The Hitch-Hiker (1953) review

Good pals Roy (Edmond O'Brien) and Gilbert (Frank Lovejoy) are on their way to Baja California when they make the mistake of giving a ride to a hitchhiker named Emmett Myers (William Talman), a murderer on the run.  Lupino shows she can do noir just like the boys back in the day, and for the most part it's a tense and claustrophobic thriller - I like how the Myers character (based on spree killer Billy Cook) represents the manifestation of guilt for the two men who were actually on their way to cheat on their wives (they told them they were going somewhere else).  The action flags near the end, however, and the killer is right: neither hostage is actually all that bright....