Horror On TV: The Hitchhiker 5.6 “Renaissance” (dir by Bruno Gantillon)


On tonight’s episode of The Hitchhiker, David Soul plays a greedy developer who runs afoul the Parisian underground.  It turns out that thinking big is not always the fool-proof strategy that the developer thinks that it is.  The cocky developer finds himself forced to confront his own dark side.  Myself, I’m curious why the opening credits always feature The Hitchhiker walking through the desert but, since the 5th season began, he’s pretty much just exclusively been hanging out in France.  Seriously, who is this guy?

The episode originally aired on July 14th, 1989!

Horror on TV: The Hitchhiker 5.5 “Shadow Puppets” (dir by Roger Andrieux)


On tonight’s episode of The Hitchhiker, a psychologist (Brian Kerwin) learns about the dangers of manipulating a patient.  As you may be able to guess, The Hitchhiker dislikes psychologists almost as much as he dislikes tabloid journalists.  In fact, is there anyone that The Hitchhiker does like?

This episode originally aired on July 8th, 1989.

Horror on TV: The Hitchhiker 5.4 “Garter Belt” (dir by Roger Andrieux)


On tonight’s episode of The Hitchhiker, Robert Carradine plays a corrupt diplomat in France whose life falls apart when all of his dark secrets are revealed.  This is another Hitchhiker episode in which The Hitchhiker takes an obvious glee in revealing the hypocrisy of someone who holds himself up as being moral and perfect.  Keep an eye out for Lucio Fulci’s favorite actress, Catriona MacColl, in the role of Carradine’s long-suffering wife!

This episode originally aired on July 7th, 1989.

Horror on TV: The Hitchhiker 5.3 “Dark Wishes” (dir by John Liang)


On tonight’s episode of The Hitchhiker, a nurse (Tammy Lauren) decides that the best way to win the husband of her patient is to indulge in a little black magic.  Needless to say, things don’t go quite as planned.  And yes, The Hitchhiker definitely has something to say about it!

Seriously, I would so freak out if I ever saw The Hitchhiker commenting on anything that I’ve ever done in my life.  “Lisa Marie Bowman thought she could escape real-life horror by writing about fictional horror.  But sometimes, that which we think is fiction, turns out to be real….”  AGCK!

This episode originally aired on July 1st, 1989.

Horror on TV: The Hitchhiker 5.2 “In Living Color” (dir by John Laing)


On tonight’s episode of The Hitchhiker, the title character (Page Fletcher) continues to come across the worst people on the planet.

This time, that person is Eric Coleman (Ray Sharkey), a once great photographer who now makes a disreputable living taking pictures of celebrities and tragedies.  When Eric has a chance to stop a woman’s suicide, he instead decides to take pictures.  His new assistant goes out of her way to make Eric feel the error of his ways.

This episode features a convincingly sleazy performance from Ray Sharkey.  Eric Coleman is a character who you will definitely want to see receive his comeuppance.

This episode originally aired on April 29th, 1989.

Horror on TV: The Hitchhiker 5.1 “The Martyr” (dir by Phillip Noyce)


Tonight’s episode of The Hitchhiker is a stylish homage to noir, starring Meg Foster as a femme fatale who is not quite as blind as she pretends to be.  This episode was directed by Phillip Noyce, who was also responsible for a film about an actual blind person, Blind Fury.  Interestingly enough, that film also featured Meg Foster, though in a very different role than the one that she plays here.

This episode originally aired on April 22nd, 1989.

Lisa’s Week In Television: 10/1/23 — 10/7/23


This has been an exhausting week.  Getting sick with the flu during the last week of September set me behind as far as my Horrorthon plans were concerned and this week has been extra busy as a result.  I’ve been working very hard and it’s been very emotionally rewarding but still, I’ve been pretty busy over the past eight days or so.  So, I didn’t want much television this week but still, here are some thoughts on what I did watch!

