Hide and Seek (2005)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

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:

Doctor | Widower | Imaginary Friend | Suicide | Little Girl

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
Jake Dylan Baumer	...	Disturbed Boy

MPAA:

Rated R for frightening sequences and violence.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Taiwan:PG-12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | New Zealand:M | 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: When 'Charlie' is seeking Emily in her bedroom, he says 'Is she under this bed?' and looks under the bed on his left, then checks the one on his right but in the very next shot, he is checking the bed on his left again.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References The Shining (1980)

Soundtrack:

Swing Punch

A classic underachiever.

Maybe Robert De Niro's doctor in Godsend (2004) went to the same medical school of horrors as his Dr. David Callaway in Hide and Seek, this year's De Niro toss away film, from which he deposits his considerable paycheck along with cash from Meet the Fockers. Why he doesn't concentrate his fortune and connections (as Clint Eastwood does) to craft an artful small film that would allow his acting gifts is the only mystery for me from his prolific but arguably spotty career.

Young Emily Callaway (Dakota Fanning) has lost her mother (Amy Irving) to suicide. Psychologist dad moves her to an older, rambling house in the woods in upstate New York to start a new life. Not new are the abundant clichés of the horror film: the suspicious neighbors, whom director John Polson makes as creepy as possible; the questionable sheriff; the doors leading to scares; the mutilated dolls; Emily's imaginary friend, Charlie, who appears to be causing numberless offenses in the house; and knives placed as objects of intrinsic interest; and a vulnerable girl friend, Elizabeth (Elisabeth Shue). I stopped counting, for the film is one extended cliché after another.

The interest for serious filmgoers might be the depiction of the psychological stat after a loss to suicide. Whatever the term might be such as "post-traumatic stress disorder syndrome," the film does a credible job showing how difficult it is for Emily to lead a normal life after the loss of her mother (and for her father as well). While there are echoes of Stephen King (The Shining's "Here's Johnny" comes to mind) and Hitchcock (think shower scene), there is no comparison in quality with those classics. The audience at the preview enjoyed some of the stock shock moments behind the many closed doors. Hide and Seek will titillate horror fans but disappoint discerning film buffs, who look for some believable edge and innovation.

Milton in Paradise Lost expressed the descent from happiness to despair: "Farewell happy fields, Where joy forever dwells: hail, horrors!" Hide and Seek is not a classic horror film; it is a classic underachiever.