Customer Reviews

Hidden

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

More often than not, the hidden jewel in many of these sets of horror films to be released on DVD (After Dark, Ghost House Underground, Dimension Extreme etc.) usually winds up being the foreign entry, and this year's lineup of After Dark Horrorfest films is no different with Hidden. Hidden (Skjult) is a Norwegian horror film that boasts plenty of creepy, chilling atmosphere and some gorgeous cinematography to boot, and surprisingly winds up staying with the viewer even after the credits have rolled. Kristoffer Joner stars as Kai Koss, a man who returns to his childhood home after leaving nearly 20 years before to escape his uber-abusive mother. Inheriting the home he grew up in, painful memories begin to rear their ugly head, and upon the disappearance of two campers in the woods surrounding the house, it becomes quite apparent that there is something quite sinister stirring in the shadows. Those expecting something chock-full of blood and gore will be disappointed here with Hidden, as a majority of the horror is purely of the psychological kind. Though it does feature its share of violence and disturbing material, Hidden's subtleties are what really make it memorable. Its plot is a bit underdeveloped and as such can be somewhat hard to follow, but all things considered Hidden is an ultra creepy and chilling horror import that deserves your attention regardless.

Originally titled as Skjult, Hidden is by far the best movie in the After Dark Horrorfest series. The first ten minutes of the film alone are unsettling, and immediately pull you in.

Beyond being a suspensful movie, Skjult is an absolute treat for the eyes. The film couldn't have been shot with more amazing settings, from foreboding country homes to a beautiful but sinister forest. The cinematography is excellent, particularly with the Norwegian woods as a backdrop for the movie. While the entire dialogue is Norwegian with English subtitles, you'd still understand the story even with the captions off.

Writer and director Pål Øie is Norway's answer to Guillermo del Toro, as Skjult is almost in the same vein as movies like the Devil's Backbone or the Orphanage. Øie did an excellent directing job, though it certainly helped that Kristoffer Joner worked out great as the film's lead. I loved the lighting used in Skjult, although it was a bit too similar to Saw and other conventional horror effects (flickering fluorescent lights). I also could have gone without the scenes thrown in just to get the audience to jump; they simply didn't fit with this type of film.

Don't let the generic horror DVD cover fool you, this is a solid psychological horror film. Halfway through, you think you know the film's conclusion... or do you? I definitely recommend getting this DVD.

I think some filmmakers enjoy forcing their audiences into never-ending guessing games. You can watch a movie repeatedly and never once come to a satisfying conclusion. "Hidden" is a film like that. It opens on a very promising note before slowly going downhill; it goes so slowly that, up until the final ten minutes, we still have hope that it might actually go somewhere. Then we reach the ending, which I guess is supposed to be a plot twist, and only then do we realize that there will be no real payoff, except for more questions. The annoying thing is that some serious talent went into this movie, not the least of which is Sjur Aarthun, whose muddy cinematography adds nicely to the atmosphere. Credit also to editor Lars Apneseth for his suspenseful pacing and genuinely frightening cuts.

The mood is so thoroughly established that it's a shame writer/director Pål Øie didn't put more effort into a cohesive screenplay. True to its psychological nature, this is a story of misdirection and secrecy, with scenes that are both vague and understated. At times, we're not even sure if what we're seeing is really happening. Some great movies have been made in much the same way, so I'm puzzled as to why it doesn't work in "Hidden." Maybe it's because the plot is grounded in events and facts that can't be interpreted figuratively, which means there's no adequate way to so freely shift back and forth between fantasy and reality. Or maybe it's because virtually every buildup scene ends with a fizzle instead of a bang, at which point we start second-guessing ourselves as to what actually took place.

The story begins in 1989. From the middle of the woods emerges a filthy, frightened young boy, who's clearly running away from something. He then wanders onto an open road, where he narrowly escapes being run over by a truck. Unfortunately, by swerving to avoid the boy, the truck driver rams into a parked car and causes it to burst into flames. The lone survivor of the explosion was another young boy, who when it happened was in the woods answering the call of nature. Both boys stare at the fire for a few seconds before turning to face each other, shock and fear in their eyes.

Flash forward twenty years. Kai Koss (Kristoffer Joner), who has spent years trying to forget the past, has returned home to bury his mother. Brief flashbacks reveal she was a deranged woman who would nearly drown Kai in a bathtub before locking him in a subterranean chamber. Kai has inherited her estate, which he would like nothing more than to burn to the ground. Indeed, it's an intensely creepy place - dark and shadowy, rotted both inside and out, all but isolated in the middle of the woods. It reminds Kai of every bad thing that ever happened to him, and upon entering, he's tormented by a series of horrific visions.

