Hidden (I) (2015) User Reviews (176)

Solid concept, annoying character

[hdelacruz · 6/10 · 2 July 2020]

I really enjoyed the concept and the isolating feel of the film. The whole time your trying to figure out who these creatures are and what they want. The pros are almost outweighed by the annoying little girl's character. I thought there girl's acting was great but the character was so obnoxious. She wouldn't shut the heck up for one second. She's taught to keep quiet in order to survive but she was so loud and cried every five minutes. I honestly wanted to shut the film off because of it. Not only that, but her need to interject stupidly all the time felt pointless. Instead of the parents doubling down in ensuring she knows her role for survival, they catered to her every question and babied every sad expression she made. Your sitting there thinking that this is no time for Mickey mouse b.s. this is the time to shut up and stay alive. Honestly, this movie would be great if the kid's character was cut or they made her not the center of the movie.

Five stars because I liked the concept and the overall plot line but hated the kid.

Entertaining Slow Burn Thriller

[HorrorOverEverything · 7/10 · 22 September 2015]

Don't really want to say too much about this since I feel that the best way to enjoy this film is to go in knowing as little as possible. That's what I did and I was thoroughly entertained until the credits rolled.

This isn't an action packed gore fest, instead it is a well crafted thriller that does a good job of getting you attached to the characters. The slow build up helps to make the characters feel real, that and the excellent acting by the small cast.

Some may be deterred by the slow pace but I felt the slow pace just made the finale that more thrilling and emotional. The screenwriters thought outside of the box for this one and it was really refreshing to see something new.

7/10

Enjoyed it!!

[rocketbr9 · 7/10 · 22 September 2015]

To start off, this movie was very slow and if you have the time and dedication to finish it I would truly recommend it. Some serious twist and surprising plot developments. Alexander Skarsgard was tremendous. If it wasn't for him, this movie would have fell face first. The script was the only thing that I thought could have been better. Poorly written but but again the acting was what it kept the movie together. I'm very tough on my ratings but an 8 of 10 is quite accurate. The final 30 minutes is when the tension builds up and captures the audience and I promise, if you can stay with the first half and not give up you will be very happy you did.

Refreshing and good movie with actual suspense - want more!

[jonnytheshirt · 7/10 · 28 September 2015]

Quite reminiscent of The Road, Hidden is quite slow in the first half of the movie. This however is carried very well by the central characters, all very believable in their roles and they draw you into their world surprisingly easily. There's quite a bit of mystery and suspense builds slowly. Usually I'm a know it all about story lines however Hidden kept me intrigued and even surprised me. Its quite a dark movie and a slow burner and quite apocalyptic in it's nature so you'd need to be in the mood. I watched Pixels before hand which probably cost about 20 times as much and had a cast of 20 times the size and I definitely enjoyed Hidden more. Completely different movies mind, and Hidden is an adult movie of course. By the end however I did want more, although I doubt there'll be a sequel, however certainly in a crowded market a well made film.

Neither thrilling nor scary. Just frustrating.

[TaylorYee94 · 6/10 · 11 May 2022]

Okay. I get that 'unknown' can be scary, intensifying, and hair-raising, but there is a limit to what audience can take up on. You cannot drag to hide the attackers for more than half of the movie. When viewers finally get to figure out 'breathers', the screen gets all dark and foggy to hide their identity AGAIN. The big reveal gets delayed, raising expectation as well. In the end, breathers are actually soldiers, and Zoe's family is the one infected (looking so much like zombie, disappointingly un-creative). It is NOT a great reveal or wildest plot twist worth waiting for an hour and a half. If you saw the poster, you already have vague idea of what breathers would be, and the director's efforts to insinuate that they are monstrous beings or alien creature seem useless. 'Hidden' is like your friend arriving at your birthday party an hour late, telling your birthday present has not arrived yet because she has made the special order, and you getting custom-made keychain a week later.

They should make more movies like this one

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 16 October 2015]

Well this is a movie I am glad I watched. It's not an horror movie though so it should not be categorized in there. But it's a nice thriller. A thriller with a twist. And that's what I like the most about movies. When you don't see it coming, a total surprise. They don't make much of those movies because most of the times you figured out the end way before the actual ending. With this one you don't have that at all. We all know Alexander Skarsgård mostly from the series True Blood. And here in Hidden he proves that he is a good actor. The rest of the cast was also good, very believable in their respective roles. Nice suspense throughout the whole movie. And with a good ending like I said. I enjoyed it and will probably watch it again in a couple years.

