In 1979, Hanks moved to New York City, where he made his film debut in the low-budget slasher film He Knows You're Alone (1980) and landed a starring role in the television movie Mazes and Monsters.
Pada tahun 1979, Hanks pindah ke New York City, di mana ia membuat debut filmnya dalam sebuah film beranggaran rendah dan bergenre film jagal berjudul He Knows You're Alone (1980) dan ia juga mendapat peran utama dalam film televisi Mazes and Monsters.