Review of Hide and Seek (2005) by Prema S — 08 Mar 2011

It's tightly paced and confidently styled. These times call for more daring in our horror films, but for this weekend, this will do the trick. Hide and Seek, despite early signs of higher goals, is a factory-standard box of shocks. Aside from its relentless exploitation of a child, this minor thriller features an intriguing beginning, a middling middle and an increasingly silly end, with a multitude of red herrings going squoosh underfoot. Its frights are not that chilling or original, its secrets more run-of-the-mill than astounding. For the first hour or so it builds inexorably to an excruciating level of dread. It does this so well, we're willing to forgive the small lapses of logic it takes to get us there.

VERDICT: "Rental" - (Negative to Mixed reaction). These films are only worth renting because of certain good things that are worth seeing, but are not worth paying at a theatre to see due to bad things that overcome anything good.