Hider in the House (1989) User Reviews

Actually, not that bad

[Wizard-8 · 6/10 · 3 June 1999]

I will agree that the premise of this movie - a man secretly hiding in a house without anyone detecting him - is a bit hard to swallow. But I found this movie strangely compelling. One reason is that the "bad guy" isn't without sympathy. We see that he is still insane, but that's no fault of his, and that he struggles very hard not to do anything bad. (Busey gives a great performance, by the way.) Some events in the movie, like when he starts to introduce himself incognito to the family, are unexpected and intriguing.

However, starting about 20 minutes before the end, we see the movie start to fall apart, and the climax is way too familiar and expected - it's almost like the screenwriter refused to change from a typical cop-out ending.

Otherwise, not bad.

Busey's Frankenstein

[martin-secker · 6/10 · 1 November 2007]

This is a decent little thriller. Busey steals the show as he often does, managing here to evoke the memories of the Universal Horror creatures of the 1930/40, a lumbering oaf whom the audience has an empathy with. It is quite an accomplishment from Busey, as the premise is both ridiculous and unoriginal. McKean and Rogers are satisfactory as the put-upon couple who become the unwanted centre of Busey's jealousy and affection. It's a shame that Busey's once promising career soon went downhill, as he is a very good character actor. He'll be remembered for his bigger roles but I truly think this is his best performance.

Busey makes it worthwhile.

[gridoon · 6/10 · 20 October 2001]

Not outstanding, but far from the worst of its kind. It's true that the "shock" ending is cliched, and most of the plot developments are predictable, but the film gets a great big boost from Gary Busey's three-dimensional character and intense performance. In some ways, "Hider in the House" is quite similar to "The Stepfather", another film in which a mentally unbalanced man wants to create the "perfect family", and although it has a much lower reputation, it is actually better. (**)

Lurking in the attic; he knows every move you make.

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 26 October 2001]

A refugee(Gary Busey) from the nut house takes up living in the attic of an empty house. After a young family movies in, he becomes obsessed with the lovely housewife(Mimi Rogers). This particular scenario is hard to believe, but also hard to forget about. Pretty predictable story line with Busey the focus of the better scenes. There is no better psycho than Gary. Rogers is enjoyable to look at, but acting skills are lacking throughout cast...Busey the exception of course. Also appearing are Michael McKean, Bruce Glover and Carole King.

Busey unplugged...and in your attic too!

[uds3 · 31 October 2003]

Forget the inanity (no thats NOT a typo!) of the plot...a fruitloop living soundlessly in an attic, in a tiny room he built there - EQUALLY soundlessly!......this is a tour-de-force performance from Busey. The most realistic nutter put on screen since Norman Bates! As someone commented, a similar premise to THE STEPFATHER, being the story of a lone weirdo psychotically disposed towards creating the "perfect" family!

Busey's deranged Tom Sykes, complete with nervous dysfunctionality is awesome. There are several scenes you feel for the guy and really ache for his solitude and inherent decency! I believe it was his best role and despite the fact the wheels tended to fall off towards the end, as it entered the standard formula "where-do-we-go-from-here" scriptwriters' block, ENOUGH professional work had been witnessed to term this a way better than average thriller! Mimi Rogers always has dignity, class and resolve (well OK she struck-out marrying Tom Cruise arguably) Here, she puts across a sympathetic woman who finds herself in a seriously unwanted position through no fault of her own.

Ultimately you'd have to wonder, if despite his mental disturbances, Sykes wouldn't have made a better husband than Phil (McKean) who proves himself the wimpiest womaniser on the block! I was rooting for Busy to take him out big-time!

Flawed thriller that should by rights, be rating 6.8 here!

Who lives in a house like this?

[saulbennett · 7/10 · 7 February 2021]

Well it's a well-off middle class family with a sleazy Dad, oh and Gary Busey in the attic. Not something that would give you a good nights sleep. I liked this movie. It has enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat and Busey is great. I would have liked to have seen more of the creepy neighbour as his similar looks to Busey could have caused some confusion for the family and police.

What could be more horrific than having Gary Busey sneaking around your house?!

