The Hidden (1987)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Jack Sholder

Writer:

Jim Kouf (written by)

Release Date:

20 October 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A new breed of criminal.

Plot:

An alien is on the run in America. To get his kicks, it kills anything that gets in its way, and uses the body as a new hiding place...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Police | FBI | Shooting | Ferrari

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Kyle MacLachlan	...	Lloyd Gallagher
Michael Nouri	...	Tom Beck
Claudia Christian	...	Brenda Lee Van Buren
Clarence Felder	...	Lt. John Masterson
Clu Gulager	...	Lt. Ed Flynn
Ed O'Ross	...	Cliff Willis
William Boyett	...	Jonathan Miller
Richard Brooks	...	Sanchez
Larry Cedar	...	Brem
Katherine Cannon	...	Barbara Beck
John McCann	...	Senator Holt
Chris Mulkey	...	Jack DeVries
Lin Shaye	...	Carol Miller
James Luisi	...	Ferrari Salesman
Frank Renzulli	...	Michael Buckley

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 | France:-12 | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Heron Communications

Trivia:

The transfer of the alien from DeVries into Jonathan Miller was accomplished by stop-motion photography. During the stops, stage hands would work at stuffing the creature model into the mock head. Actor William Boyett, upon seeing the alien going into "his" mouth, was so disgusted he refused to watch and actually left the room.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Shadow of camera car visible in first car chase.

Quotes:

[Lloyd takes Beck for a ride in his Porsche]
Tom Beck: Bureau must be paying pretty good these days.
Lloyd Gallagher: Pretty good.
Tom Beck: Mind me asking how much one of these costs?
Lloyd Gallagher: No.
Tom Beck: How much?
Lloyd Gallagher: I don't know.
Tom Beck: You don't know? What did you do, steal it?
Lloyd Gallagher: Yeah.

Movie Connections:

References The Terminator (1984)

Soundtrack:

Black Girl White Girl

Enormously entertaining b-grade sci fi thriller with an awesome body count!

'The Hidden' is one of those movies you might easily pass by on first glance, assuming it's just your standard 1980s b-grade trash. The thing is it's FANTASTIC 1980s b-grade trash! This is one of the most entertaining sci fi thrillers you'll ever see, and lovers of cinematic violence will be thrilled by its body count, which is one of the highest you'll see outside a Hong Kong action movie. Michael Nouri ('Flashdance'... yeah, I know) is a cop tailing an average guy who has seemingly snapped and turned into a homicidal maniac. He is teamed with a kooky FBI agent ('Blue Velvet's Kyle MacLachlan) who knows a lot more than he lets on. Very quickly Kyle goes all 'Starman' on us, and Nouri soon realizes that he's actually on the trail of an extraterrestrial psycho who is taking over people's bodies so he can go on a rampage of murder, car theft, fatty foods and heavy metal music! So okay, this isn't the most cerebral movie in the world but I defy anybody not to have a ball watching it! The supporting cast includes Claudia Christian ('Babylon 5') as a foxy looking stripper, Clu Gulager ('The Killers') as Nouri's superior, and even a blink and you'll miss it cameo from future tough guy legend Danny Trejo ('From Dusk Til Dawn',etc.) as a convict. 'The Hidden' is a non-stop action ride, and the cheesiest 1980s fun this side of 'Maniac Cop'. Highly recommended.