User reviews

One of the coolest and most intense sci-fi movies I've ever seen. True, the body count is high, but it's kind of tongue-in-cheek if you actually pay attention to the movie. After watching it a number of times, I discovered that there appears to be a visual body count tally included on the screen. Five kills in the first killing scene - camera shows it took place on fifth street. There's an elevator scene in which the floor selected indicates the latest current count. Some are pretty subtle, you have to notice the time on the clock or maybe a hospital room number or something like that, but look for a number to appear after each killing or series of killings, and you'll find it. There are quite a few correlating numbers that are just too obvious and too frequent to be coincidental. Check it out.

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.

What is "the Hidden"? Exactly what the name implies. It's like searching for a diamond in a pile of coal. There are a lot of stupid, inane sci-fi action pics out there with some boring spin on the alien possession story, but this movie has something that those lack. Compelling characters. What, you say? A character study in sci-fi? Well, yes and no. It is as far away from a after-school TV drama, but the characters do have depth and they aren't cookie board cut-outs. Kyle MacLachlan, before his dark days of "showgirls", and Michael Nouri(Flashdance) star in this buddy-cop film, on the track of a killing-spree that seems to change with different humans. This film is a taught, well acted story. Sometimes creepy, sometimes genuinely funny. The score, although definitively 80s, complements the film with subtle overtones that enhance the viewing experience. A very good film that has a fair amount of blood and gore, but does not revolve around those genre staples. Overall, it's a safe bet for a good time. Watch it with someone you love.

Sci-fi buddy cop film about a parasitic alien that hops from one body to another while on a deadly crime spree through Los Angeles. Tough detective Michael Nouri teams up with mysterious FBI agent Kyle MacLachlan to track it down. Buddy cop movies were all the rage in the '80s and we still get them today, recycling one tired cliché after another. This is one of the better movies of this type due to its sci-fi twist and the good performances of Nouri & MacLachlan, who work well together. Also appreciated is sexy Claudia Christian as a stripper. Some very cool effects for the alien. It's a good piece of entertainment with a little bit of depth. Quite an interesting ending, too. Worst part? The soundtrack is made up of crappy generic metal music.

Law abiding persons start commiting heinous crimes. Two cops are on the case, trying to solve the mystery.

The Hidden is one of the lesser known sci-fi films from the 80s that has gained cult following over the last 30 years and the reason is quite apparent. It is violent, thrilling and quite fun.

Recommended.

This is a sci-fi flick that borrows its thesis from Hal Clement's NEEDLE; an alien criminal is running around the Earth, symbiotically living in humans, and it is up to an alien cop, played by Kyle McLaughlin to stop him, with the aid of a human detective. Lots of good camerawork, a decent script and performances add up to a good movie.

This movie is best seen without knowing much about the plot. It starts off as standard action movie where you follow a policeman who is investigating some strange event of a seemingly normal person kind of going crazy and suddenly committing thefts, violence, escaping the police. As the story develops, the story turns in unexpected but very fascinating directions.

The pace is kept high, never does ones attention wander. The acting is good and the story comes over as very real. I won't reveal too much here of what happens later as there are many elements of surprise which adds to the whole experience.

This is one of the movies that I have enjoyed watching several times. My vote is a 9.

Yes, it is. This may be called a B-movie (which it may be, but only because of quite cheap effects), but it surely is better than some first grade movies. What you get with this movie is a solid sci-fi/mystery/suspense/action movie with enough "body count" for those who care about it. What you also get is solid acting, a cop buddy story which is not too much stereotypically, a "strange" but likable MacLachlan character and for those who grow up in the 80ties, a déjà vu not only with MacLachlan, but also with Nouri and Claudia Christian, which most will best know from B5.

The best thing about this movie in my view is the fact, that the real story, the reason for the chase and especially the true face of MacLachlan's character are revealed very subtle, just so much that you notice that there could be something weird but not so much that it becomes too obvious. It's not a blatant uncovering of the real, underlying motives, which gives a touch of mystery in all the action, too.

So, "The Hidden" gets seven out of ten from me; this makes it clearly above average in a ten star rating where you have to give one star so that 5 and 6 are the average (little below/little above). I would give eight stars if the ending (the kill of the bas add) wouldn't be a little weak and the effects would be better. But seven is okay and everybody with an inclination for such type of movies can easily watch this movie, he/she won't regret it.

