All Rise...

The Charge

A new breed of criminal.

Opening Statement

An alien life form has arrived to earth and is jumping from body to body, killing everything in its path and stealing anything it cares to.

Now Los Angeles is the site of its latest bloody rampage and in hot pursuit is FBI agent, Lloyd Gallagher (Kyle MacLachlan). Joining forces with LAPD homicide detective, Tom Beck (Michael Nouri), friction sets in when it becomes painfully obvious that Gallagher knows far more about the killer than he is willing to let on.

The life form has decided to raise the stakes and has set its sights on a senator who in turn has his eye on a run for the White House. Not understanding the true scope of what is going on, Beck finds himself more and more frustrated by Gallagher because of the secrets the F.B.I. agent is keeping from him about the killer and about himself.

Closing in on their prey, Gallagher and Beck find the life form in the body of a stripper named Brenda Lee Van Buren (Claudia Christian). Failing to kill the creature Gallagher now has two problems. The first is that the creature has changed shape again and is now aware of its hunter. The second problem is Sgt. Beck has had Gallagher arrested until he is willing to come clean with all he knows.

So, locked behind bars, the hunter has in turn become the hunted. If Gallagher is killed while in custody, who will chase the creature, what force will be left to stop the creature from making the senator its next host body, clearing the way for a run at the White House and total destruction of the earth?

For all these answers and more you have got to watch The Hidden.

The Evidence

Holding its head proudly among the pantheon on grade "B " movies, The Hidden

is pretty damn good fun. One of the earlier screenplays by Jim Kouf (Rush Hour, Disorganized Crime, Stakeout), the film is well directed by Jack Sholder (A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge).

At 98 minutes, Sholder's direction is sharp as a razor blade and the film moves like greased lightning. It boasts some great chase scenes, lots of witty "buddy flick" kind of asides and some funky looking mid-'80s special effects, not the least of which is Claudia Christian's (Clean and Sober, Maniac Cop 2, television's "Babylon 5 ") enhanced chest in the strip club scene.

This flick is from 1987, when New Line was a fairly new studio riding high on the Freddy Kruger craze and had not yet ventured into the territory of films by the likes of Robert Altman and Paul Thomas Anderson. Still, even back then, The Hidden was something a little different. The film is full of all the clichés inherent to the sci-fi/action/horror/buddy movie. But rather than wallow in repetition, the movie puts some pleasant and unexpected spins on the genre. The most unexpected spin of all is a gentle and warm performance by Kyle MacLachlan (Blue Velvet, The Doors, Showgirls) as the alien hunter Gallagher. MacLachlan takes the stranger in a strange land approach and runs with it. He mixes humor, pathos and a quiet determination to give The Hidden its center.

As the partner who can't stand him but who then learns to trust and respect him, Michael Nouri (Flashdance, American Yakuza, Overkill) fits the bill as Sgt. Tom Beck. Not the most talented actor in the world, Nouri does however have the skills to make this kind of material work to his advantage. Tough but with a soft spot for his family, Nouri makes a good straight man for MacLachlan's fish out of water routine.

Some of the creatures host bodies are played by Ed O' Ross (Hoodlum, Dick Tracy, Full Metal Jacket), Clarence Felder (The Last Boy Scout, After Hours, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child) and William Boyett (The Rocketeer, Space Raiders, When A Stranger Calls). They give each incarnation of the beast their own little spin but still maintain a singular focus, making sure the audience knows who the bad guy has invaded.

One actor who I want to give special mention to is Clu Gulager who plays Lt. Ed Flynn in the movie. To name all the films and television episodes he has done in the past thirty or forty years would take up the entire running length of this review so I will name just a few. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Into The Night, The Return Of The Living Dead and who can forget his work in the classic Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter? Seriously though, he is a solid and steady actor whose name many would not recognize but once you see his face and hear his distinctive voice, most will know exactly who I am talking about.

The Hidden offers two audio choices. The first is a Dolby Digital Mono track, which I ignored and the second is a new 5.1 mix. The rear surrounds, while used sparingly, are effective but the balance of the action is spread over the front three. Sound effects, music and dialogue are all cleanly separated with no evidence of background hiss or distortion.

The main extra feature of the disc is a scene specific commentary track with Director Jack Sholder and Tim Hunter. As commentary tracks go, this one is okay. Sholder is dry but informative and Hunter speaks hardly at all. One thing I did appreciate about Sholder was his candor when looking at some of his actors. Rather than praising everyone, he comes out and says how terrible some of his cast members were. Some may call it arrogance but I call it honest and it was a refreshing change of pace.

There is another noteworthy feature and it is test footage that was done for the film's special optical effects and creature designs. Again we are talking low-budget mid-'80s kind of special effects but in their way they are quite charming. The material was shot without sound so there is further commentary from Sholder and Hunter. Its a nice feature and something I wish we were treated to on a regular basis.

Rounding out the disc are cast biographies and the film's theatrical trailer.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

The Hidden is simple and fun entertainment, done on a limited budget, with all the constrictions that such a budget would imply. To its credit the movie does not have a single pretentious scene, being totally honest in nature and execution. So if you find yourself in the video store looking for the answers to mankind's deepest questions, look to another movie.

I enjoyed the film but the main problem I had with its DVD release is the transfer given to it by New Line. Normally one of the most reliable studios for high quality image and sound, The Hidden is the weakest effort I have seen from them.

To begin with, the image is somewhat grainy. Now I can't hold New Line completely responsible for that, as many those problems lie with the low-budget nature of the movie. But, what did disturb me was the substantial amount of edge enhancement that kept rearing its head during the film. On top of that the picture has an overall lack of detail and appears to be quite soft in spots. On the other hand, there are times where colors look quite good and black levels are solid with no shimmer or breakup. Otherwise it is a rare disappointment from New Line.

Closing Statement

If you were or are a fan of Midnight Creature Features, then The Hidden is the movie for you. The cast turns in good and witty performances, and the film is smartly written and briskly directed. Oh, and pardon my testosterone, but Claudia Christian looks fantastic in a thong!

The Hidden is not a movie that I can imagine going back to a lot but it is loads of fun and would make a solid evening's rental. So crank up the microwave and get some corn popping. Maybe we can turn it into a double bill. This and Fright Night anyone?

The Verdict

Cast and crew of The Hidden are acquitted of all charges for making a minor cult classic. New Line is released with a warning for some shoddy video but in light of past service to the DVD community, this can be forgiven. Good day and case dismissed.

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