[BlackMonk · 5/10 · 12 September 2000]

Of all the people who could be hiding in a secret compartment in one's house, Gary Busey has got to be one of the most unsettling possibilities. In fact, rather than having Busey portray a fictional character--the mentally disturbed Tom Sykes--the director should simply have let Gary Busey portray the mentally disturbed Gary Busey. Now THAT would have added an extra layer of creepiness to the film! Yes, the movie was predictable at many points. And yes, the ending was unimaginative and even disappointing. But there's something so sinister, so psychologically tumultuous about the prospect of that clunkhead, Gary Busey, sneaking around an unsuspecting family's house, that I found the film bordering on the horrific. (I visualize him right now, crouched in my attic, strumming his guitar and singing "Peggy Sue.")What's that noise I hear?! Could it be....GARY BUSEY???!!!AAAAHHHH!!!

"I know he watches me."

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 28 August 2010]

What's that creaking coming from the roof? Might just be rats or mice… Might be? "Hider in the House" is all Busey, although Mimi Rogers (who's looking great) is affably strong and classy as lady at the centre of his growing affection. It's the lead performances that go a long way to lifting this old-hat concept out of the average mould, as the direction while competently polished remains routine in its story progression, tension building and visual aspect. Gary Busey playing slightly disturbed… well at least you know you won't be let down. But I might be understating it by stating slightly --- it's unpredictably intense and gleeful, as his psychological torment is perfectly etched out. Bruce Glover also amusingly shows up as a pervert neighbour.

Julie and Phi Dryer along with their two young kids have moved into a new house, but unknowingly to them an ex-patient of a mental asylum Tom Sykes has made himself at home in their attic by constructing a secret room. He spies on them, as he sees them as the ideal suburban family he was never apart of it --- due to a terrible past which was the reason for being an intuition. However his obsession for Julie soon sees him wanting to be the husband of the household, as he goes about trying to make this happen while discarding of any threats which could expose him.

Busey's character builds somewhat a nest, where he feels secure and protected, where he simply watches (peering into windows while wandering around the house at night) and listens (through a voice com) but when he catches details on how this family isn't all that perfect he gets involved by orchestrating actions which could see him move right in. The initial build-up is where it's at its strongest; at it's compact, gripping and at times atmospheric --- but this seems to fall by the wayside during the second half when he makes himself known to the family. Now it loses its unsettling edge and becomes predictable and silly.

Busey!

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 22 October 2019]

When this movie was being filmed, a psychologist was hired as an adviser to ensure that Gary Busey's character of Tom Sykes was realistic. Busey was excited, as he felt that he already was the character.

Fives after filming, he crashed his motorcycle with no helmet and nearly died.

Busey, who campaigned against mandatory helmet laws for motorcyclists, flew off his bike headfirst directly into a curb. Neurosurgeons at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center needed to remove blood clots from his brain to save his life.

He told Oprah Winfrey in 2014 that "My bike hit sand and fishtailed. I hit the front brake and flipped over and hit my head on the curb." The accident split my skull wide open. At one time they had me under 12 layers of drugs and strapped down to a metal table, naked, in the mental health alert ward - cause they were going to Cuckoo Nest me."

Then, after saying a prayer, Busey said, "And I felt a white cloak cover around me, and I called that cloak faith. And that's what got me out of the hospital two and a half months early. My brain got altered in a way that's not normal and I have a different way of looking at things and feeling things. And I know how special life is."

Recently released psychiatric patient Tom Sykes (Busey) has gone full-on Bad Ronald, hiding within the attic of the Dreyer family - Phil (Michael McKean, yes, from Spinal Tap), Julie (Mimi Rogers) and their kids Neil and Holly - and uses a baby monitor to listen in on their every waking moment.

His goal? To become the new father of the family, inventing an affair for Phil and slyly spying on Julie as she skinny dips in the pool. He even murders their dog Rudolph when he gets too close. And then when young Neal gets beat up at school, he teaches him how to fight back.

Phil and Julie get into a huge fight and he moves out, which gives Tom the opening he needs. Only one person distrusts him - their neighbor Gene. Do you know how creepy Gene is and why no one listens to him? Because he's such a weirdo that he helped give birth to the ultimate weirdo - he's Crispin Glover's dad Bruce.