The Amazing Race (Wednesday Night, CBS)

My favorite reality show has been back for two weeks now and I have yet to get to really sit down and focus on it.  The first week, I was sick with the flu and I could barely focus on what was going on.  Then, this week, a huge storm came up while the show was airing and, as a result, the local weather people interrupted the show and then refused to leave.  It was very frustrating!  I know the show is on Paramount Plus.  Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to rewatch both episodes on Sunday.

Big Brother (24/7, CBS and Paramount Plus)

I wrote about Big Brother here!

Check It Out (Tubi)

I came across this old Canadian sitcom about a supermarket on Tubi.  I watched the first episode earlier today and my review will be dropping here in about two hours.

Dr. Phil (YouTube)

I watched an episode on Monday that featured a former high school guidance counselor who, after having emergency surgery to remove her gall bladder, fell into paranoia and drug addiction and ended up living in her RV.  At the end of the episode, she agreed to get some help but, to be honest, she seemed kind of beyond saving.

Friday the 13th (YouTube)

I wrote about Friday the 13th here!

Highway to Heaven (Tubi)

I wrote about the first episode of Highway to Heaven here!

The Hitchhiker (YouTube)

I continued to watch and pick episodes of The Hitchhiker for this year’s horrorthon.  You can find the episodes that I selected on this site, under “Horror on TV.”  My favorite thing about this show is, without a doubt, the extremely melodramatic monologues of Page Fletcher’s hitchhiker.

Monsters (Tubi)

I wrote about Monsters here!

Night Flight (NightFlight Plus)

On Friday night, I watched an episode of Night Flight that was about music videos with science fiction themes.  I followed this with another episode that dealt with the top “new music of 1985.”

Survivor (Wednesday Night, CBS)

I shared a few thoughts on the first two episodes of the latest season of Survivor here!

Yes Prime Minister (Monday Morning, PBS)

This week, the Prime Minister had to make serious budget cuts, which worried Sir Humphrey as it could have possibly led to the Civil Service not getting their usual pay raise.  Fortunately, Sir Humphrey was able to trick Jim into giving him what he wanted.  As always, the episodes where Sir Humphrey is the one doing the tricking and the manipulating are the best.

Horror On TV: The Hitchhiker 4.13 “Cabin Fever” (dir by Clyde Monroe)


On tonight’s episode of The Hitchhiker, Michael Woods plays a cocky gigolo who spends the weekend at a cabin with an alcoholic director (Jerry Orbach) and his sultry wife (Season Hubley).  When Hubley suggests that Woods murder her husband, it seems like a standard noir-situation but it become obvious that Orbach is not quite as clueless as Woods assumed.  Who is playing which game?

This is an enjoyable episode, largely due to the performance of the wonderful Jerry Orbach.  This episode originally aired on May 12th, 1987.

Horror On TV: The Hitchhiker 4.12 “Secret Ingredient” (Dir by Colin Bucksey)


On tonight’s episode of The Hitchhiker, Dean Paul Martin (son of Dean) plays a vitamin salesman who discovers that competition can be deadly!  This episode features a wonderfully sleazy turn from Dean Paul Martin and enjoyably macabre ending.  Sadly, this would be one of Dean Paul Martin’s final appearances before his death in a 1987 aviation accident.

This episode originally aired on May 5th, 1987.

Horror on TV: The Hitchhiker 4.9 “Made For Each Other” (dir by Thomas Baum)


“What does it take to light a madman’s fuse? Just a twinkle in a young girl’s eye?” The Hitchhiker (Page Fletcher) asks us.  “If the hunger for love can drive a man to murder, well… that’s when a fellow really needs a friend.”

Tonight, on The Hitchhiker, two dangerous men form a combustible friendship.  Trout (Bill Paxton) is wild and loud and rambunctious.  Wax (Bud Cort) is a nerdy and mild-mannered serial killer.  Trout and Wax bond and become unlikely friends but that friendship is threatened when they pick up a sex worker named Sunny (Jonelle Allen).

This episode, featuring excellent performances from Bill Paxton and Bud Cort, originally aired on April 14th, 1987.