I haven't read Dean Koontz's novel, but most of this movie's faults can be traced back to predictable and simplistic script, which bears a strong resemblance to "The Eyes Of Laura Mars". Otherwise, this is an entertaining horror thriller, with trippy "tunnel vision" (literally) sequences, flashes of dark humor and the usual good performance by Jeff Goldblum. The "good vs. evil" climax does come off a bit cheesy, but that doesn't happen because the effects are not good; it happens because of the way in which they are employed. (**1/2)
69 Reviews
He Comes Back to Life With Another Vision
claudio_carvalho14 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
While traveling on the road with his wife Lindsay (Christine Lahti) and his daughter Regina (Alicia Silverstone), Hatch Harrison (Jeff Goldblum) has a car accident, hitting a truck and falling with his wife in a river. He dies for more than two hours, but the specialist Dr. Jonas Nyebern (Alfred Molina) successfully brings him back to life. Hatch has some weird premonitions and becomes able to see through the eyes of the psychopath serial killer Vassago (Jeremy Sisto), a young man that killed his mother and his sister and committed suicide and was also brought back to life and now is killing young women and teenagers. When he foresees that Vassago is trying to capture his daughter, Hatch tries to find the criminal first, in spite of Lindsay, Regina and the detective in charge of the investigation believe that he needs psychiatric help.
"Hideaway" is another rip-off of "Eye of Laura Mars", I believe the first movie to explore the idea of a person connected to a serial killer through his eyes. "Hideaway" has a good cinematography and special affects, the cast is great and the sequence of the accident of Hatch and Lindsay is excellent. Although not being an original storyline, this attractive movie entertains. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Esconderijo" ("The Hiding Place")
"Hideaway" is another rip-off of "Eye of Laura Mars", I believe the first movie to explore the idea of a person connected to a serial killer through his eyes. "Hideaway" has a good cinematography and special affects, the cast is great and the sequence of the accident of Hatch and Lindsay is excellent. Although not being an original storyline, this attractive movie entertains. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Esconderijo" ("The Hiding Place")
Coming back from the other side with a strange new ability (or curse)
Wuchakk17 August 2022
A well-to-do couple in the Seattle area (Jeff Goldblum & Christine Lahti) is struggling with grief and the challenges of parenting a beautiful teenager (Alicia Silverstone). When the man seems to die in an accident he is resuscitated by a revolutionary doctor (Alfred Molina). Yet coming back from the afterlife has a peculiar effect as he starts to have visions of a local serial killer (Jeremy Sisto).
"Hideaway" (1995) is a psychological crime thriller with mystery/horror elements based on Dean R. Koontz' 1992 novel. Dean hated the end results and wanted his name removed from the credits, but the gist of his story is intact (I guess the devil is in the details, as they say). True, the movie changes Regina from a cool orphan into a typical spoiled teenager and omits elaboration on how Vassago (Sisto) becomes what he is, but so what? You can only fit so much of a book into 1 hour and 45 minutes; besides, enough detail is there if you read in between the lines.
The movie reminds me of a meshing of the future "Kiss the Girls" (1997) and "Bless the Child" (2000). It shares the tone and general locations of "Disturbing Behavior" (1998) with the story being influenced by flicks like "Body Parts" (1991) and "Eyes of Laura Mars" (1978). Obviously if you favor these kinds of flicks you'll probably like this one despite complaints by Koontz and fans of the book.
The storytelling is a little confusing in certain ways (for instance, if the killer dies in the opening sequence, how can he be alive & murdering people?). Yet everything is explained by the last act. Meanwhile the colorful CGI depicting the afterlife is quaint (being done in 1994) and reminiscent of the dubious effects in "Bless the Child," but that's okay because the afterlife should appear amorphous anyway.
Silverstone was about 18 during shooting and quite fetching, but she's not the focus; Goldblum and Sisto are. Speaking of Sisto, he looks & acts like Jim Morrison would if he was a psycho serial murderer. Meanwhile Lahti was 44 at the time and looks great.
The ending at the titular hideaway (in a defunct amusement park) is thoroughly comic booky, but the flick has effective atmosphere and delivers the goods if you can roll with it rather than against it.