Of course, it all ends like Fatal Attraction, complete with Tom shrugging off bullets to keep coming after the family. But that's not how it originally ended.

In the original script, Sykes was an abused child and much more sympathetic. After trying to burn down the house with the family still inside, he realizes that he's just recreating the way he murdered his own abusive family when he was young. He now realizes that he has become as evil as them and despite the rejection of the Dreyers and the fact that he can never be a part of their family, he saves them and allows the house to burn down all around himself. This ending is completely out there, which I love and wish had been filmed.

Is there anything as Gary Busey making his own home within the walls of the place you feel most safe? No. There is not.

Empathetic Fear

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 4 May 2013]

With a bit More Atmosphere and some Stylizing this could have become a Cult Movie just like "The Stepfather" (1987). It has a Similar, if Not so Powerful, feel. But it does have a Powerful and Memorable Performance from Gary Busey. He Manages to pull off the Dual Personality with an Uncomfortable Ease.

This is a Believable Unbelievable Story that draws You in and Delivers a Good Set-Up, some Disturbing Scenes, and an overall Feeling of Lurking Menace that Hides behind this Suburban Sanctuary.

Good Acting all around, but it revolves around Tom Sykes, Suffering from a Horrendously Abusive Childhood, and will Never be completely "Cured" and because the Audience is Aware of this from the beginning it unfolds as an Empathetic, Fearful Film.

These two Emotions Uneasily Mix as We Wish what will Never Happen. This Movie is a Sleeper and will most Likely be a more Rewarding Experience than anticipated. Something a bit Deeper and a bit Different than the usual Psycho Stuff.

Busey's performance saves the day.

[insomniac_rod · 5/10 · 31 March 2006]

This movie steals the main premise from "Bad Ronald" (1974) and some elements from "Black Christmas" (1974 also) but mixes them in a boring manner. Gary Busey delivers a good, believable performance as a psycho. He was abused as a kid so he has some really messed up ideas.

This psycho sets in the attic of a new house and spies the family. Soon after he falls in love with the wife and even tries to make "a move" on her. By the way, Mimi Rogers was damn hot in those days.

The premise is pretty good but is not correctly used in the movie. In my opinion, the best thing about "Hider In The House" is it's title and Busey's performance. Don't bother looking for this one, it surely will disappoint you. Watch it only if it airs on cable. Don't spend money on this.

Man Hides in Secret Room in Walls Watching a Family

[sonnyncherfan · 8/10 · 21 May 2006]

I LOVED this movie because it reminds me of the plot of "Bad Ronald" and it is a good movie to watch while it is raining and if you have ever been in a secret passage in a house. It is a PLAUSIBLE story as Busey is CLEVER in the things he does to delay and prevent his discovery. If is funny in parts because you see the human side and kindness of a man. And you also see the rage welling up inside and his decline & development to more violent acts. The progression of his childhood at the beginning and his falling through the cracks with the psycho-analysis,makes it particularly interesting from a criminal psychiatry standpoint. The drama is intense, especially when an exterminator sprays his area and nearly kills him! the pace is perfect, as his feelings for the wife develop and he eavesdrops enough to cause trouble for the couple he is observing. Great innocence & love for family shown by Mimi Rogers. Great affectionate but desperation acted by Busey.

Kept my interest...

[Mehki_Girl · 6/10 · 29 October 2021]

I really like Busey when he portrayef Buddy Holly. I was so disappointed in the later Busey, who ruined his looks and his brain.

The acting isn't that great, except Busey and you can see why I would have liked him so much when he played nice guy Holly. Busey, who probably had hidden psycho in his makeup even before cracking his head open, does crazy really well.

Not for nothing the premise of someone living in your house unbeknownst to you is actually has happened in the past. There's a famous case of a woman having her lover living in the attic of her home while she lived downstairs with her husband for something like a decade or 15 years, so it's not impossible for someone to be living in your house and you're unaware of them.

At any rate, this isn't going to win any Oscars but it kept me entertained even though you know where it's going.

