***/**** Image A- Sound A- Extras B
starring Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri, Claudia Christian
screenplay by Bob Hunt
directed by Jack Sholder
by Vincent Suarez The plot elements of screenwriter Jim Kouf’s (here hiding his identity behind the pseudonym Bob Hunt) science-fiction thriller The Hidden are so basic, so endemic to the genre, that the shape they take is largely dependent on the era in which they find expression. In the golden age of sci-fi, the 1950s, this tale of a malevolent alien being–with political aspirations, no less–transforming a bevy of formerly benign human hosts into murderers would have perfectly complemented “Red Scare” allegories like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. 20 years later, director David Cronenberg’s oft-explored themes of biological horror would have melded nicely with the gorier aspects of the alien’s existence. Today, the sci-fi/detective ingredients of the story might make for a classic episode of “The X-Files”. As it stands, Jack Sholder’s eerie and effective The Hidden is very much a product of its time, the late-1980s, in ways that are both flattering and detrimental.
Michael Nouri’s detective Tom Beck is investigating the murderous rampage of a once law-abiding citizen. Soon after capturing his suspect, Beck is partnered (reluctantly, of course) with FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher (Kyle MacLachlan), who’s also been tracking the case, and whose interest in it is mysterious. Beck and Gallagher eventually pursue several suspects–including a sexy stripper played by Claudia Christian–who come into contact with the previous hosts at the moment of their death, suddenly embarking on a rampage of their own. Beck’s slow discovery of the true nature of his prey parallels his realization of the true nature of his partner: Gallagher is an alien himself, having hunted the creature across the galaxy and in possession of the weapon of, and secrets to, its destruction. As an aside, any fan of “Twin Peaks” will spot the resemblance between Nouri and MacLachlan’s Peaks co-star and partner in crime detection, Michael Ontkean, prompting one to consider the degree to which Lynch may have been influenced in his casting of both actors. Indeed, MacLachlan’s excellent turn as the necessarily odd Gallagher seems a dry run for his perfection of the character as Peaks‘ quirky FBI-agent-seemingly-from-another-world, Dale Cooper.
Sholder’s direction of the material is often impressive. The film is, at turns, suspenseful, horrific (the creature effects, while obviously cost effective, are convincing), and touching (where it concerns the relationship between the two detectives, as well as Gallagher’s personal reasons for chasing the monster). Many of these qualities are reminiscent of the best sci-fi films of the decade, such as The Terminator. Yet, upon viewing The Hidden for the first time since its release, it feels extremely dated and only slightly lived up to my original estimation of the film.
One of the picture’s grandest jokes is that the alien revels in being that most ’80s of creatures: the yuppie. Not only is the monster a social climber (its ultimate goal is to inhabit a Presidential hopeful and rule the planet), but it’s a rampant consumer. However comical, the moments which lend themselves to these impulses are easily the film’s least enduring, as the endless (and nondescript) heavy-metal tunes, the alien’s fave, blare on the soundtrack and the slew of stolen Ferraris and boomboxes pile up. As befits most low-budget films of nearly any era, the fashions and hairstyles are also highly dated. These may seem trivial complaints, but such disposable elements of this otherwise classic narrative now serve only to render it even more of a cheesy B pic than intended.
THE DVD
Although time may not have been kind to some aspects of The Hidden, such is not the case with its image and sound. New Line has released a splendid edition of the film, complete with a mostly gorgeous image and a very good Dolby Digital 5.1 remix. The film can be viewed in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, which looks only slightly less than spectacular via progressive-scan outputs on an HD-ready 16:9 monitor, or in a decently-framed fullscreen version; in either case, my only complaint is that the presentation seems overly bright. Although the audio will not flex your system’s muscles, like any good track it exhibits dialogue clearly and nicely balances music and effects. In short, the film looks and sounds better than it did in 1987.
While not very abundant, the disc’s supplements are uniformly fine. The attractive but static menus link to several features, including the requisite trailer (anamorphic and 5.1) and cast & crew filmographies (which, again for New Line, lack any biographical information). ‘Hidden’ within the filmographies are several welcome trailers, all anamorphic and 5.1: Sholder’s credits branch to the preview for his earlier New Line effort, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, and MacLachlan’s screens feature trailers for the Wesley Snipes vehicle One Night Stand and David Lynch’s glorious (and soon to be DVD’d) Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. All nice touches, indeed.
Completing the disc is a brief sequence of mildly interesting special-effects footage (with mildly interesting commentary by Sholder), along with a frequently interesting film-length audio commentary by Sholder, hosted (and occasionally accompanied by) River’s Edge director Tim Hunter, whose admiration for the film is apparent but whose connection to The Hidden remains uncertain. Though there are moments of silence, Sholder’s discussion is quite good, avoiding the often indulged tendency to merely describe onscreen action or engage in trite recollections. The director provides much insight about his intentions, alternate versions of the scenes that had been considered, and his work with the actors. The thoughtfulness of his talk is enough to cause one to question why The Hidden remains the highlight of a career that quickly descended to lesser television fare and a noticeable lack of theatrical opportunities; it’s too bad that Sholder has remained relatively hidden himself.
98 minutes; R; 1.85:1 (16×9-enhanced), 1.33:1; English DD 5.1, English DD 2.0 (Mono); CC; English subtitles; DVD-9; Region One; New Line
