The Hidden (1987)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Jack Sholder

Writer:

Jim Kouf (writer)

Release Date:

20 October 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A new breed of criminal.

Plot:

An alien is on the run in America. To get his kicks, it kills anything that gets in its way, and uses the body as a new hiding place...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Police | FBI | Daughter | Fall From Height

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Kyle MacLachlan	...	Lloyd Gallagher
Michael Nouri	...	Tom Beck
Claudia Christian	...	Brenda Lee Van Buren
Clarence Felder	...	Lt. John Masterson
Clu Gulager	...	Lt. Ed Flynn
Ed O'Ross	...	Cliff Willis
William Boyett	...	Jonathan Miller
Richard Brooks	...	Sanchez
Larry Cedar	...	Brem
Katherine Cannon	...	Barbara Beck
John McCann	...	Senator Holt
Chris Mulkey	...	Jack DeVries
Lin Shaye	...	Carol Miller
James Luisi	...	Ferrari Salesman
Frank Renzulli	...	Michael Buckley

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 | France:-12 | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Heron Communications

Trivia:

The transfer of the alien from DeVries into Jonathan Miller was accomplished by stop-motion photography. During the stops, stage hands would work at stuffing the creature model into the mock head. Actor William Boyett, upon seeing the alien going into "his" mouth, was so disgusted he refused to watch and actually left the room.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of the intial car chase we see Sanchez and some of the other officers train their shotguns toward the speeding Ferrari of DeVries. The next shot shows Sanchez and other officers standing with their guns at their side, while in the shot after that, their guns are once again pointed towards the Ferrari.

Quotes:

Tom Beck: Why would he come in here and kill a guy for a lousy hundred bucks and a radio?
Lloyd Gallagher: Because he likes it. He sees something he wants, he steals it. If something gets in his way, he kills it. And right now, he's hiding out in your city.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The House That Freddy Built (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Black Girl White Girl

The best performance of MacLachlan's Career

This movie is extremely well-made for what it is. Fascinating, thought-provoking, it surprised the Hell out of me when I first saw it. This could have been a "gimmick" sci-fi movie, but it's handled deftly by the director, who I had never heard of, and by MacLachlan, who gives a terrific, sensitive, multi-layered performance.

For that matter, most of characters have real dimension to them. This movie transcends a rather bland, run-of-the-mill science fiction story with the chemistry between its characters and the snappy pacing. I like the way the themes of identity and compassion are actually explored instead of just exploited.