The film was shot in Britannia Beach, British Columbia, which is 20 miles north of Vancouver. Vassago's hideaway was constructed in the abandoned Britannia Mine.
GRADE: B-/C+
"Hideaway" (1995) is a psychological crime thriller with mystery/horror elements based on Dean R. Koontz' 1992 novel. Dean hated the end results and wanted his name removed from the credits, but the gist of his story is intact (I guess the devil is in the details, as they say). True, the movie changes Regina from a cool orphan into a typical spoiled teenager and omits elaboration on how Vassago (Sisto) becomes what he is, but so what? You can only fit so much of a book into 1 hour and 45 minutes; besides, enough detail is there if you read in between the lines.
The movie reminds me of a meshing of the future "Kiss the Girls" (1997) and "Bless the Child" (2000). It shares the tone and general locations of "Disturbing Behavior" (1998) with the story being influenced by flicks like "Body Parts" (1991) and "Eyes of Laura Mars" (1978). Obviously if you favor these kinds of flicks you'll probably like this one despite complaints by Koontz and fans of the book.
The storytelling is a little confusing in certain ways (for instance, if the killer dies in the opening sequence, how can he be alive & murdering people?). Yet everything is explained by the last act. Meanwhile the colorful CGI depicting the afterlife is quaint (being done in 1994) and reminiscent of the dubious effects in "Bless the Child," but that's okay because the afterlife should appear amorphous anyway.
Silverstone was about 18 during shooting and quite fetching, but she's not the focus; Goldblum and Sisto are. Speaking of Sisto, he looks & acts like Jim Morrison would if he was a psycho serial murderer. Meanwhile Lahti was 44 at the time and looks great.
The ending at the titular hideaway (in a defunct amusement park) is thoroughly comic booky, but the flick has effective atmosphere and delivers the goods if you can roll with it rather than against it.
The film was shot in Britannia Beach, British Columbia, which is 20 miles north of Vancouver. Vassago's hideaway was constructed in the abandoned Britannia Mine.
GRADE: B-/C+
Am I weird? Because I enjoyed Hideaway....
Vasago9 June 1999
Call me the ultimate anarch, but I'm inclined to disagree with the slatings this movie has received. Maybe I was watching a different film, but I pretty much enjoyed Hideaway. Okay, maybe the scripting wasn't pure Shakespeare, maybe the plot was a little tenuous, or a little unoriginal, but still, a little credit where it's due please.
I admit, I was expecting from the write-up a second rate TV movie, but ended up with a deranged grin plastered across my face. I particularly enjoyed the film's 'darkness', and hellishly black soundtrack that only added to the effect. Personally, I'm surprised that Jeremy Sisto has yet to be mentioned in the reviews, because I believe his chilling performance as Vasago was one of the shining factors in this movie. What with his penetrating stare and spooky, well-spoken accent he made, to me, the perfect killer. A round of applause for the young man, if you please.
Personally, I see Hideaway as a movie that should be a big hit with the gothic community, and I shall stand by my word regardless...
I admit, I was expecting from the write-up a second rate TV movie, but ended up with a deranged grin plastered across my face. I particularly enjoyed the film's 'darkness', and hellishly black soundtrack that only added to the effect. Personally, I'm surprised that Jeremy Sisto has yet to be mentioned in the reviews, because I believe his chilling performance as Vasago was one of the shining factors in this movie. What with his penetrating stare and spooky, well-spoken accent he made, to me, the perfect killer. A round of applause for the young man, if you please.
Personally, I see Hideaway as a movie that should be a big hit with the gothic community, and I shall stand by my word regardless...
How to ruin a possibly captivating story
iced_heart74 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
After Stephen King's short story "The Lawnmower Man" was adapted to the screen in the Brett Leonard's 1992-film of the same name and in such a way that the author himself tried everything possible to detach his name from the project, curiously the same thing was about to happen only three years later, when Leonard this time set on to direct an adaption of a novel of one of King's main competitors in the horror/thriller genre - Dean R. Koontz's "Hideaway". Koontz was likewise quite unsatisfied with the end result and one can easily see why.