Then things take a sinister turn. A couple of campers have gone missing, and it seems they were last seen inside the old house. The locals believe Kai might have something to do with it. Kai believes it connects to a shadow from his past named Peter, who went missing twenty years ago and is presumed dead.

There are good things about this film. I appreciated, for instance, that Øie relied on the psychological rather than the supernatural, the latter a perfect vehicle for overblown special effects. In horror movies, not all bad things have to be explained by definable outside forces; the mind, it seems to me, is always much more frightening than anything "real," if you get my meaning. I also enjoyed the consistently quiet tone of the film, which allows for the pop out scares - and there are quite a few of them - to really take effect. All the same, there does come a point when a film can become too psychological; "Hidden" is so focused on playing mind games that it often loses sight of basic coherency.

Who, for example, is the woman working in the hotel, where Kai is staying and just happens to be located within walking distance from his mother's house? What is the meaning of her dialogue? A shot later in the film is supposed to resolve the issue, but it only left me scratching my head. Is this woman even real? Or was she a cinematic throwback to Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining"? I love a good psychological tease, but this is just maddening.

And then there's the final shot, which I guess is meant to reveal what has really been going on. Maybe it does, but can you honestly say you know for sure? It seems the purpose of the plot is not to tell a story so much as continuously jerk your chain, which can only be fun up to a certain point. I can recommend certain things about this movie. It's brilliantly photographed. It creates a sense of dread right from the start, and it maintains it all throughout by means of consistently creepy visuals. It will make you jump at times. The performances, while low key, are effective. So why couldn't Øie make something more out of it all? Many words will be used to describe "Hidden," but I suspect "ambiguous," "confusing," and "slow" will be at the top of the list. If you see it, you'll understand why.

An eerie atmospheric suspense thriller from Norway, Hidden (2009) follows the odd adventures of a man who returns to his childhood home for the first time in 19 years, upon the death of his mother. Part of the After Dark Horrorfest, this tale takes some strange and not always credible turns, as some dark secrets are finally revealed.

The story starts in 1989, when a young boy in the woods, sees his parents killed when their car is struck by a truck. Flashing forward some 19 years to the present, a man named Kai Koss (Kristoffer Joner) has returned home to settle his mother's affairs upon her death. While at the morgue viewing her body, Koss is informed by a former acquaintance, a policewoman named Sara (Cecilie Mosli) that he has inherited her house.

Koss returns to the house, which triggers traumatic memories of abuse at the hands of his mother. The film strikes with a series of jump scares, as Sara arrives on the scene in time to stop Koss from possibly destroying the house. Koss checks into a hotel, where he meets Miriam (pop singer Karin Park) a disquieting member of the staff, and checks into a room with an image of the woods incorporated into the wall covering on one wall. Coincidentally, he runs into Sara for the third time that day in the hotel bar.

In the middle of the night, a restless Koss leaves the hotel to visit his mother's house again. There he sees that a young couple has apparently broken in, and intends to stay for the night. Koss returns to his hotel, only to be summoned back to his mother's house the following morning by Sara, who informs him that some campers are missing, and were last seen around his mother's home.

When Koss returns to the house for the third time, he reveals to Sara a hidden room in the basement, where his mother kept him a prisoner. What is happening is now, is somehow tied up with the past, when a young boy named Peter, apparently fell to his death at a large waterfall in the area. The jump scares continue, but the story becomes more action oriented in the final act, leading to a violent conclusion that is only partly satisfying.

Damp and dreary Norwegian settings, result in a film that looks rather dull, with desaturated colors. Loaded with jump scares, real and imagined, Hidden is an effectively creepy film with some deep waters running below the surface. Unfortunately, too many coincidences, and characters that do some mystifying things, undermines the film's credibility. Kind of going in circles between locations, the story isn't easy to follow, and has gaps that aren't filled in, like who certain characters are. The acting performances are mostly good, although the screenplay does not show some of the cast in the best light. Sara and Koss are constantly running into each other, repeatedly returning to the abandoned house, and then the waterfall. In the end, although somewhat manipulative, this is an edgy and unsettling thriller, which may take a second viewing to better comprehend.

