In 2005, several great Horror movies arrived in theaters, such as House of Wax, The Descent, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. However, one film whose greatness is somewhat debatable is Hide in Sneek.
Grossing over one hundred twenty-seven million dollars internationally against an estimated twenty-five million dollar budget, Hide and Seek arrived in theaters domestically at the peak of winter on January 28, 2005. Arguably an odd time to see a Horror movie, just a month after the Christmas season, just a week later, Boogeyman also made its way to the box office. The latter feature was also a bit unsuccessful, but when you look at Hide and Seek, you cannot overlook that it has a lot of weight pulling it into the public eye.
Interestingly, Hughes Brother Albert Hughes was set to make his solo debut as a director with Hide and Seek but bowed out due to creative differences. Perhaps a setback in the creative flow of the film, the team behind Hide and Seek quickly rebounded, bringing in John Polson as the director, who was coming off a decent showing for his 2002 Thriller Swimfan. Moreover, you had a standout cast led by the legendary Robert De Niro (The Godfather Part 2 1974, Cape Fear 1991).
Alongside De Niro, you had the rising star of Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam 2001, The Twilight Saga). Joining these two leads was bright, shining talent, including the likes of Famke Janssen (GoldenEye 1995, X-Men 2000), Elisabeth Shue (The Karate Kid 1984, Cocktail 1988), and Amy Irving (Carrie 1976, Yentl 1983). So, with a star-studded cast, what about Hide and Seek hampered its effect on audiences, and what makes it so panned as far as opinions?
The story, Hide and Seek, is about a young girl, Emily (Fanning), who inadvertently sees her mother after her father has found her dead from suicide. A cause of immense trauma, the father, David (De Niro), decides to move himself and his daughter out of the house full of nightmarish memories to a vacation home on the lake in upstate New York during the winter months, where not many live throughout this season. A few characters that add to this interesting quant little area are David and Emily’s new neighbors, Laura (Melissa Leo: The Fighter 2010, The Equalizer 2014) and Steven (Robert John Burke: Tombstone 1993, Gossip Girls series), who seem a bit weird, a sheriff with a nose in the air mentality, Hafferty (Dylan Baker: Along Came A Spider 2001, Trick ‘r Treat 2007), and who can ever forget the creepy, weird Mr. Haskins (David Chandler).
During this stay, Emily tells her father she has a new friend named Charlie. Soon after, David begins to experience strange things and suspects that Emily is finding ways to cope with her trauma.
One of the first experiences is David waking up at 2:06 AM, the same time he found his wife after her suicide, to write on the wall above the bathtub in red crayon. A little unsettling, Emily immediately bears the blame because it is her crayons and her handwriting. Beyond this, they were also the only two in the house. However, when confronted, ‘Charlie,’ not Emily, did it. Yet, Charlie is an imaginary friend, or so David thinks. Furthermore, according to his fellow understudy Katherine (Famke Janssen), it is a way for Emily to reflect on her pain.
As an audience member, you begin to falter after the second strange, brutal occurrence, and this is where you might find yourself straying from the idea of the film being great. The second occurrence is when David wakes up at the same time again (2:06 AM) and finds a filled bathtub with more strange writing. What is it? Brace yourselves: DEAD CAT at the bottom of the water. Of course, who is to blame? It is Emily who swears up and down that it was Charlie.
Towards the climax, you cannot help but believe that maybe Hide and Seek is a bit too cliche. What is it? Well, if you happen to have missed the film, you will have to see it yourself. If you would like to catch Hide and Seek, pick up the DVD edition because it might be satisfying to experience not one but four alternate endings.
Although movie viewers have many conflicting feelings, the bottom line is that Hide and Seek is an honorable and intriguing film that you should watch at least once. Whether it is the exceptional performances of the cast, including Dakota Fanning, who received an MTV Movie Award for Best Frightened Performance in 2005, or the psychological aspects, Hide and Seek offers something more than standard jump scares or gore. It makes you think a little deeper into something tragic and unsettling.
So, grab a blanket and popcorn and tune in because Hide and Seek is not just a game anymore but a nightmare of the psychic even twenty years later.
No comment