They couldn't feel how light the canned peaches were?

[gooseshaw · 6/10 · 1 April 2020]

This movie's got some good points and some bad points. Firstly, I'd say the acting is pretty good, especially Zoe, considering her age. Seeing her and her father interacting always made for good scenes (especially when contrasted with her mother, who for whatever reason was written to be incredibly frustrating at times).

There's a few small nit-picks but those don't really matter. The majority of the movie was quite good, especially since most of it took place in one small bunker. So much so that the ending actually was a bit of a let down.

Having the family turn out to be infected was interesting, but calling the military "breathers" didn't really make any sense, since everyone, including the little girl, knew that the government was trying to kill them. Obviously this is only to hide the twist from the audience. I will say though, that the gas masks and yellow lights did make you wonder who or what exactly these enemies were.

The family turning into crazed monsters was silly, as was the underground society where these monsters could truly "be themselves." Nonetheless, I sure didn't expect that for an ending.

I'd recommend the movie, despite its cheesy qualities.

And seriously, how did Zoe not realize that the giant can of peaches she was opening, was completely empty?

A wonderful surprise of a film that made me glad I watched it

[manuelasaez · 8/10 · 28 September 2015]

I loved everything about this movie; the acting, the set-up, the slow burn, the reveal. Everything worked so well that it was a just a joy of a film to watch. That little girl is so damned talented, and the parents were so convincing, I actually wondered if they knew that they were being filmed while they were acting.

Interestingly, the best thing about this film had to be the third act. You think the film is about one thing, and then it flips that upside down in such a way as to have you wondering how you never guessed where they were going with the story in the first place. It was just an amazing sense of progression that was well realized, nicely paced, and incredibly effective.

If there is any movie that deserves to be seen by as many people as possible, this is definitely the one. No one saw this coming, and I am SHOCKED that this film did not receive a wide theatrical release. Everyone deserves to be praised for their work in this movie. It really is superlative cinema.

Nice twist but nothing special

[valleyjohn · 6/10 · 3 January 2021]

It's probably not the wisest idea I've ever had , to watch a film about a deadly virus while I'm struggling to breath with COVID-19 but I did and I can't say it did a great deal for me.

This is the story of a family who takes refuge in a bomb shelter after a disease outbreak, to avoid a the people above ground called the breathers .

Apart from a nice , but predictable twist three quarters from the end , this really wasn't up to much .

It felt a little bit like a Stephen King short story but not quite up to King's standard.

The biggest problem I had with this film was not the plot but the little girl.

Whoever was playing her was over acting terribly and when she was crying it looked so false . I suppose playing alongside Andrea Riserborough and Alexander Starsgard didn't help.

Hidden is so unremarkable it should remain what it's title says.

Waste of my time

[LisaFogle · 3/10 · 22 December 2020]

This movie was just downright depressing. Frankly if I had been living life in a dirty fall out shelter with no light I think I'd just let them kill me. If I had to listen to the mom call Zoe Zoe-zo one more time I would have impaired my ears with sharp pencils. Too much screaming from the kid, no wonder they were found. And of course kids never listen to their parents. I give it a 3 because of the plot twist at the end but for the most part I struggled to stay awake and focused. I guess if you have absolutely nothing else to watch, and I mean even reruns of FRIENDS, than you might be mildly entertained. I wasn't Come to think of it it's more of a 2 for me.

Psychological Horror in a sense and dramatic at times.

[djoenaedi_d · 8/10 · 22 September 2015]

First of all what defines horror? Jump scares or gore? There is all kinds of types of horror. I'd say the fear of losing your family can be horrifying.

It's all a matter of perspective and maybe empathy at times. I for one really felt the bond between the father and daughter. The father constantly keeps his family's sanity together.

The first half of the movie is all about these aspects and doesn't show anything remotely scary. The only mentioning about the creatures, referred as "The Breathers" comes from the daughter who isn't allowed to talk about them anymore. If you lost interest by now just because you didn't see anything scary then just stop watching.

If you are wondering what they are hiding from stay tuned.

In other words the horror aspect is more so the fact they are hiding from forces that are a threat to them, but you don't actually see them until the second half of the movie.

The acting is well done. Script is well done. Claustrophobic post- apocalyptic environment is well done. Flashbacks are well spread out and not overdone.

I have seen far worse horror movies and this is just different. Even if you strip away all the horror it is supposed to have it's still a great movie IMO. The twists are there as well and in this day and age those are hard to do. Just freaking enjoy the movie and don't be so technical about it. Don't bash it just because it's not your definition of horror.