This movie, (in my opinion) Has the BEst Artwork, out of all 8 of the film's. And Knowing me, i am a sucker, for The Artwork, on movies. I Read, all the reviews online, and realized, that it was a foriegn flick. Well, i wasn't going to rent it, cause i hardly ever like a movie with subtitles, cause, i have to pay too close attention..lol, Im Easily bored. haha. But, i figured since i had watched 7/8, i might as well, watch this one, so i can say i watched all 8. Im soooo glad i did. As i read in another review, they had said that it was "Chilling" I Couldn't agree more. It is a Very Intriguing, Intresting movie, and really Hold's your attention throughout. Even though, the lead character, doesn't talk that much. This isn't a B movie at all. Cinema MAgic. this movie, is so Under Estimated, and Unnappriciated. Even though, It is not Scary, It is very Haunting, and Chilling. Deffinitally DO NOT regret watching, and this is deffinatally, going to be added to my collection.( And no, not just because of the Artwork. LOL! Even if you think you don't like movies with subtitles, ( Cause ALOT of people Won't even Bother watching a movie, if it has, Subtitles) Watch This one. Any True Suspense/Drama/Horror Fan would really love this movie. However, i do wish they could have dubbed it, But no complaint's it is fine the way it is. Also, it is kind of deppressing, just to think about, and see what the guy is going through. Again, this isn't a B movie, It is an A movie. :)

In short, the movie tells a story of a guy who comes home to resolve his dead mother's estate, and in so doing uncovers terrible secrets of his past that may or may not intersect with reality. The non-plot aspects of this film - camerawork, mood, music, etc., were outstanding. The movie maintains a very tense and eerie mood throughout, keeping you always ready for something to pounce. The scenes shot in a night forest, dimly lit room, etc. are all quite engaging. On the story, it starts out very well, and continues that way until very close to the end (about 3/4 through). Plot details are very slowly unraveled in a very creative way that leaves the viewer asking more questions than those being answered. However, as the movie starts to slide off the climax, the plot fairly quickly becomes transparent, and reveals a twist concept that is very highly overused in horror. It is strictly because of the fairly unimaginative twist that I rate this a 3/5 stars. However, it was still very enjoyable to watch, if for no other reason than the atmospherics. Despite the 3, its still very highly recommended.

The third Afterdark 4 film I watched this year - definitely several levels above the others, and perhaps one of the better films of the entire series. The concept of an adult returning to a childhood home where some horror took place reminded me alot of ABANDONED, from the first Afterdark Series. That film was my favorite of that year, and this one was every bit as good - I just wish it had had a slightly more conclusive ending.

This film fits under the "psychological supernatural thriller" category - Kai Kross returns home 19 years after he first escaped from his abusive mother. She has finally died, and he has returned to claim his inheritance. Intending to burn the house, he instead begins to be haunted by spectres of the past, including a young boy who disappeared the same night he escaped, later found dead. As the film unfolds, several people start to go missing, and Kai becomes suspect zero. But there are several twists in store.

Imported from Norway, HIDDEN (Skjult) offers solid acting, direction, and cinematography. I was not so impressed with the constant cheap jump scares that filled the first 20 minutes - at least 6 separate sudden crashes, or hand grabs, or other typical jolts for the genre. Fortunately, these jolts become few and far between in the second half of the film as the story becomes more prevalent. I liked the various twists the story took, though I was expecting it to go a little further (blame my American mentality for that).

My only problem was the film's slightly ambiguous ending. While you have a pretty clear understanding of what has happened overall, you are still left questioning whether certain elements were real, or existed only in the mind of Kai.

Nevertheless, the film definitely delivers on creepiness, some good jump moments (if they are cheap at times), and very polished filmmaking. As a horror film, it's slightly above average. As an Afterdark Fesitval film, it's one of the best!

Hidden is one of the creepiest and most beautiful horror movies I have ever seen. The broken down house is as dark and eerie you have ever seen, the mist covered forest that surrounds it holds plenty of its own secrets, and the bizarre hotel that the main character Kai stays at is almost Argento-like in its weirdness. This movie reminds me a lot of previous After Dark Horrorfest entry "The Abandoned" which was also excellent. Both deal with adults whose parents have passed on and left them a house that they don't particularly want.

Overall I loved this movie and was quite scared by it, but I will point out that it has a rather unfortunate plot twist that you will probably see coming a mile away. It's not so bad as to ruin the movie, it's just a bit too obvious and if you watch a fair amount of horror movies you have probably seen this particular twist before as it's not terribly innovative. Despite that, I highly recommend this movie for those who like amazing camera work and creepy settings.

Would have nice Amazon if you would have stated this was a foreign film with English subtitles! Maybe you should write the product description in a foreign language too!!!