"Hideaway" opens with a young man named Jeremy who has just killed his mother and sister and proceeds to impale himself upon a knife as part of a ritual to willingly damn his soul to hell and be accepted to serve Satan (or something to that extent). So far, so good. Not entirely original, but an effective and creepy opening. Then we are introduced to our main protagonist Hatch Harrison (Jeff Goldblum), of whom we know relatively little - for example the film never bothers to explain what he does for a living (in the book he is an antiques dealer). We see that he has a loving family - wife Lindsey (Christine Lahti) and teenage daughter Regina (Alicia Silverstone) and only later do we find out that Hatch and Lindsey had another daughter, who died tragically in a car accident. And speaking of car accident, shortly after we are introduced to the Harrisons (a cute little scene actually in which Regina's parents are playing a game of movie associations and try to get her to participate), another one takes place immediately after. Hatch is driving his wife and daughter somewhere in the night (we never find out where they are going), the car swerves out of the road and falls into the nearby river. Regina escapes just shortly before the car falls in the cold waters, but Lindsey and Hatch are trapped inside the vehicle. Lindsey survives the impact and manages to crawl out of the car, dragging her unconscious husband as well. It seems Hatch did not survive the plunge into the freezing waters of the river and he is now for all intents and purposes very much dead. Or is he? Later he is miraculously resuscitated in the hospital by doctor Jonas Nyeburn (Alfred Molina) and his medical team, after we find out he was clinically dead for almost two hours. Hatch has a short glimpse of the afterlife before he is brought back to the amazement and joy of his family. But not all is great. Coming back from the dead has come with a price - Hatch begins to have flashes of brutal murders as they are taking place, and seeing them through the eyes of the killer, not unlike the film "Eyes Of Laura Mars" from 1978. This is the basic plot of "Hideaway" and although the story itself is interesting, there are many problems with the film.
For starters everyone besides Christine Lahti (who really gives an amazing performance) was terribly miscast. Goldblum, while largely succeeding in making his character likeable, has many moments where he overacts to the point of parody (for instance his delivery of the line "Just listen!" in a scene, where Hatch is having an argument with Lindsey is hilarious). Silverstone likewise is a near wreck as Hatch's daughter - other than being the cliched rebellious daughter and a spoilt brat, whose interests end with techno music, there is nothing much else about her character to make us even care if she is in danger or not. True, in her case, the script didn't give her much to do, other than be a whiny silly girl, but still... Jeremy Sisto as the killer didn't convince me either - again, a rather stereotypical villain, his character ended up being mostly a very annoying pretentious prick and not the monstrous frightening figure, the filmmakers were hoping for.
Another big problem, as already mentioned above, is the script. The whole subplot of the Harrisons having lost a daughter in the past and the impact of that tragic event upon their lives, has been mostly reduced to a short single scene, where Lindsey refuses to believe her husband's horrific visions of murder and explains them with the trauma inflicted by that loss. Oh yes, there is a brief vision of the accident happening and we also get to see for a second the face of the girl in Hatch's glimpse in the afterlife, as she whispers to him : "Daddy!". That's it. Really? That's the level of creativity here? Just feel the emotional weight of that scene, I dare you. And how about the subplot of Hatch's and Vassago's (the villain) both being corporeal vessels of angelic/demonic entities in the film's climax? With no logical clues leading to that conclusion (other than a lady psychic vaguely murmuring to Hatch "You crossed over. You brought something back"), the scene where we see their spiritual essences take some hilarious CGI-form and fight to the death, is simply put - atrocious. It erases every trace of thrill or enjoyment you might have had up until that point and transforms the whole thing into a parody.
Plot-holes? Sure, here is one particularly hilarious - based on one of his visions, Hatch writes down on a piece of paper a name of a hotel, in which subsequently we find out the killer finds temporary accommodation. The name of the hotel however is incomplete. This information finds its way in the hands of a private detective, who immediately locates the said hotel, even though the name wasn't quite right. Our protagonist Hatch however isn't so lucky and doesn't find the place until much later in the film, after he eventually learns the full name of the hotel. And that's not all. A cop /Kenneth Welsh/ investigating the murders and finding Hatch's statement of acquiring his information about the killings from his visions highly suspicious - he shows up twice to ask questions, well, surely he will be seen again in the end of the film when we reach the resolution, right? Nope, he doesn't appear again at all, in fact, when the villain is eventually defeated, they don't even bother with a scene of the police showing up. No, Hatch gathers his wife and daughter and...just leaves the crime scene. Happy end. End credits. And don't even get me started on the "surprise"/hidden ending after the credits.
