British label Second Sight has confirmed that it is preparing a Blu-ray release of Robert Harmon's cult thriller
The Hitcher (1986), starring Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jeffrey DeMunn, and John M. Jackson. The release is expected to arrive on the market later this year.
Label statement afdressing the upcoming release:
"Following some speculation we can confirm we will be releasing The Hitcher on Blu-ray! We would have loved to release a 4K, however original elements are missing or no longer exist and this therefore won't be possible. We've searched via several film archive associations with worldwide members plus other routes. Only prints exist, and then very rarely. We will be using the existing master taken from a print which is in the best condition we have seen. However, further restoration work is being done on the master to address several issues that we can improve upon, including some image warping caused by rips/tears. Hours will be spent in manual restoration for further dirt and scratch removal, splice removal, improved stability and flicker repair. We are also re-grading to balance colour given the print source. We aim to give The Hitcher the best possible presentation it has ever had."