Little Gem in the Horror Genre

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 1 March 2017]

In Kingsville, Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), his wife Claire (Andrea Riseborough) and their little daughter Zoe "Zozo" (Emily Alyn Lind) have been living in an underground shelter for three hundred days hidden from the "Breathers". They have created and follow four rules to stay alive. Ray frequently recalls when an outbreak reached Kingsville and the army bombed the whole town during the quarantine, and he believes they are the only survivors. When they find that many supplies have been stolen from the pantry, Ray finds that a rat is the responsible. They chase the rodent and there is an accident with a kerosene lamp that burns a table. Now they are afraid that the "Breathers" might have seen the smoke. Will they be safe in the shelter?

The tense "Hidden" is a little gem in the horror genre. The plot seems to be a conventional post-apocalypse story, but the plot point is absolutely original and unexpected. Alexander Skarsgård), Andrea Riseborough and Emily Alyn Lind are very convincing in the role of a trapped family. The hopeless conclusion is too dark and the consequences will certainly be devastating for either side. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

If you want to convince somebody not to have children let her or him watch Hidden

[DVR_Brale · 3/10 · 1 December 2016]

Zozo is surely the most annoying kid movies have ever seen. She was given way to much spotlight and made Hidden sometimes almost unwatchable. If someone wanted to make a movie with a message for people not to have children (due to demographic overloads, for example), that someone could as well make Hidden. Having ZoZo for a daughter diminishes you survival chances greatly; almost entirely I think. If you want to keep ZoZo quiet and calm you have to spend much more energy that having a lunch at McDonald's packs, let alone old canned beans. My message is this: parents, spend a lot of time upbringing your children because one day your child's screams and unwillingness to listen may lead you to death.

For this reason alone I give this movie such a bad rating. Don't watch this if you want to have children.

Interesting Spin On Zombie Genre With Unfortunate Flaws

[chicagopoetry · 6/10 · 23 September 2015]

Okay, so if The Sixth Sense was a zombie film, it would be called Hidden. It's a pretty creepy film with some great camera work with a nice twist halfway through reminiscent of The Others. Unfortunately everyone involved over-acts and much of it is shot in such darkness that it's hard to follow the action but these aren't my main beefs. Okay, it's impressive that such a claustrophobic film can be shot in an isolated set, sort of like Buried was filmed entirely in a casket, but even so, the plot has to be plausible. Not that there's much of a plot at all. A family of three is hiding in a shelter after some kind of global infection and they struggle to survive, up against some glowing eyed lurkers they call "The Breathers".

But . . . they discover a rat has chewed through no less than a dozen cans of their food and emptied them. Huh? As far as I know, rats can't chew through tin cans much less suck the contents dry without leaving such a plethora of feces in their wake that this would have been noticed long, long ago. It's small things like this that put a snag in this film; there are just too many of these "Oh Come On!" moments for such a short film. I mean, they've been down there over 300 days and the mother still can't remember to call her daughter Zoey instead of ZoZo as requested? And the daughter is still somewhat of a spoiled brat caring more about her stupid dolly than her parents even after a year of being isolated down there? And they keep the door to the shelter locked with multiple chains but also have a vent of some sort large enough for a human to fit through just boarded up with planks of wood? All of this can almost be forgiven once the twist is revealed but only almost. With some better writing this movie that I'm rating a 6 could have easily been and 8 or a 9. Anyway, it's short enough, so watch it anyway.

The intriguing narrative centered on psychological torments and the clever twist absolutely warrant a viewing.

[quincytheodore · 7/10 · 27 September 2015]

Delivering tension without resorting to over exposure the "threats" is a great indication of how effective a horror movie is. Hidden works incredibly well with small scale, dark atmosphere and mental trial instead of ordinary gorefest. Its narrative is only hampered by a few technical or consistency flaws, which are forgivable towards the end.

Story follows a family of three as they hide from what seems to be a virus outbreak. It shows their current predicament while revealing the preceding events in timely fashion. This may feel like typical zombie movie, but the focus on this small cast is highly engaging. The slow pace from early on sets the tone very well, it gives more personalities to the distraught family that can resonate to audience.

Acting is solid all around, all three characters have appealing traits which also accompanied by natural weaknesses. Emily Alyn Lind as the daughter is fitting, most of the drama here can only work with her character. It's a hefty task for a child actor, but she's believably likable and innocent on screen.

