Film noir based on real life murder spree

William Talman, Frank Lovejoy and Edmond O'Brien in The Hitch-Hiker screening on Monday.

Monday night's screening is the last of Whanganui Film Society's three films in The Debutantes.

The Hitch-Hiker is notable largely for its historical relevance, being the first film noir directed by a woman - actress-turned-director Ida Lupino in 1953.

Lupino was the only female director working in Hollywood in the 1950s and was known for tackling films about social issues.

The film was based on the true account of a well publicised murder spree by one Billy Cook from December 1950 until January 1951.

It was released just three months after Cook's execution, while the case was still very present in the public mind.

Time Out magazine has described the film as "Tough, taut, and entirely without macho-glorification."

The Hitch-Hiker screens at Davis Theatre, Whanganui Regional Museum, Watt St, on Monday, May 15 at 7pm.