Ray 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. The man’s peculiar physical affliction, an eye that never closes even when he sleeps, makes it impossible for the two friends to plot an escape.

In Hollywood history, too few women have gotten their chance in the director’s chair. But in any hall of fame, there’s actress-turned-director Ida Lupino, whose independently-produced Hitch-Hiker (the first major noir directed by a woman?) is one of the era’s most shocking renegade thrillers.