Synopsis

While driving to spring break, college students Jim and Grace give a ride to a seemingly stranded man named John Ryder. After discovering his violent nature, they force him from the car, but Ryder begins stalking them across the Southwest. Framed for a series of murders, the couple must evade both the police and the relentless hitchhiker.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is a remake of the 1986 road thriller written by Eric Red. Red returned as a credited writer, with Jake Wade Wall and Eric Bernt contributing to the screenplay.

• The remake was produced through Platinum Dunes, the company associated with producer Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller.

• Principal photography took place from June 12 through August 10, 2006, with locations in New Mexico and Texas, including Galisteo, Santo Domingo Pueblo, Chimayo, Taylor, and the University of Texas at Austin.

• Sean Bean deliberately spent limited time with his young co-stars during production. The approach was intended to preserve distance and make the hitchhiker feel more threatening and unfamiliar on screen.

• The production used live animals under the American Humane Association's "No Animals Were Harmed" program. Some of the more dangerous imagery was completed with computer-generated effects.

• The film opened in the United States on January 19, 2007, and was later released on DVD and HD DVD on May 1, 2007.

• A German theatrical version was shortened by the distributor to obtain a lower age rating; an uncut home-video version received the country's adult rating.