Hide the Monster (2016) User Reviews (9)

Not Horrible...

[cdparr-13288 · 4/10 · 10 October 2016]

Yet another "Paranormal Found Footage" film with no real resolution and a weak backstory that never gives the viewer enough foundation to truly understand why these things are happening. It feels like this is meant to be a series of films, where more information will be provided in sequels. Been done though, it's tiresome. There's a brief mention of a Cult, and the indoctrination of the son that weakly ties it all together, but I still felt unsatisfied. This film comes in at roughly 1hr. 20 min. though I think another 10 minutes could have been used to provide a bit more information to solidify the events that take place. The ending was quite cheesy, and really ruined what immersion I did have up until then.

Despite it's shortcomings, this film hit some good notes here and there and isn't a complete waste. There are moments of tension that were well done, the acting was slightly above average for a low budget horror movie, and the camera work wasn't obscenely shaky like I've seen in similar films (the exception being the first 5-10 minutes). The overall plot was interesting, just needed more work.

I wouldn't say I'd recommend this film to anyone, it's not THAT good, but I made it through the whole thing, was interested in the outcome, and didn't utterly hate it, or myself after watching. If you want to kill an hour or so and can't find anything else to watch, this one will do.

Great found footage, disappointing ending.

[shaylad2055 · 6/10 · 30 October 2019]

The movie is really good! The mom's acting was a little iffy at points but the two leads were great and the child was decent. There are some genuine scares and the movie doesn't overly rely on jump scares, like a lot of found footage horror does. I really liked it and would have given it a higher rating if it weren't for that ending. It was a little cheesey and felt rushed. The ending just didn't feel like it was on the same calibre of the rest of the film. Still worth a watch.

Cards in the attic

[nogodnomasters · 1/10 · 22 September 2017]

This is another found footage tape. Alex (Kyle Roark) needing extra credit, promises to use a better camera, which he doesn't. He tags along with his friend Thomas (Gabe Saenz) who wants to score with Stephanie (Michelle Hirst) and help her introverted 8 year old son Isaiah (Owen Hirst) who likes to play "Hide the Monster" a form of hide n' seek. In fact much of the movie was the kid hiding and these two guys looking for him. Border line thrill there. It seems Isaiah aka "Kid Damian" uses Tarot Cards as a gateway...no wait, we aren't supposed to recognize these are a black and white version of a popular Tarot deck made to look old...theses are special cards...really.

Special effects include kid's masks, doors opening by themselves, film skipping, and pantomime Ninja. Like every found footage, it will find its niche and fans. I am just not one of them.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Found Footage Crap

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 2/10 · 14 December 2019]

For a found footage movie the buildup was okay but the ending was crap. You'll feel like you wasted your time.

Disappointing....

[docstrangeone · 3/10 · 7 November 2019]

Creepy little found footage movie until last 5 mins. Then turned into a cliche of an ending. Good thing it was free. Smh

great horror movie but dissapointing ending for me

[lewismart · 7/10 · 7 May 2019]

I watched this the other night and I was pleasantly surprised. The acting in the movie is good, the chemistry between the to main protaganists is really believable. The film have some really spooky and scary moments which wasn't relying on jump scares which so many found footage movies do. The pacing was good too. Everything was great until the last 5 minutes. This might be a personal preference but the last 5 minutes really let down. It wasn't scary, it was kinda just there. Not a horrificly bad ending by no means but lacklustre compared to the rest of the movie. Overall a good horror flick!

Not good.

[kinnotroh · 2/10 · 19 September 2020]

This film lacks quality in a lot of places.

At the beginning the mother is in handcuffs being interviewed by the police. The detective's handgun is sitting on the desk directly in front of her, inches from her handcuffed hands. That has got to be the most idiotic police officer in the history of police. Nope, it's just bad film making.

Being a found footage film they follow the same guidelines of cameras that have interference sometimes, except these cameras have that same interference a lot of times for no reason. It is obvious that the person responsible for deciding when to include that interference doesn't understand why other found footage films use this special effect. This being the only special effect in the entirety of the movie and it being used too often without emphasizing the moments when it should have been used, it's just bad film making.

I found it entirely unbelievable that Alex and Thomas had no idea what Tarot cards are. While I feel it is likely that many people haven't seen them in person, at least one of the two has got to have seen a book, film, or tv show that showed tarot cards.

At one point in the film Thomas and Alex decide to place a hidden camera in the boy's room, and they get the boy's mother's permission. Later on they show a family video from a camera hidden in the exact same place which was put there by the mother. Obviously it is exactly the same camera. This shows that they didn't think the continuity of that action through.

The ending lacked any sort of special effects, and the acting for a telekinetic/physical fight was not something these actors could pull off well. This made the ending extremely cheesy, which is unfortunate because if they had pulled off a good quality ending they could have pulled this movie up in quality a lot. They should have omitted the magic and gone with a knife or something easier to act out like that.

So, to sum it up, this film made a lot of major mistakes that simply ruin the story and take you out of the experience.

Fresh, creepy, and engaging

[j-nickturner · 7/10 · 8 April 2020]

I really liked this little found footage indie gem! It's a fresh take on a tired trope (spooky kid) and it's a really enjoyable/creepy watch.

The ending had a cool twist, but was sort of executed a little poorly. It isn't the most satisfying, but I still admire it for knowing how to tie up the story. I probably would have given it an 8/10 if the ending had been a little more consistent with the tone of the rest of the movie.

Overall, I thought this film was great! Give it a try if you like low-budget FF horror.

Really Very Boring.

[carlospresents · 2/10 · 30 October 2020]

Just that. It's very boring. Sorry, my review is too short.