It was nice to see Busey young and good looking before the crap hit the fan in his life.

bland and unexciting

[helpless_dancer · 5/10 · 9 April 1999]

Besides being pretty dull, I don't see how any of this could have happened. No way could this lunkhead hole up in the attic without being found out on day one. Why didn't someone notice the wall with a door in it? Three windows were showing from the outside and only 2 inside. Doesn't that give somebody a clue? The wall was such an obvious add-on that a ten year old could have spotted it. What a dumb film.

Do you know where the circus is in town?

[Pants1189 · 6 July 2002]

A great psychological thriller, hider in the house exemplifies childhood trauma and its effect on a a man's life. Tom Sykes (Gary Busey) undergoes the transformation from child to head of the household of Mimi Rogers's family. Mimi Rogers sexes up the role of a woman going through marital problems. Michael McKean (best known for his character Gibby from dream on) plays an arrogant adulterer who gets a good beating from the buse. This movie was worth the three dollars for its rental, just to see Gary Busey beat a man to death with a flash-light. Another quality film from the man with horse teeth.

Hider in the House

[Toronto85 · 6/10 · 12 April 2011]

Hider in the House is the story of a disturbed man (played by Gary Busey) who is desperate to be a part of a functional and "normal" family. Tom Sykes (Busey) was verbally and physically abused by his parents growing up. He took action into his own hands and burned their house down with them in it. Committed to a psychiatric facility his whole life, the hospital board felt it was time to release him into society. Boy, were they wrong. We quickly find out he is still very disturbed from the events that took place in his childhood. Meanwhile, we meet the Dreyer family who is moving into a new house. Tom sneaks up to the attic of that house and builds some sort of a room sheltering him from the family. They have no clue he's hiding out in there.

While up there, he overhears pretty much every conversation that takes place. The ironic thing about "Hider in the Hoiuse" is that the family he so desperately wants to be a part of is FAR from "normal". The man of the house is cheating on his wife (Mimi Rogers), the young son is having pretty serious emotional issues involving bullies, etc. Tom overhears all of it. He eventually becomes infatuated with Julie Dreyer (Rogers) and worms his way into her life. All this leads up to a satisfying conclusion.

Hider in the House is a pretty good suspense/thriller. Gary Busey puts in a good performance as does Mimi Rogers. There are a few murders in the film, but that's not what this is about. The true point of the movie is the back story involving Tom and his childhood. It's interesting to see him looking at the Dreyer family like they are the perfect thing in the world. Of course, the viewers see them as a very dysfunctional group. There are some slow parts that drag on, and the idea of him hiding out in the attic without anyone knowing is VERY unbelievable. But it's good enough for a viewing.

6/10

Compelling and creepy ......

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 31 July 2016]

Gary Busey is released from a mental institution and promptly finds himself a new family to replace the one he killed and set fire to. Hiding in an attic he observes the familial interactions playing out below him, and then proceeds to manipulate things in an attempt to get closer to the wife, Mimi Rogers. Busey's character is part psychopath, yet not without some compassion, as he secretly saves the three year old Daughter from drowning in the backyard swimming pool. There are definitely some tense moments, and a couple of murders, along the way towards Gary's goal. Really not a horror movie, "Hider in the House" is more of a bizarre thriller, and a good one at that. - MERK

predictable

[JPT(CAVEY) · 4/10 · 29 November 1999]

Hider in the house was to me, bland, unexciting, boring and even a little disturbing. It was totally predictable in every manner and scene. The beginning, when Tom was being abused as a child, was quite disturbing and made me have some sympathy for him. But all in all pretty poor.

Decent

[solidabs · 5/10 · 1 November 2021]

Great cast of actors. Directing was horrible in this. Writing sucked too but it had alot of potential, just made cheaply and B ish. Plus you have Mimi Rogers who has a great body especially in 89. And you don't get her nude. Horrible decision.

Basic but with some solid acting

[jomayevans · 5/10 · 18 July 2023]

Gary busey & the child Kurt christopher both give great performances.. Busey portrayed a nutter really TOO well.. it was like we're seeing the real him ( I've always thought he had a psycho presence) but here he suppose to be a victim of abuse himself but he's definitely no Empathy chip, he's intimidating by his sheer size amd bulk on his top half & thought his scenes with the boy were rough, frightened me.. the way Buseys face goes from smiles to twitching every second makes you feel nervous about his unpredictable thoughts even though the film is obviously very predictable.. the young boy I thought gave out a solid performance especially on the school fight scene re-enacting Buseys fight moves. Very realistic solid 10.. There not loads of blood and gore tends to cut away though the first to go is the dog which viewers won't like.. for a TV movie uts average but with good high end acting from the 2 leads I mentioned.. how Mimi didn't find this guy turning up at her house strange from the off I'll never know.

