Hide and Seek (2005)

Director:

John Polson

Writer (WGA):

Ari Schlossberg (written by)

Release Date:

28 January 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Come out come out whatever you are

Plot:

As a widower tries to piece together his life in the wake of his wife's suicide, his daughter finds solace -- at first -- in her imaginary friend.

Plot Keywords:

Psycho Thriller | Book | Thrown Through Window | Craziness | Child Psychologist

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	David Callaway
Dakota Fanning	...	Emily Callaway
Famke Janssen	...	Katherine
Elisabeth Shue	...	Elizabeth
Amy Irving	...	Alison Callaway
Dylan Baker	...	Sheriff Hafferty
Melissa Leo	...	Laura
Robert John Burke	...	Steven
Molly Grant Kallins	...	Amy
David Chandler	...	Mr. Haskins
Stewart Summers	...	Doctor
Jake Dylan Baumer	...	Disturbed Boy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jacqueline Lovell	...	Party Guest (unconfirmed)

MPAA:

Rated R for frightening sequences and violence.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Taiwan:PG-12 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:18SG | Spain:18 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | New Zealand:M | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:16 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15 | USA:R | Ireland:18 (DVD/VHS release)

Filming Locations:

Haworth, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Contrary to popular belief, Dakota Fanning actually wore a brown wig, rather than having her hair dyed.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene after Emily's father gives her the new diary, in an exterior view of the house there is no vehicle. However, when Emily is walking towards the woods, there is an SUV.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Alison: Faster.
Emily: No, no, no.

Movie Connections:

Features Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939)

Soundtrack:

Future Girl

Fluff n' stuff. (spoilers)

I wasn't impressed with 'Hide and Seek.' If you've seen Secret Window or any of the recent horror=thrillers with endings of an identical twist, you'll understand how tired and utterly formulaic this has become. Hide and Seek lacks imagination anyways because the viewer is asked to be confounded by a series of disconnected scare tactics such as things jumping of closets, the last minute awareness of the culprit before the death of an unsuspecting victim, and above all, modern horror-thriller filmmakers determined to creep you out with some weirdo kid.

All the while, however, the story is very thin: that of a father and his young daughter coping with the gruesome death of the wife/mother who supposedly slit her wrists in the bathtub where she bled to death. However, we are led to believe that in fact, her death was no accident. And the weird little girl and her mysterious, elusive friend "Charlie," seem to be behind the whole thing as they taunt the father who just seems to want to get on with things. Something like 'The Omen,' if you will. But, it doesn't end that way, of course.

Instead, a cast of pretty good actors star in a film of cheap tricks and an even cheaper ending (including the infamous last scene where you think that all is well until there is some last minute evidence that in fact, the evil will continue unabated). Formula one hundred percent. If you've seen films like 'Secret Window' or 'Taking Lives' or other similar pseudo-mind benders (sorry, other titles don't come to mind at the moment), then you're in for nothing new if you watch 'Hide and Seek.' In any event, De Niro didn't over act and Dakota Fanning did a fine job creeping me out.