The Hidden is an unknown gem of a movie. That it's sci-fi probably kept its popularity down, but it's one of the best sci-fi films ever.

Michael Nouri proves once again that he deserves every leading man role he gets, and the ever quirky Kyle MacLachlan is at the top of his weird form.

Highly recommended for an evening of unexpected fun.

Enjoyable buddy-cop / sci-fi combo. Maybe it tips its hand a little too early, and never really tops the spectacular - and darkly funny - opening car chase sequence (man in a wheelchair, look out!), but the premise is fun, the pacing is breathless, and Kyle MaclLachlan's deliciously deadpan performance could be considered an early prototype for Agent Cooper of "Twin Peaks" fame. A terrific B-movie. *** out of 4.

The Hidden can be described as a sort of blend of The Terimnator and The Thing with some fish-out-of-water buddy cop elements in the vein of a movie like Red Heat. Perhaps you could also call it it's own movie. While bits of it are reminiscent of other films, it's actually fairly creative in it's own right. Particularly in the minor touches and details. It doesn't slow down nor is it a total overburden of action and generates a decent amount if suspense.

However, it does suffer from a few cliches and some moments feel out of rythtm with some shaky scenes. And Kyle McLachlan may be intresting but the other fellow isn't.

In a way the film's better off in the unnoticed space it occupies instead of up front lauded as a scifi classic; it sits well where it is.

Wow, I was pleasantly surprised by 'The Hidden'. This is a gem of an 80s horror movie.

The opening high speed chase already reeled me in, but there were plenty more impressive scenes to follow. We've seen this sort of thing before, but unlike most other films of this genre, 'The Hidden' remains reserved and makes its premise feel original. Despite being fantastical, the film has a sense of realism to it.

'The Hidden' features excellent performances by Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Nouri, and is also a fine example of family values. It is an interesting story with a good script. The action sequences are also very good. There's also a constant sense of mystery. I really can't fault this film in any way. It also has a satisfying, beautiful ending. I absolutely loved it. 'The Hidden' truly is a classic.

Not sure this is really a horror flick, more a "tweener". But in essence the basic plot is slightly skewed toward horror rather than sci-fi.

Speaking of plot, the opening scene is a violent bank robbery, followed by a high speed car chase that even includes the "car running through the pane of glass held by two guys", and a shootout which ends with the action movie staple, the car that explodes when shot (even though the cops were seemingly aiming at the perp). Despite the cliché it actually isn't a bad scene.

We are then introduced to the lawman Tom Beck who says that the bad guy went on a two week crime spree and is apparently about to die from the wounds from both gunshots and the explosion. He is then introduced to Lloyd Gallagher, an FBI man played by Kyle McLachlan who nonetheless "needs" to meet the criminal straight away.

As you probably haven't heard about the film I'll try to minimise the description, but it is obvious early on that the criminal is being "hosted" by an alien being, who is able to transfer from one human to the next, as long as the new body is basically dead (not a positive sign if his host body is desperate to move!) Actually the coolest part of the film is the transfer process, though it is not pretty.

The host seems to be the ultimate consumer, while he is in possession of the body he lives by the mantra "drive it like you stole it", he eats what he wants, steals what he needs and for most of the flick conveniently carries his own dodgy 80′s soundtrack with him, the only recognisable song being from Aussie outfit Hunters and Collectors.

Even though after about 30 minutes you have a fair handle on how this will end this Alien/Terminator rip-off adds enough to entertain, with a fair bit of action peppered with a little sci-fi and a teaspoon of horror.

Equally entertaining is the "pick that 80′s bit part guy", I saw actors from King Pin, Red Heat and The Last Boy Scout and I'm sure there are many others.

Final Rating – 7 / 10. Not a bad 80′s B movie. You could do worse.

