Review of The Hidden (1987) by Philip J — 18 Oct 2012

A quiet, modest stockbroker wakes up from bed one day, has had it with his life, and goes on a rampage. He arms himself with a high-powered rifle, steals a Ferrari car, robs a bank, and kills many people including several security guards. The police end up chasing this guy on a dangerous pursuit through the streets of Los Angeles.

A gravely ill man being treated at a hospital suddenly wakes up. He gets out of bed and leaves the hospital. But how can that be -- wasn't he still listed as in critical condition? This man himself must have developed homicidal tendencies during his beauty rest because when he has awakened, he is clearly a different man. He walks into a car dealership, kills three people, and helps himself to a red Ferrari --without paying for it, of course. He also assaults a record store cashier to death with a club just for the hell of it -- though one could argue he was acting in self-defense. Or maybe not.

A beautiful stripper becomes the object of desire for many mortal men. They pay good money to have some personal time with her. But one of her customers is about to regret his intimate moments with her because when she's through with him, this guy will be so hot and bothered he won't be breathing anymore...literally.

Who -- or what -- is causing these once law abiding citizens to go on random killing sprees?

A mysterious FBI agent, Lloyd Gallagher (Kyle MacLachlan), has arrived at Los Angeles to assist L.A.P.D. Detective Tom Beck (Michael Nouri) with investigating the circumstances behind the sudden killing sprees of one-time ordinary citizens. However, as Detective Beck gets closer to finding out the truth, he realizes that Agent Gallagher is not quite what he seems...

It turns out that the culprit behind this madness is a parasitic slug-like creature from outer space, which literally enters human bodies and uses them as hosts. This particular alien criminal can best be described as a sociopath with a propensity towards fast cars (it particularly likes Ferraris), beautiful women, heavy metal music, and heavy artillery. It also enjoys killing Earthlings for the pleasure of it. The alien is able to continue its killing spree on Planet Earth while using its human hosts as both a way to move around undetected...and a shield for protection. This alien predator is taking over the bodies of random citizens...and transforming them into unstoppable killing machines. Bullets don't faze it and most weapons are useless against it.

Only Beck and Gallagher can stop this alien before it turns Los Angeles into ruins...

The basic premise for Jack Sholder's witty and well-made riveting thriller is fantastic. It's basically an alien invasion theme, only this time it's on a smaller, subtler scale. Instead of giant spaceships and armies of ten feet tall aliens armed with laser rifles destroying city buildings, here, we have basically one alien creature orchestrating the chaos. But what's scary about this creature is that it's impossible to tell what it's planning next. And we don't know which person it will take over. It could be your next-door neighbor, a close colleague of yours at work, or maybe even a well-respected politician. This alien is very cold-hearted and cunning in its scheme to bring this city -- and maybe even this country -- to its knees. There's an element of unpredictability in this movie that keeps you on edge. Although there are tell-tale signs of an abnormal presence -- let's face it, when somebody gets shot several times in the chest and he's still walking, you know he's not exactly human - this alien doesn't give a damn, it'll just hijack another live human body. Part of what makes this movie fun is trying to anticipate who will be the alien's next host body...

The Hidden is a surprisingly excellent film with plenty of action, suspense, and touches of black humor. It is a cool, unique blend of the action, science-fiction, and horror genres. Think of this movie as basically a cross between Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Men in Black, though I think a lot of the themes in this movie actually inspired the latter film.

The action scenes are grand and expertly directed by Jack Sholder. The movie starts with a bang as the possessed stockbroker commits a brazen bank robbery. He then leads the police on a high-speed chase while breaking every traffic law imaginable including failing to yield to handicapped pedestrians. This beginning car chase is simply spectacular and one of the best chases I've seen in any cinema. It feels very real and you're in the driver's seat -- or rather, you feel like the passenger of a stolen vehicle scared out of your wits while the driver is eluding the police. Another great action sequence is the shootout inside a warehouse full of mannequins. The filmmakers make good use of the mannequin props to create an eerie backdrop. The Hidden is loaded with car chases and shootouts at every conceivable setting with a variety of guns being used. This movie is continuously exciting and well paced, and you are treated to some tremendous action.

Besides the great action, what makes this movie even more outstanding are the personalities themselves. From the white-collar stockbroker to the exotic stripper, the viewer gets an opportunity to meet a variety of L.A.'s finest. This movie benefits from the energetic performances from the cast. You get the sense that many of the cast members had fun playing characters who get personally invaded by the alien. Yet the actors also had the challenge of making sure that there is some sense of uniformity in their performances. When the alien takes over a human being's mind and body, the possessed person displays a sinister nonchalance, especially in its disregard for other human life. That's another unique aspect about this movie; you get to see multiple body swaps so different actors get to play the main bad guy. And in spite of having to make sure that they must maintain some consistency in demonstrating the alien's sociopathic personality, each actor gets to add his/her own quirks to their individual character that gets inhabited by the alien. In particular, I must give kudos to Claudia Christian as a stripper gone psycho and Chris Mulkey as the maniac stockbroker. Incidentally, another interesting aspect in this movie is how the fugitive alien tries to adapt itself in a human society. Ironically, the alien finds itself enjoying the many worldly pleasures offered at Planet Earth...

Even the skeptical police detective looking for answers and his weird partner who knows too well about these incidents are marvelous characters. Both share a very peculiar relationship. Michael Nouri is believable as the frustrated cop wondering why the hell is everybody in L.A. suddenly going bonkers. To him, there has to be a logical explanation for what's happening to all these people. Agent Gallagher offers a possible reason, but will this cop listen? Kyle MacLachlan is strangely likable as the FBI agent with some eccentric propensities. You eventually get the sense that there is something not quite normal about Gallagher...perhaps not even human. His Lloyd Gallagher character is in some respects an interesting precursor to Special Agent Dale Cooper of Twin Peaks fame. Gallagher even shares some similar character traits with Cooper including aloofness and the feeling of being an outsider in the community. Character development is exceptionally strong and it's fun watching the two leads develop a sincere rapport. What really surprises me about this movie is the amount of heart this film actually has. You genuinely care about the characters and it's a credit that both MacLachlan and Nouri have made their characters immensely easy to root for.

The special effects are old fashioned but get the job done. For a movie with science-fiction elements, there are not a lot of fancy effects. There is one scene in the hospital that will make you squirm. I won't spoil the details, but I will say that the special effects and alien puppetry utilized in that scene are outstanding. And yes, it is much more effective than CGI.

Although this movie is a minor masterpiece that has already gained a decent cult following, I still think it is an under-appreciated hidden gem waiting to be discovered by a larger, more mainstream audience. The Hidden is a very exciting film that has tons of violent action to appease those into the genre but enough emotional value and emphasis on character development to draw in other audiences as well. From the explosive car chase in the beginning to the rip-roaring final confrontation, The Hidden is an action-packed joyride which will leave you energized. Check it out, you'll definitely get a kick out of this neat, deftly crafted little thriller.

The Hidden is one of the finest cult classics ever. This movie has a lot of rewarding moments, but I think that the ending in this movie is definitely powerful. Still, avoid the sequel at all costs.