Astonishing

[Bertramicus · 10/10 · 23 July 2007]

I can't believe they did it. Mathew Patrick has displayed unremorseful genius with this film. And Busey couldn't have been more amazing had he worn a robe made of lion's skin.

This film will frighten you. Not for fear of the unknown though. It will frighten you when you find out that you have less control over your affect than you had imagined. You will be afraid that Busey might be more important to you than seems reasonable. Busey will become your mother -your lover, your son -your daughter. Busey will become the voice in your head that says, "No, I'm not gonna follow the flock anymore."

Suspense doesn't begin to categorize this movie. I have never seen anything like it. When Mimi Rogers begins to address the subtle feelings she has for Busey (Tom Sykes), my heart turned into a bird's nest. You just can't help but to pray for the guy. He has more love in him than the ocean has salt. It will be all you can do to keep yourself from tearing out of your clothes and attempting to dive into the screen screaming, "Mimi you fool! He could be yours! You could be his!" The movie leaves me muttled beyond repair. It challenged me. I had a difficult time with it. Busey is beyond finesse here. He is a crescendo of livid soul-searching feeling. He is not acting in Hider in the House, he is astonishing.

Great little movie

[funkadelica-1 · 21 October 2004]

Gary Busey is superb in this role as a misunderstood and lonely man who lost his family and feels the need to " inherit" someone elses . His little evil giggles whilst he is hiding in the attic will crack you up. He's as Nutty as a fruitcake and makes the movie all the more fun, even though, its actually a thriller. His Character is believable and you actually feel sorry for him. Busey fans as well as fans of Mimi Rogers will not be disappointed. Mimi is great to look at ( I mean , wouldn't take a fancy to her) Gary just oozes an evil, but sensitive quality in this film . The ending is climactic too , once the plot is revealed and you'll be hard pushed not to grip the arms of your sofa !

One of Gary Busey's best.

[grooverider-50396 · 10/10 · 27 September 2019]

Gary Busey plays Tom Sykes, who gets councilling of some type I think, not sure why? Maybe his bad past but who really knows. Anyway he somehow manages to build his own little hideaway in an attic in a house with no tenants which I found odd because wasn't the house ever locked and how did he get inside? Anyway a family move in, he keeps himself pretty much his away, only coming out of the attic and popping downstairs to eat and drink when the family isn't there and sometimes wonders out for various things. Later he introduces himself to the mother of the family and tries to befriend them passing himself off as a stranger off the streets and keeping his attic hiding a secret. He kills the families dog, buries it in the garden and kills a friend of the family and an exterminator who goes into the attic to kill rats but there was no rats, just Sykes (Busey) hiding behind another wall lol. Good thriller with a good ending besides Tom Sykes (Busey's) character dying.

decent

[mattkratz · 22 April 2001]

A decent thriller about a disturbed guy who becomes an expert at hiding to avoid his abusive parents when he was younger. When he grows up and gets out of the loony bin, he hides in an unoccupied house, which a family soon moves into. Hiding in the attic, he spies on them and soon becomes obsessed. He views them as the perfect family and "drops by" to check up as the tries to worm his way into their lives.

The best parts of this movie are Gary Busey's performance and a suspenseful atmosphere. Other than that, it's just routine.

** 1/2 out of ****

good setup, poor execution (WARNING: SPOILERS)

[dave-658 · 23 January 2000]

The setup of the plot is very original, but it becomes excruciating to watch Tom Sykes since they reduce his behavior to this one dimensional Jason. To me, the point of the movie was going in the direction of "someone is living in the house, without authorization, lets explore the psychological dimensions of this guys behavior, perhaps there can be some interesting message about human behavior" then they decided to end the whole thing in this lame gun battle, which i felt was a cheap ending to something that could have been more fascinating. Overall, interesting, but no payoff.