‘It’s only human on the outside…’
The Hidden is a 1987 American science fiction horror film directed by Jack Sholder (Arachnid; Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies; A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge; Alone in the Dark) from a screenplay written by Jim Kouf [as Bob Hunt] (National Treasure; Wacko; The Boogens). The movie stars Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri, Claudia Christian and Clarence Felder.
Plot:
An alien parasite with the ability to possess human bodies goes on a violent crime spree in Los Angeles, committing dozens of murders and robberies.
In pursuit of the extraterrestrial criminal are an FBI agent and the local officer investigating the rash of violence. As they close in on the vicious intruder, the city faces a brutal threat like no other it has ever encountered…
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Reviews:
” …a sleeper that talks like a thriller and walks like a thriller, but has more brains than the average thriller. It also has a sense of humor and some subtle acting by MacLachlan, whose assignment is to play a character who always is just a beat out of step.” Roger Ebert
“Mostly The Hidden comes across as a police-action movie rather than a sci-fi thriller, and that may hurt the cause a little bit. It doesn’t stand up that well as a gritty shoot-’em-up, and the sci-fi premise promises a lot more than it delivers. Still, the flick clicks along, wasting little time on motives or explanations.” San Francisco Chronicle, September 1, 1995
” …a string of hard-hitting 80’s rock/heavy metal tunes (by the likes of Concrete Blonde, The Truth and Shok Paris), Sholder handling the practical stunt-filled action set-pieces like the champ that he is, gratuitous violence left and right, effective practical special effects/cool use of stop-motion, and an ending that becomes more disturbing every time I see it…” Arrow in the Head
“Action junkies will certainly applaud Sholder’s frequent forays into areas usually reserved for more traditional cop-buddy movies, and if you can forgive those rocky shape-shifting scenes that just get sillier, you’re guaranteed a good time: right up to a gratifying, if totally unsurprising finale.” The Spinning Image
“Body switching sci-fi/horror fun from director Jack (Nightmare on Elm Street 2) Sholder, this can’t quite keep up the breakneck pace or promise of the first half throughout but it manages to throw out an entertaining story that’s loaded with a pleasing amount of action, some alright effects, and solid acting from its two leads.” The Video Graveyard
Cast and characters:
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
Filming locations:
Los Angeles, California
Technical details:
97 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Audio: Mono | 5.1 remix for DVD and Blu-ray releases
