Released 2026
Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007)
Zia, distraught over breaking up with his girlfriend, decides to end it all. Unfortunately, he discovers that there is no real ending, only a run-down afterlife that is strikingly similar to his old one, just a bit worse. Discovering that his ex-girlfriend has also "offed" herself, he sets out on a road trip to find her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Rain People (1969)
When a housewife finds out she is pregnant, she runs out of town looking for freedom to reevaluate her life decisions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker (2023)
After Kai saves a woman's life, he turns into an overnight hero and viral sensation — until disturbing truths about his erratic behavior come to light. This shocking documentary chronicles a happy-go-lucky nomad's ascent to viral stardom and the resulting steep downward spiral.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDetour (1945)
The life of Al Roberts, a pianist in a New York nightclub, turns into a nightmare when he decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDust Devil (1992)
A woman on the run from her abusive husband encounters a mysterious hitch-hiker.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCast Away (2000)
Chuck Noland, a top international manager for FedEx, and Kelly, a Ph.D. student, are in love and heading towards marriage. Then Chuck's plane to Malaysia crashes at sea during a terrible storm. He's the only survivor, and finds himself marooned on a desolate island. With no way to escape, Chuck must find ways to survive in his new home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove of Your Life (2026)
After a chance encounter sparks a sweeping romance, Maya's future is suddenly upended, sending her on an unexpected journey to love and live again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHenry Poole Is Here (2008)
Henry Poole abandons his fiancée and family business to spend what he believes are his remaining days alone. The discovery of a 'miracle' by a nosy neighbor ruptures his solitude and restores his faith in life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Leisure Seeker (2018)
A runaway couple go on an unforgettable journey from Boston to Key West, recapturing their passion for life and their love for each other on a road trip that provides revelation and surprise right up to the very end.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPoetic Justice (1993)
Still grieving after the murder of her boyfriend, hairdresser Justice writes poetry to deal with the pain of her loss. Unable to get to Oakland to attend a convention because of her broken-down car, Justice gets a lift with her friend, Iesha, and Iesha's postal worker boyfriend, Chicago. Along for the ride is Chicago's co-worker, Lucky, to whom Justice grows close after some initial problems. But is she ready to open her heart again?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoadgames (1981)
A truck driver plays a cat-and-mouse game with a mysterious serial killer in a van who lures young female hitchhiker victims on a desolate Australian highway.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove Liza (2002)
Following the unexplained suicide of his wife Liza, website designer Wilson Joel turns to huffing gasoline fumes and remote control gaming while avoiding an inevitable conflict with his mother-in-law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hitch-Hiker (1953)
Roy and Gilbert's fishing trip takes a terrifying turn when the hitchhiker they pick up turns out to be a sociopath on the run from the law. He's killed before, and he lets the two know that as soon as they're no longer useful, he'll kill again. The two friends plot an escape, but the hitchhiker's peculiar physical affliction, an eye that never closes even when he sleeps, makes it impossible for them to tell when they can make a break for it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKiss Me Deadly (1955)
One evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, who has escaped from the nearby lunatic asylum. Thugs waylay them and force his car to crash. When Hammer returns to semi-consciousness, he hears Christina being tortured until she dies. Hammer, both for vengeance and in hopes that "something big" is behind it all, decides to pursue the case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStarman (1984)
When an alien takes the form of a young widow's husband and asks her to drive him from Wisconsin to Arizona, the government tries to stop them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)
Jack Slavin is an environmentalist with a heart condition who lives with his daughter, Rose, on an isolated island. While Jack fights against developers who wish to build in the area, he also craves more contact with other people. When he invites his girlfriend, Kathleen, and her sons, Rodney and Thaddius, to move in, Rose is upset. The complicated family dynamics makes things difficult for everyone in the house.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoonlight Mile (2002)
As he copes with the death of his fiancee along with her parents, a young man must figure out what he wants out of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKalifornia (1993)
A journalist duo go on a tour of serial killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLeave No Trace (2018)
A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Oregon, rarely making contact with the world. But when a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are sent on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Love Song (2022)
Two childhood sweethearts, now both widowed, share a night by a lake in the mountains.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Hitcher?
The closest matches to The Hitcher are Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007), The Rain People (1969) and The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker (2023). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Hitcher?
Start with Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007), the closest match to The Hitcher.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Hitcher?
Cast Away (2000), rated 7.7/10 by 12,731 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Hitcher?
Love of Your Life (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Hitcher?
Yes: Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007), The Rain People (1969) and The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker (2023).
How are movies similar to The Hitcher chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Hitcher, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.