To top it off, in some of the crucial and tense moments in the film, someone had the bright idea to insert 90's most irritating and disposable electronic music as a way to heighten up the tension. At best, it serves as a distraction, and does not complement the scenes in any way.
The conclusion? While not an absolute disgrace (it does have some good moments here and there - the car accident scene in the beginning I thought was handled pretty well) "Hideaway" remains a justly forgotten film, because it does not know how to convincingly tell a possibly good story, populates its' world with abysmally flat characters, loses tempo along the way, just to bring us to an absurd ending, devoid of any real payoff. Once again - not quite a disaster, but very forgettable - I myself forgot everything about this film, which I first think I saw around 7-8 years prior to this second viewing. So much for giving things a second chance.
"Hideaway" opens with a young man named Jeremy who has just killed his mother and sister and proceeds to impale himself upon a knife as part of a ritual to willingly damn his soul to hell and be accepted to serve Satan (or something to that extent). So far, so good. Not entirely original, but an effective and creepy opening. Then we are introduced to our main protagonist Hatch Harrison (Jeff Goldblum), of whom we know relatively little - for example the film never bothers to explain what he does for a living (in the book he is an antiques dealer). We see that he has a loving family - wife Lindsey (Christine Lahti) and teenage daughter Regina (Alicia Silverstone) and only later do we find out that Hatch and Lindsey had another daughter, who died tragically in a car accident. And speaking of car accident, shortly after we are introduced to the Harrisons (a cute little scene actually in which Regina's parents are playing a game of movie associations and try to get her to participate), another one takes place immediately after. Hatch is driving his wife and daughter somewhere in the night (we never find out where they are going), the car swerves out of the road and falls into the nearby river. Regina escapes just shortly before the car falls in the cold waters, but Lindsey and Hatch are trapped inside the vehicle. Lindsey survives the impact and manages to crawl out of the car, dragging her unconscious husband as well. It seems Hatch did not survive the plunge into the freezing waters of the river and he is now for all intents and purposes very much dead. Or is he? Later he is miraculously resuscitated in the hospital by doctor Jonas Nyeburn (Alfred Molina) and his medical team, after we find out he was clinically dead for almost two hours. Hatch has a short glimpse of the afterlife before he is brought back to the amazement and joy of his family. But not all is great. Coming back from the dead has come with a price - Hatch begins to have flashes of brutal murders as they are taking place, and seeing them through the eyes of the killer, not unlike the film "Eyes Of Laura Mars" from 1978. This is the basic plot of "Hideaway" and although the story itself is interesting, there are many problems with the film.
For starters everyone besides Christine Lahti (who really gives an amazing performance) was terribly miscast. Goldblum, while largely succeeding in making his character likeable, has many moments where he overacts to the point of parody (for instance his delivery of the line "Just listen!" in a scene, where Hatch is having an argument with Lindsey is hilarious). Silverstone likewise is a near wreck as Hatch's daughter - other than being the cliched rebellious daughter and a spoilt brat, whose interests end with techno music, there is nothing much else about her character to make us even care if she is in danger or not. True, in her case, the script didn't give her much to do, other than be a whiny silly girl, but still... Jeremy Sisto as the killer didn't convince me either - again, a rather stereotypical villain, his character ended up being mostly a very annoying pretentious prick and not the monstrous frightening figure, the filmmakers were hoping for.
Another big problem, as already mentioned above, is the script. The whole subplot of the Harrisons having lost a daughter in the past and the impact of that tragic event upon their lives, has been mostly reduced to a short single scene, where Lindsey refuses to believe her husband's horrific visions of murder and explains them with the trauma inflicted by that loss. Oh yes, there is a brief vision of the accident happening and we also get to see for a second the face of the girl in Hatch's glimpse in the afterlife, as she whispers to him : "Daddy!". That's it. Really? That's the level of creativity here? Just feel the emotional weight of that scene, I dare you. And how about the subplot of Hatch's and Vassago's (the villain) both being corporeal vessels of angelic/demonic entities in the film's climax? With no logical clues leading to that conclusion (other than a lady psychic vaguely murmuring to Hatch "You crossed over. You brought something back"), the scene where we see their spiritual essences take some hilarious CGI-form and fight to the death, is simply put - atrocious. It erases every trace of thrill or enjoyment you might have had up until that point and transforms the whole thing into a parody.