If you liked this (or even if you didn't) try oneguyrambling.com

A cheesy science fiction/horror movie that has it all! Lots of kills, hot women, and a rather good body stealing plot which is a rarity for me to like as I usually do not care for the body invasion type movies. This one though does everything right considering it must have had a rather low budget and what not. A cop and an agent with a mystery team up to track down a killer alien that loves to swap out bodies and take new ones for a spin by killing and breaking the law. This alien brings the pain and after being shot repeatedly or when the body it is currently using gets to damaged it simply switches out to another host so it can continue the mayhem. The cops try to track it down, but it always finds a way out of trouble. The movie runs at a good pace and is rather exciting to watch, the budget shows at times as this film looks like it was made by one of those movie companies that does not exist anymore, still it has way more than enough to keep one entertained. You will recognize a couple of the stars as the lead guy was in a few movies in his day, the other movie role I know him from is "Dune". With this movie though you will get your share of shooting and stuff and it is well worth a look see, unlike the sequel which in fact should remain hidden for no one to chance upon again.

I am NOT a major fan of action films, so the fact that I liked "The Hidden" is unusual. The movie is jam-packed full of explosions, gun fire, deaths and mayhem. But it also works as an inventive sci-fi movie...one that pretty much went under the radar back in 1987 when it debuted.

The film has an incredibly simple plot...when the film begins, a maniac is running amok in LA...killing and stealing as if there's no tomorrow. Soon, however, you realize this killer is NOT a typical killer...he's practically indestructible. And, when he's about to die, a disgusting alien pops out of his mouth and inhabits the next person...and begins the murder spree all over again!! However, an oddball who claims to be an FBI agent (Kyle McLaughlen) arrives to assist the lead detective on the case (Michael Nouri) and they are the Earth's best bet to stop this menace.

Despite relying heavily on action and wholesale slaughter, the film is intelligently written and original. It's also an interesting time capsule of the late 1980s...in all its awfulness and excess. Well worth your time.

There was a time and a place when it seemed there was an endless pile of these sorts of films at your video store. Never knowing if you'd get a gem or a dud was part of the fun. This one is mostly a gem. Fun, campy, a little gross. An alien parasite begins to inhabit humans, taking them over, and going on violent crime sprees. Persues by the hapless local police, and a mysterious FBI agent; will they be able to stop the alien invasion? If you can get past the absurdity of it all, this is a deeply fun picture, perfect for 1am viewing. Not too scary, tongue firmly in cheek. It has a the -hip, and still cool post-rock soundtrack and some actors chewing piles and piles of scenery. Good fun, just don't think too hard. Recommended for cult and 80s film fans.

Jack DeVries has no criminal record but he goes on a two week crime spree that culminates into a violent bank robbery. The LAPD sets up a roadblock and puts him in the hospital on his death bed. An alien parasite leaves DeVries and enters patient Jonathan Miller. FBI Agent Lloyd Gallagher (Kyle MacLachlan) arrives searching for DeVries and LAPD detective Thomas Beck (Michael Nouri) is assigned as his partner. Miller goes on a crime spree pursued by Gallagher with a confused Beck. Then the alien is transferred to stripper Brenda (Claudia Christian). Gallagher corners Brenda on the roof but she jumps. The parasite escapes again. Gallagher finally tells Beck the truth but he doesn't believe it.

This is a great sci-fi indie classic. It has touches of the Terminator with an irreverent streak of dark humor. William Boyett and Claudia Christian are my favorite alien-possessed characters. I would prefer the movie kept these two longer and not keep switching so much. The movie is filled with great violence and car chases. Certainly some of it can be improved and cleaned up but this needs to be seen by more people.

This movie was so dull and predictable. The Lloyd Gallagher character had the stiffest role I've ever seen in a movie in ages. He's right up there with the actor who plays Donald Ressler in The Blacklist or Aaron Hotchner from Criminal Minds. Both of which Can't act their way out of wet paper bags hobos urinated in.

The soundtrack is dull and forgetful and I love music from that era All nobody bands and so forth. You get nobodies rocking out their punk and rock soundtracks and then there's quiet scenes and this weird ambient music that doesn't seem fitting.

The only thing really saving this from a 1 star is that opening scene and the second person who steals the Ferrari. I love how they use the little trunk in the car dealerships office. Aside from that I think I'll remember Danny Trejo in his 5 seconds maximum he's in or the shootout on the rooftop with a woman more than anything. The build up to the ending was kind of uninspired but the last scene was pretty cool. You can tell most of the budget went to special effects.

There needed to be so much more thought to put into this before I'd try and sell my script to Hollywood if I wrote this dumpster fire. This is about as bad as MOST Netflix Originals. Would I watch this again? Never.