Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- foreboding
- melancholic
- halloween night
- late night horror viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found Mick Garris's ambitious Stephen King adaptation unable to sustain its intended terror, with the storytelling undercutting the horror.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alan's hitchhiking trip is transformed by George Staub's mysterious ride and the secret revealed along the road.
Alan is traveling to visit his mother after her apoplectic stroke, while visions and the stranger's choice intensify his grief.
George gives Alan a choice explicitly framed as determining whether someone lives or dies.
The film's central setting is a Halloween hitchhiking journey through roadside environments that become threatening as Alan's perceptions fracture.
Films like Riding the Bullet, and why
Dead End
supernatural road horror centered on an unsettling encounter and a morally charged choice
The Mothman Prophecies
psychological supernatural horror involving grief, visions, and an uncertain boundary between reality and the uncanny
1408
stephen king adaptation combining ordinary travel with escalating supernatural dread and fatalistic choices
The Hitcher
dark roadside horror with a vulnerable protagonist confronting an enigmatic stranger
Movie Details
- Director
- Mick Garris
- Release Date
- 2004-10-15
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 5.1 / 10 (228)
Cast
- Jonathan Jackson
- Barbara Hershey
- David Arquette
- Erika Christensen
- Cliff Robertson
- Nicky Katt
- Matt Frewer
- Barry W. Levy
- Jackson Warris
- Jeffrey Ballard
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Riding the Bullet about?
- A grieving hitchhiker is forced into a life-or-death bargain when a mysterious driver turns his ride home into a supernatural nightmare.
- What is Riding the Bullet like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Riding the Bullet as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Riding the Bullet violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Riding the Bullet as mild.
- What did critics think of Riding the Bullet?
- Critics broadly found Mick Garris's ambitious Stephen King adaptation unable to sustain its intended terror, with the storytelling undercutting the horror.
- Which films are like Riding the Bullet?
- Films with a similar feel include Dead End, The Mothman Prophecies, 1408, and The Hitcher.
- How long is Riding the Bullet?
- Riding the Bullet runs 98 minutes.
- Where can I watch Riding the Bullet?
- In United States, Riding the Bullet is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Fandango At Home.