Plot-holes? Sure, here is one particularly hilarious - based on one of his visions, Hatch writes down on a piece of paper a name of a hotel, in which subsequently we find out the killer finds temporary accommodation. The name of the hotel however is incomplete. This information finds its way in the hands of a private detective, who immediately locates the said hotel, even though the name wasn't quite right. Our protagonist Hatch however isn't so lucky and doesn't find the place until much later in the film, after he eventually learns the full name of the hotel. And that's not all. A cop /Kenneth Welsh/ investigating the murders and finding Hatch's statement of acquiring his information about the killings from his visions highly suspicious - he shows up twice to ask questions, well, surely he will be seen again in the end of the film when we reach the resolution, right? Nope, he doesn't appear again at all, in fact, when the villain is eventually defeated, they don't even bother with a scene of the police showing up. No, Hatch gathers his wife and daughter and...just leaves the crime scene. Happy end. End credits. And don't even get me started on the "surprise"/hidden ending after the credits.
To top it off, in some of the crucial and tense moments in the film, someone had the bright idea to insert 90's most irritating and disposable electronic music as a way to heighten up the tension. At best, it serves as a distraction, and does not complement the scenes in any way.
The conclusion? While not an absolute disgrace (it does have some good moments here and there - the car accident scene in the beginning I thought was handled pretty well) "Hideaway" remains a justly forgotten film, because it does not know how to convincingly tell a possibly good story, populates its' world with abysmally flat characters, loses tempo along the way, just to bring us to an absurd ending, devoid of any real payoff. Once again - not quite a disaster, but very forgettable - I myself forgot everything about this film, which I first think I saw around 7-8 years prior to this second viewing. So much for giving things a second chance.
Suspenseful and chilling.
FiendishDramaturgy16 September 2003
Warning: Spoilers
Dean Koontz chiller, starring Jeff Goldblum. Highly entertaining...suspenseful... even mesmerizing at times.
Jeff Goldblum pulls the veritable rabbit out of the proverbial hat in this one. His acting is intensely deep and highly professional in this Brett Leonard (director of the notoriously horrible adaptation of Stephen King's "Lawnmower Man," so bad it was, King SUED and WON, to have his name removed from the title and marketing!) adaptation of Dean Koontz's literary effort.
This adaptation is horrid, as well. Koontz, in my opinion, should also have sued. The "adaptation" isn't an adaptation, it's a complete rewriting of the story, dialog, setting and characters.
The only thing that remains the same is Hatch (Goldblum) and the circumstances which surround his amazing new "gift." Koontz's earlier works, as was the work upon which this movie was based, had little detail, although his characters are very well developed and his story lines/plots move along with little or no distraction at all. This leaves his earlier works easily adapted to film by any director with a capable imagination and even just a little talent. Unfortunately, Brett Leonard displays neither in this attempt. Someone should have told him the red sun ... wasn't SCARY!
As a movie, it is highly entertaining, fun, scary and has you literally on the edge of your seat several times during its viewing. There are a couple of really well done "scare you!" moments and many moments where you catch yourself holding your breath.
However good the movie itself may be (or may not, depending on your point of view), Jeff Goldblum's performance completely redeems the horrid rewrite and inept direction of this production.
Totally.
The scenery and props were very well done, and the scene in which Hatch visits the Tarot Reader is very authentic. The tarot cards she uses are quite unique and extremely well designed. I wouldn't mind having a deck like that myself.
The Alpine-styled architectures and wooden and glass designs are truly lovely and well designed. Even the slightest attention to scene settings and props make for a much more enjoyable finished product.
Christine Lahti is very convincing as Hatch's (Goldblum's) wife, Lindsey Harrison, and Alicia Silverstone is believable and fun to watch, in her portrayal of the Harrison's younger daughter. I'm not a fan of Ms. Silverstone's, but I must say her performance in this role is about the best I've ever seen from her.
