Hello this is Jake Winters and today I will be giving my review of Hidden.

Hidden is a movie that takes a horror film and turns it upside down. A family is hiding within a fallout shelter for no apparent reason at the beginning of the movie and slowly, as we see more and more flashbacks from the three main characters, the apocalyptic event is revealed to the viewer.

Essentially this movie takes on the genre of Zombie apocalypse in a brand new way. Showing the viewer a place that is not usually seen in these kinds of films. Many times the people in zombie films will outright try to fight the zombies. Instead in this film, as the name implies, the family hides from the “Breathers”. The use of this name is particularly interesting. A breather is something that could be used to describe almost anything alive. So why this instead of similar titles for the dead such as ‘walkers’ and ‘biters’? This is answered by the film later on and is a great use of foreshadowing to the ending.

In general terms this movie can be classified as both a thriller and a horror film. It builds suspense in a spectacular way. Utilizing both its music and dramatic scenery. The curtain that is used as a door is made terrifying more than once. Seeing the view of this hallway in first person fully immerses you into the situation. You try to see what is in the next room and when the curtain is pulled back you want to look away. There are many jump scares throughout the movie and if you don’t like them, like me, you’ll be plenty scared. Along with the jump scares the setting of Hidden is extremely creepy. The family lives in a 1940’s bomb shelter behind an elementary school and frankly that is enough to put me off. The little girl carries around a doll that falls into the uncanny valley and while this use of prop seems out of place in a film set in modern times, the use of it is later explained, redeeming the seemingly overtly creepy prop’s use.

The character developement in the film is engaging and the actors filled their parts spectacularly. The mom continues to teach her daughter while the father tries to keep the family alive. The father holds this group together. He solves the problems at hand and is essentially why this family has been kept alive. He isn’t just a hero character but you can see the stress of the situation written all over his face. This is where the actor, Aleksander Skarsgard did an amazing job. This doesn’t come as surprise though because he also acted in the HBO series, True Blood. The mother, played by Andrea Riseborough who has acted in many A list films, also did a wonderful job of filling her characters role. The father is obviously favorited by the daughter in the film. So while the relationship between daughter and mother is loving there is some amount of resentment on both sides. This delicate relationship is great to watch as events unfold. The daughter is the main focus of the movie. This makes sense because the primary concern of any parent is the well-being of their child. Especially when that child is the only thing left in the world you have to protect beside your own life. The daughter is played by Emily Alyn Lind, another seasoned actor. While her acting is somewhat overdone at times it does not throw off the film. The loving scenes between father and daughter are a great example of why this film has such great acting. He closes her eyes with his fingers and transports her to a separate reality. The one they lived in before the apocalypse. The parents try to maintain the innocence of the daughter and she only fights this as any child would.

Along with the will to survive ever present in this film is a sense of impending doom. They are running out of food and where will they go when this happens is an ominous and looming question. They never go outside and one of the main rules is to never leave the fallout shelter. They way this plays out is what makes the plot fantastic. The solution to this is both clever and extremely surprising. I found myself thinking that this was just an everyday thriller/horror movie placed in an apocalyptic world, which has been done many times, for most of the film. When the climax of the film is reached my opinion flipped. The climax shows the reason they hide and why they can never leave. It answers all the questions posed by the exposition making it an extremely satisfying ending. I felt myself hoping the film would continue, and after an hour and a half of movie this is saying something. Without saying too much about the ending I will say this. The sequel to Hidden would be far different from itself.

This movie does a great job of changing the way zombie films are made. It starts out similarly to many that have come before it but does a great job of changing how they can be looked at. I felt that this movie was extremely clever. I was on the edge of my seat as I watched the family struggle through the emotional and physical struggles of living underground and while I usually do not like thrillers or horror movies I genuinely enjoyed the story of this film.

You can rent this movie on Amazon Prime or pick it up in a redbox and it would be great to watch now as it fits the season. Thank you for tuning in to this week’s movie review. Feel free to send any suggestions or comments to the email address public affairs at W-K-N-C DOT ORG I am always glad to hear feedback and opinions. This is Jake Winters for Eye on the Triangle have a good night.