What sets it apart is the twist on last act. To divulge it would be a disservice to the movie, but it's a fresh development from the usual movie of the kind. However, the visual might not be clear, perhaps to obscure the monster in question, but it's entirely too dark in some scenes. Characters sometimes act differently, like the daughter who appears mature, but acts childish when the plot demands it. That, along some other quirky disparities.

This is not the thriller or horror one might expect, but it's a fresh take on old genre. While it stumbles once or twice, it manages to separate itself from its peers with intense psychological thriller as well as nifty twist on last act.

Solid plot, twist and acting minus "Zozo"

[mrb223 · 6/10 · 10 January 2021]

Overall worth watching if you can phase out the child actor Zoe. I know child acting can be hit or miss and try to give it the benefit of the doubt. But this was pretty brutal. Constantly overacting, and scripting makes it seem like she's the main character. Other acting was great, movie premise and final twist was very interesting/captivating. However, combination of Zoe going over the top screaming and too much script for her ruined a lot of scenes and detracted from the suspense. Otherwise would be an 8/10. Similar to 10 clover field lane.

"Stay Home"

[juneebuggy · 7/10 · 8 June 2020]

Bizarre but unique and creepy little film about a family of three who take refuge in an underground bunker after a catastrophic epidemic. This is a slow burn, with flashbacks as we steadily learn what's going on. All three of the actors are good (Alexander Skarsgård) and its almost exclusively just them. Eventually the family must venture out into the world, populated by monstrous "breathers" in order to replenish their dwindling supplies and that's when the twist comes into play, which makes you examine the whole movie in a new way.

Notes: Quarantine warnings on the road signs, significant and kinda freaky because that's what I'm seeing on the roads here, right now, "Stay Home." I definitely would have taught my young daughter to be quiet, like no questions asked. Full stop. I would have removed the dolls voice box day one.

Awesome "zombie" movie with a twist

[shadowcatthewizard · 8/10 · 22 September 2015]

Absolutely incredible acting. The father and mother were, of course (considering who played them) great, but the girl in the movie was completely awesome. What a great twist on a "zombie" movie--and I'm not about to give anything away. Its time for you to spend some time on the edge of your seat like I did. I loved the way the story worked in what happened by flashes of the past that were still tied to the present. This movie is well worth what you will pay to watch it. This movie reminded me of a horror story of old like " The Haunting", where scenes took their time to build and had you fully invested in what was going on when anything dramatic happened. Watch it in a dark room and enjoy!!!

Where'd They Use the Bathroom?

[jlangford79 · 6/10 · 27 November 2015]

The plot and story held up until the last thirty minutes of the movie when the viewers are introduced to the antagonists. Without getting too far into the origins of the apocalyptic setting, we find out there is a "virus" that everyone is escaping from. Then the directors/writers/producers throw a curve ball, a cinematic Shyamalan-twist that belittles the audience's anticipation for a monster-ending. Instead, we find out the family is infected with the virus, and they turn into C.H.U.D.s (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers{or maybe just H.U.D.s}). They have the ability to flip the mutation/virus on and off when they feel threatened.

So yeah, a bit disappointed that the "breathers" weren't giant, mutated beasts, but not entirely disappointed with the movie overall. Decent story, plot, acting up until the last 30 minutes . . . and where were they taking shits?

A feeble attempt at misdirection for the sake of a shallow twist

[RobertWhitebrow · 3/10 · 9 November 2021]

I see a lot of positive reviews on this movie, but for my taste this was honestly lacking in almost every aspect. Not horribly so, but the movie leaves you with this sensation that it is uninspired and unpolished. It is a post apocalyptic/virus outbreak dystopia flick with a "twist".

Maybe I have seen too many horror flicks to find any of this original or interesting but then again a movie should stand on its own merits no matter the audience. The three main characters are somewhat bland and for the first part of the movie I felt that we were being rushed into this alleged feeling of a close family, checking all the boxes for every cliche in sight.