The twists and turns in this movie are a bit predictable, but there are a few surprises which leave you saying, "Wow..."...but what saved this production was Jeff Goldblum's marvelous talent.
Jeremy Sisto was a nice bit of eye candy for those who are interested in that, but it was Goldblum's wonderful gift for acting that put this movie in my horror collection.
It was a good book, and is a good movie; it's just not enough like the book for me to feel comfortable with the adaptation, and the direction was completely lacking. However, the actors weren't walking around aimlessly, spouting drivel and worthless platitudes thanks to Walker's (he did BRAINSCAN!!!!) abilities, but his screen play/adaptation should really have been more faithful to Koontz's wonderful story. It would have made for a much more entertaining evening...and movie.
The ending is very satisfying; high tension, wonderful techno music playing not too loud, but loud enough in the background, and Hatch's wife saying over and over, "I'm so sorry," for doubting Hatch's visions were real. His gift takes him straight to his daughter's side...and into the clutches of the "demon" with which he has been granted psychic contact.
Who will win the ultimate battle? Hatch (the good guy), Vassago/Jeremy (the "demon") or another, unrevealed participant?
While the final battle takes place on this plane, the ethereal battle which rages in the background is every bit as important. This climaxial scene is the epitome of metaphorical synergy. It was the only scene in the movie which was well-directed; where the acting quality, the visual effects and the direction were in sync with one another. Before this scene, for the entire rest of the movie, the acting quality is the only thing which will keep you watching it.
All in all, it earns a 7.0/10 from...
the Fiend :.
Jeff Goldblum pulls the veritable rabbit out of the proverbial hat in this one. His acting is intensely deep and highly professional in this Brett Leonard (director of the notoriously horrible adaptation of Stephen King's "Lawnmower Man," so bad it was, King SUED and WON, to have his name removed from the title and marketing!) adaptation of Dean Koontz's literary effort.
This adaptation is horrid, as well. Koontz, in my opinion, should also have sued. The "adaptation" isn't an adaptation, it's a complete rewriting of the story, dialog, setting and characters.
The only thing that remains the same is Hatch (Goldblum) and the circumstances which surround his amazing new "gift." Koontz's earlier works, as was the work upon which this movie was based, had little detail, although his characters are very well developed and his story lines/plots move along with little or no distraction at all. This leaves his earlier works easily adapted to film by any director with a capable imagination and even just a little talent. Unfortunately, Brett Leonard displays neither in this attempt. Someone should have told him the red sun ... wasn't SCARY!
As a movie, it is highly entertaining, fun, scary and has you literally on the edge of your seat several times during its viewing. There are a couple of really well done "scare you!" moments and many moments where you catch yourself holding your breath.
However good the movie itself may be (or may not, depending on your point of view), Jeff Goldblum's performance completely redeems the horrid rewrite and inept direction of this production.
Totally.
The scenery and props were very well done, and the scene in which Hatch visits the Tarot Reader is very authentic. The tarot cards she uses are quite unique and extremely well designed. I wouldn't mind having a deck like that myself.
The Alpine-styled architectures and wooden and glass designs are truly lovely and well designed. Even the slightest attention to scene settings and props make for a much more enjoyable finished product.
Christine Lahti is very convincing as Hatch's (Goldblum's) wife, Lindsey Harrison, and Alicia Silverstone is believable and fun to watch, in her portrayal of the Harrison's younger daughter. I'm not a fan of Ms. Silverstone's, but I must say her performance in this role is about the best I've ever seen from her.
The twists and turns in this movie are a bit predictable, but there are a few surprises which leave you saying, "Wow..."...but what saved this production was Jeff Goldblum's marvelous talent.
Jeremy Sisto was a nice bit of eye candy for those who are interested in that, but it was Goldblum's wonderful gift for acting that put this movie in my horror collection.
It was a good book, and is a good movie; it's just not enough like the book for me to feel comfortable with the adaptation, and the direction was completely lacking. However, the actors weren't walking around aimlessly, spouting drivel and worthless platitudes thanks to Walker's (he did BRAINSCAN!!!!) abilities, but his screen play/adaptation should really have been more faithful to Koontz's wonderful story. It would have made for a much more entertaining evening...and movie.
