This week, your favorite horror gremlins go on a full-blown Rutger Hauer appreciation spiral and collectively realize that Rutger Hauer might not have been acting—he might have just been like that.
We dive headfirst into The Hitcher (1986), directed by Robert Harmon, a movie that wastes absolutely zero time politely introducing itself before immediately threatening your entire family. Rutger Hauer plays John Ryder like a supernatural force powered by desert heat, bad vibes, and pure “I woke up and chose violence.” We scream about the opening minutes, the lack of motivation (KING SHIT), the daytime horror, the infamous truck scene, and how this movie somehow convinces you that the cops are useless, the road is evil, and hitchhiking is basically consenting to a curse.
Then we pivot into Surviving the Game (1994), directed by Ernest R. Dickerson, aka The Most Unhinged Rich White People Activity Ever Filmed. The legend that is Ice-T takes on Rutger Hauer, Gary Busey (at MAXIMUM Gary Busey), John C. McGinley, and F. Murray Abraham after they form the most deranged hunting party imaginable. We lose our minds over:
- Gary Busey writing his own monologue like a cursed prophet
- The flaming Gary Busey jump scare (cinema peaked here)
- Ice-T being hunted and immediately becoming an apex predator and deciding “nah, actually, I’m hunting YOU”
- A trophy room that traumatized us as children and still kinda does
To complete the holy trinity, we bring in Hobo with a Shotgun (2011), directed by Jason Eisener, where Rutger Hauer plays a homeless vigilante like he’s a mythological figure spawned from grindhouse fumes and righteous rage. We talk about how this movie feels like a fever dream someone had after watching too much VHS-era exploitation and how Rutger Hauer somehow makes “hobo with a shotgun” feel emotionally profound.
Throughout the episode we:
- Argue about VHS vs 4K like it’s a religion
- Praise Rutger Hauer for playing three completely different psychos flawlessly
- Accidentally turn the podcast into Sam Elliott’s Mustache: The Extended Cut
- Realize half these movies would absolutely rule even harder if they were slightly grainier and worse quality
- Agree that Rutger Hauer is one of the most underrated genre actors of all time
This is less a review episode and more a group therapy session for people permanently altered by desert highways, human hunting games, and shotgun blasts.
CREEP-O-RAMA is:
Podcast: Listen Here
YouTube: @creep-o-rama
Josh: @joshblevesque
Audio: @stranjlove
