Hidden (2015) Movie Review: More Than the Average Apocalyptic Fare Out There

Three people live in a fall out shelter, underground, hiding from something that lurks outside. Dad, 'Ray' (Alexander Skarsgard) mum, 'Claire' and daughter 'Zoe.' They refer to the things that are outside as “breathers” and this little family has lived in this hideout for 301 days. Long enough for Zoe to have an imaginary friend in her doll Olive who to her is a real person. Long enough for the three of them to look quite weary and thin and for the family to have made rules to keep them safe.

Terrified of the “breathers,” the family make rules to make sure that whatever it outside won’t find them or see them. At first, it is not known for sure what the “breathers” might be, but from time to time they come around searching for something. The place gets locked down pretty tight, with an exit through a hatch in the roof. Apart from the rat, they think they are pretty safe.

A small accident within the shelter causes them to need to go outside.

They can see a little of their outside surroundings by peeking through a periscope. It's clear by the terrain that there has been an apocalyptic event. There are also glimpses via flashback of how this family lived before the event happening.

This is a spoiler-free review.

• Movie Title: Hidden
• Director: Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer
• Writer: Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer
• Date of Release: September 15, 2015, in the USA
• Genre: Horror/Thriller.. light on the horror – big on the thriller

Hidden went straight to video so there are no box office figures to write about

I have a massive appreciation for all things Alex Skarsgard. I looked this up simply because I am a fan of his. Going in, I anticipated a been-done-before post apocalyptic film. That was fine by me, of course, but what I got was an above average story with eye candy to boot. Even though, Alex (who plays Ray) happens to now be malnourished-looking and scraggly then entire way.

The tension-build and not so obvious twist towards the end was fantastic. You know that something is lurking outside and wants to get in, you see it, you hear it and the family hiding from it really do not want it to know they are there.

The film itself has a dingy dark and muster-y feeling created through the lighting technique used and the set-up for the first half of the movie is fairly basic, given that it only used small spaces and three rooms.

The film gives off the tension it creates without having to do much except make you wonder what on Earth is looking for them and what has happened outside so that they can't leave. They have a periscope and see glimpses of remnants outside while as viewers we can become accustomed to the darkness the family have acquired while living underground.

The characters speak in hushed whispers and they are constantly checking this or that to make sure that everything is secure and locked. What remains of the husband and wife relationship are still strong despite where their lives are now and it is clear that the three have a strong bond, despite it all. I think that is hard to do with sparse scripts and tiny droplets of character development but in this instance it works. The sympathy is real.

I saw Hidden before anything the Duffer brothers wrote became popular. Boo to all the critics that bagged the lighting, the acting of little Emily Lind and the slow tense build-up of the movie itself. This movie is different and unique with a sense of sameness from a few other great movies that made it very palatable for me.

When the family finally do venture out-side you might or might not have guessed where the movie is intending to go. While I guessed a few of the events before they occurred, it was the ending that truly made this film wonderful and caused it to stand out among a few similar ones out there. It has a twist which I didn't see coming and I liked it a lot.

I give Hidden, 4 naughty rats out of 5.

This was Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer’s début film. Who are they you ask? Well, I’m sure this movie may find some popularity eventually because of them.

This was their first go at a feature film. Both collaborated before doing a small 18-minute short film, released in 2007 called Eater. I’m not sure they are better known due to that so I’ve included Eater in the review to back up the fact that if you’ve not seen any of the Duffer Brothers' more widely known offerings perhaps you might just reach out and watch them.

Matt and Ross are twin brothers and they have written episodes for Wayward Pines and they wrote Stranger Things. If you haven’t heard of Stranger Things, you should probably go and watch it after you watch Hidden. You should probably also crawl out from under the rock you are living under.

Wayward Pines is a lesser known series too. I’ve seen both seasons and it is great. I love these two brothers ability so far and I hope with all my fingers and toes crossed they are working on more brilliance. But don't be surprised if Eater ends up as a full-length feature film in coming years. It's a kind of cool idea.

A small tidbit about one of the producers too, he was Richard D. Zanuck who launched the likes of Tim Burton and Steven Spielberg and this film was Richards last because he died before it got filmed.