The ending is very satisfying; high tension, wonderful techno music playing not too loud, but loud enough in the background, and Hatch's wife saying over and over, "I'm so sorry," for doubting Hatch's visions were real. His gift takes him straight to his daughter's side...and into the clutches of the "demon" with which he has been granted psychic contact.
Who will win the ultimate battle? Hatch (the good guy), Vassago/Jeremy (the "demon") or another, unrevealed participant?
While the final battle takes place on this plane, the ethereal battle which rages in the background is every bit as important. This climaxial scene is the epitome of metaphorical synergy. It was the only scene in the movie which was well-directed; where the acting quality, the visual effects and the direction were in sync with one another. Before this scene, for the entire rest of the movie, the acting quality is the only thing which will keep you watching it.
All in all, it earns a 7.0/10 from...
the Fiend :.
One of the first horror films I remember that used horrible computer generated graphics.
Aaron137531 March 2009
Yes, Jurassic Park used computer generated images very well. However, they had a big budget and were able to make those dinosaurs look very realistic. This one ended up making very bad images of hell and of weird crap that looked as if it were not there. Jeff Goldblum was in both, coincidence? Yes, but still he was in one of the best examples of early computer images and one of the worst. What makes it more terrible is that a lot of horror movies began doing it, and to this day the monsters in these movies still look like they are not there. So the story in this one has two guys dying and being revived by similar means. One a family guy with a daughter, the other guy...well lets just say he is not so good. The guy who is not so good has a secret about his death, he is also a killer. The other guy (Goldblum) seems to have a link to this killer because of the way they were both revived. Near the end the killer targets the teen daughter and the father must try to pry her from this seemingly evil guy's clutches. Just did not really work for me, and apparently not to Dean Koontz either as I hear he did not like this movie at all. It has a somewhat good cast for a horror movie as along with Goldblum you have Alicia Silverstone and Alfred Molino, but one just can not get the lame effects out of one's head.
"Deader than Elvis." Not too bad actually.
poolandrews7 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Hidaway tells the tale of the Harrison family, husband & wife Hatch (Jeff Goldblum) & Lindsey (Christine Lahti) plus their teenage daughter Regina (Alicia Silverstone). Driving back from a weekend away they are involved in a car accident which kills Hatch but after being technically dead for 1 hour & 20 minutes Dr. Jonas Nyebern (Alfred Molina) manages to bring him back to life using a new form of resuscitation developed by himself. At first the Harrison family believe they have been given a second change & are overjoyed but one night Hatch as a disturbing vision while cutting himself, that of a young missing girl named Wendy Stone (Gaetana Korbin) being brutally murdered. The visions continue as Hatch begins to think that he may have a psychic link with a serial killer named Vassago (Jeremy Sisto) but at the same time Vassago has a link with him & decides he'll pay Hatch's family a nice friendly visit...
Directed by Brett Leonard I thought Hideaway was a decent enough horror/thriller but in the end nothing spectacular. The script by Andrew Kevin Walker & Neal Jimenez was based on the novel by Dean R. Koontz who was prepared to sue to get his name off the opening credits he thought it so crap, well I probably wouldn't want to put my name to it but that seems a little extreme. Anyway Hideaway moves along at a reasonable pace although it could have used 10 or so minutes cut out, it takes Goldblum ages to realise what's going on while we, the audience, know almost straight away so we sit there waiting for him to catch up. I was also disappointed in the weak climax, a lacklustre good vs. evil showdown with Goldblum's family in danger, seen it all before. On a positive note I thought the film was entertaining for what it was, there's an average twist at the end which isn't brilliant but is better than nothing I suppose & it maintained my interest in where it was going.
Director Leonard doesn't do much to impress, Hideaway is a well made but has little in the way of scares or tension. The best scenes involve Vassago dressed in shades & long black coat, he's has a strong on screen presence. The gore is OK but not exactly plentiful, someone impales themselves on a knife, someone's eye is poked out, there are a couple of slit throats & Goldblum clenches a razor which sends blood squirting everywhere.
With an extremely healthy sounding $15,000,000 budget I simply can't see where all that money went, I really can't. Sure you have to pay stars Goldblum & Silverstone but apart from that there's no big action scenes, limited special effects, no exotic locations & the thing looks like a TV film on occasion. Certainly not worth fifteen big ones. The acting is pretty good & Goldblum is always good to watch although I thought Lahti as his wife was awful.