The second part of the movie is where all the cards are laid on the table in a narrative coup de grace. Unfortunately the feeling of this "revelation" feels like if you're playing a poker game and someone suddenly yells "Yhatzee!" and slaps down a bunch of Uno cards and proudly bets his monopoly money. And this will be the case if you had been paying attention throughout the movie. The big twist is that the family, which we were so masterfully lead to believe were hiding from the infected "breathers", in fact turn out to be the infected themselves, and the breathers are just hazard suited swat teams send to purge the infected. That would be a cool twist if only everything we had been shown up until now did not contradict it. Until now the family was running scared and weak, avoiding confrontation at all costs but as soon as the revelation drops they go Blade on the swat team. This includes a total change in their appearance so the movie deliberately mislead the audience. The half-assed explanation that the virus makes them super powerful when desperate doesn't hold much weight since they had been clearly shown to be desperate and afraid earlier in the movie as well without any transformation. But even if we let this slide there's another plot hole. Before the revelation a single "breather" managed to tear a bolted and chained bomb shelter vault door off it's hinges while the mother was hanging onto it. It was explicitly stated this was a single breather. Not sure how one swat member managed this or why they didn't use torch cutters or the like. No wait, I know, because the movie deliberately wanted to misdirect us through deception. Its like you're watching a superman movie who suddenly rips off his mask an turns out to be batman. You raise a questioning finger because a moment ago superman had displayed the ability to fly and had super strength but the movie just says "pay no attention to this, wasn't it such a cool and unexpected twist though!"

Well no, no it wasn't. I am left thoroughly underwhelmed by a decent idea which if executed properly could have gone the path of the Sixth Sense, but instead got derailed into this mess. Is this one to avoid? No, not really. It can pass a few hours if you want to waste them but just don't think too hard about the plot holes.

Somehow more, and less, than I expected.

[kingdazy-1 · 9/10 · 25 September 2015]

I was *very* pleasantly surprised by this film. Is it a "scary" horror? No, not necessarily, although it did have a few moments.

It ended up being a subtle story, brilliantly told for the most part, a great character study and acting. Filmed in a brilliant little set, claustrophobic and moody.

If you're looking for jump scares and special effects, guns and explosions, screaming bimbos and tough-guy saviors, this is not for you.

It was perhaps a little heavy handed in its last 1/4, trying to "explain" things, but we all know that directors often think an average audience can need that. I think a little subtlety would have gone a long way with this, esp in editing.

I highly recommend not researching this film, knowing anything beforehand.

I wanted to dislike this film, until

[Sicknology · 7/10 · 22 June 2023]

Slow and frustrating to the point of brain pain in some scenes early on, that said i did want to keep watching it and maybe just so i could say it was truly bad, but mostly because i don't like giving up on a story.

Come the last 20 minutes and cometh the twist, it then becomes a very different story. Over the next 20 minutes the preceding hour clicks into place and you realise it's a very good concept and one that would be rare enough to find. I'm glad i finished it as otherwise i'd never have known the film it is.

Stick with it and you'll be glad you did, I was pleased it made an impression in its embers.

I gave it a solid 7 out of 10.

Stupid movie about comforting a kid

[abortamir · 1/10 · 4 May 2021]

Why it's always the kid who going to get the most priority? Especially during a pandemic like this? The kid ruin the whole film, if it wasn't her , everything will go smoothly. It's long and a dull movie and beside they film it so dark that you can't see anything but can only hear nonstop screaming. When you can't foresee a future, who care about your kids? Why sacrifice yourself to be left with the weaker one to fight? Anyways it was a pretty idiotic film.

You will hold your breath

[justahunch-70549 · 7/10 · 5 July 2023]

A film that I had never heard of made by the Duffer brothers who are responsible for the TV hit Stranger Things. Actually, as of 2023 this is their one and only feature film which I assume was never theatrically released. It's small, it's short and it's pretty depressing for the longest time, but it also eventually turns into one very nerve racking little piece of cinema with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. A brief description is this is about a family locked away in a fallout shelter to escape entities that they call the breathers. This all takes place after some virus rapidly spreads among humans that we learn little about other than it exists. There is a hint midway through the film what that end twist might be, but it never entered my mind. The cast is good led by the always dependable Alexander Skarsgård along with Andrea Riseborough with a child actor by the name of Emily Alyn Lind who is pretty damn good. This is a minor sci-fi horror film that's not half bad, but I do have to question how a rat could eat through a dozen tin cans of food along with all of its contents without ever once knocking a can over. In the big picture that's a minor issue, but it comes rather early and its lack of logic made me unnecessarily cautious of what I was viewing.

too long

[joaosamarques · 7/10 · 25 September 2015]

i think the lightning of the movie was too dark.

the film took to long, before getting to the climax end.

there are 2/3 memories during the film, and for me was not enough.

although this, it was a surprising ending, beside the fact that we begin to know that thriller movies are ending like this one.

don't expect big budget films.

not much s/x effects.

good acting.

director could have explored more of the script.

enough characters that developed well the movie.

sorry my English.