The Hidden
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Movie Reviews of The Hidden
Movie Review: Probably my favorite little-known horror film.
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're all stocked up on the requisite horror/sci-fi DVDs and are looking to go deeper in your collection, here is a little gem from 1987 that I guarantee will please. Everyone has a movie they love that nobody else saw - this is one of mine. You can get a feel for the story from the Amazon blurb above. My testimony is for the fun of the film. It's not gory, or even necesarrily bone-chillingly scary. It's just extremely entertaining and really well done (it's cousin in this genre is TREMORS, for the fun and campiness of it all).
But what makes this DVD worth BUYING is its extras, especially the commentary by director Jack Sholder. This guy is a B-movie director if ever there was one, and his resume isn't all that impressive: Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Renegades, some other forgettable 80's films, and the recently abysmal Supernova. But gosh darnit if he didn't make a good enough film to warrant some director's audio commentary, and boy does he go to town. You can tell he's probably a real jerk to work with, and quite impressed with himself. And his cranky disposition makes for some great dirt on the making of this film. He disses the star, Michael Nouri, and even blasts the poor acting of some of his bit players. This is a guy who likely makes few friends with his commentary, and it's VERY entertaining, especially after having enjoyed the film for your first time. On top of that, he's a pretty practical low-budget director who shares the tricks of what he did and adds depth to one's appreciation for the film.
So to sum up - a great little movie on its own merits, with great director's commentary to warrant purchasing the DVD.
Movie Review: Must have watched it 20 times, just keeps getting better!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not horror. It's Sci-Fi. I don't know why anyone would rate this as a horror film; it's so much better than any horror flick I've ever seen..This movie is about aliens that come to earth; that's usually considered Sci-Fi in my book. And it's a little gory, but not much. It's actually very subtle, which is one of the things I admire most about it.
I've been watching this film for 15 years, and I never get tired of it. The sound on the DVD is not great; I can tell the original film was in mono.. when the stripper comes out and they go to the bar scene, I cranked up the sound one day when the family was out of the house; but there was no separation on the 5.1 and it just sounded like everything was coming out of the center speaker; very disappointing because the 1.85 picture is excellent!
But no matter; there is so much depth here, you can watch it many times and still see new nuance. The director comentary is really interesting because he talks about the lense and camera angles, the problems attempting to shoot some of the scenes and his general thought process. He talks about the ending, and how it was concieved, which this film excells. Most movies don't have the kind of meaningful, thought-provoking ending that this one does.
This movie kicks... on lots of higher budget films and proves that it does not take a huge budget to craft an excellent, entertaining thriller. Even if it is a B-movie.
Movie Review: AN UNDERAPPRECIATED CLASSIC
Summary: 5 Stars
Jack Sholder's THE HIDDEN is one of those films that should have done better when it was originally released in 1987. This was my second viewing and I found it even more entertaining than the first time I saw it many moons ago. Being one of the first of those aliens inhabiting humans movies, it has a frenetic pace that seldom lets up. Sholder keeps things moving and has staged some incredible car chases and shootouts. And I appreciated the subtly superb performances of both Michael Nouri and Kyle McLachlan. Their bantering and uneasy friendship, along with some of the humorous asides, propels the movie throughout. I especially liked McLachlan's duel with both Alka Seltzer and aspirin. You can see why he was destined to star in the quirky but brilliant TWIN PEAKS. Claudia Christian's sultry "cameo" is also well performed; if you look beautiful, then just do your stuff; what a commando, though!!! I also enjoyed Katherine Cannon's performance as Nouri's wife--a small role but one that revealed the life of a cop's wife. This movie in spite of its sci-fi basis, has heart, and that is revealed in the ending, maudlin but necessary.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Movie Review: A very entertaining Sci-Fi action thriller with a twist!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been planing on replacing my VHS version for about 5 years. This movie has a very witty script. Even though it's displayed in a serious vain, you can't help but laugh at the plot of an alien being that comes to earth & jumps from one human to another as the last one starts to wear out....all the while, the being enjoys fast cars, especially Ferraris & loud rock music. Oh, this thing also enjoys the body of very sexy women. Then there's the Detective who can't shoot straight as he goes after what he thinks are bad guys.
Impress yourself, your friends with this excellent flick. This is one gem of a SciFi action thriller that didn't get most peoples attention the 1st time around. Everyone is always looking for that special "sleeper" that most haven't seen, & this is it! So, don't let this DVD stay "Hidden" (no pun intended) from your collection..lol..lol
BTW: New Line Cinema did a superb job remastering this DVD from the film. The picture is sharp with vivid colors. This 1987 film looks as good on DVD as any 2009 release!!!! Trust me, even though you might not like SciFi....you'll enjoy this one. :) A+++
Movie Review: sweet movie
Summary: 5 Stars
one day i went through old movies in the attic and found (cobwebs all over it) "The Hidden." didnt look interesting but i popped it in the VHS and i was blown away at the opening sequence alone! this movie has the best action i've ever seen in cinema and done on a small budget! i love this alien, all it cares about is ferraris, heavy metal and world domination. i love the dark humor in this film as well and goes excellent with the fast pace of the film. a great scifi/action film that deserves more attention. i think the best part was when claudia christian distacts the two LAPD cops with a little show after a car chase and when they put there guard down she blows their squad car to smithereens. i guess the cops couldn't see the big gun behind her back(which is obvious), but i guess Jack Shoulder wanted to portray the LAPD accurately.