Hideaway is a decent way to pass the time, it's not the best film ever but it's not the worst. I liked it but I could see why someone wouldn't, hard to give a glowing recommendation to but I think it's worth a watch.
Directed by Brett Leonard I thought Hideaway was a decent enough horror/thriller but in the end nothing spectacular. The script by Andrew Kevin Walker & Neal Jimenez was based on the novel by Dean R. Koontz who was prepared to sue to get his name off the opening credits he thought it so crap, well I probably wouldn't want to put my name to it but that seems a little extreme. Anyway Hideaway moves along at a reasonable pace although it could have used 10 or so minutes cut out, it takes Goldblum ages to realise what's going on while we, the audience, know almost straight away so we sit there waiting for him to catch up. I was also disappointed in the weak climax, a lacklustre good vs. evil showdown with Goldblum's family in danger, seen it all before. On a positive note I thought the film was entertaining for what it was, there's an average twist at the end which isn't brilliant but is better than nothing I suppose & it maintained my interest in where it was going.
Director Leonard doesn't do much to impress, Hideaway is a well made but has little in the way of scares or tension. The best scenes involve Vassago dressed in shades & long black coat, he's has a strong on screen presence. The gore is OK but not exactly plentiful, someone impales themselves on a knife, someone's eye is poked out, there are a couple of slit throats & Goldblum clenches a razor which sends blood squirting everywhere.
With an extremely healthy sounding $15,000,000 budget I simply can't see where all that money went, I really can't. Sure you have to pay stars Goldblum & Silverstone but apart from that there's no big action scenes, limited special effects, no exotic locations & the thing looks like a TV film on occasion. Certainly not worth fifteen big ones. The acting is pretty good & Goldblum is always good to watch although I thought Lahti as his wife was awful.
Hideaway is a decent way to pass the time, it's not the best film ever but it's not the worst. I liked it but I could see why someone wouldn't, hard to give a glowing recommendation to but I think it's worth a watch.
Not extremely bad, but that's about it..
BloedEnMelk14 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I have to admit, I watched 'Hideaway' because I had quite high expectations of Jeremy Sisto playing the evil guy. And it has to be said, he is fun watching in his role of Vassago. His angelic looks combined with being a 'very bad boy' is an enjoyable combination (especially when he is taking a shower ;-) ). But enough praises for being sexy.
Goldblum's performance is also fine. I was less convinced though about Lindsey Harrison, but it might also be that the plot just wasn't really on her hands. The dialogs were often pretty unconvincing and annoying. But the worst part of the movie was the incredibly cheesy end. As soon as the battle between good and bad started, my jaw dropped and I could only laugh. It wasn't all that good till that point, but the end really ruined everything that was still left of the movie. It's not that we are talking about the ineffectiveness of the still young era of computer effects, it was just.. all... just..... yes, terribly, terribly cheesy.
If the script would have been better worked out, with better dialogs and a better pace, I might have given it a 6 or 7. But without that dialog and a better pace, and with an ending like this, I can not come up with more then a 4.
Goldblum's performance is also fine. I was less convinced though about Lindsey Harrison, but it might also be that the plot just wasn't really on her hands. The dialogs were often pretty unconvincing and annoying. But the worst part of the movie was the incredibly cheesy end. As soon as the battle between good and bad started, my jaw dropped and I could only laugh. It wasn't all that good till that point, but the end really ruined everything that was still left of the movie. It's not that we are talking about the ineffectiveness of the still young era of computer effects, it was just.. all... just..... yes, terribly, terribly cheesy.
If the script would have been better worked out, with better dialogs and a better pace, I might have given it a 6 or 7. But without that dialog and a better pace, and with an ending like this, I can not come up with more then a 4.
Banquet for Sisto fans
Brooklyn-107 November 1999
I rented "Hideaway" solely because Jeremy Sisto was in it, and I have to say I was only somewhat disappointed. The movie's weakest points, and they are WEAK, are the completely gratuitous, TV-show quality special effects. I have never seen effects that were as utterly ridiculous to end a movie with.This is the sort of movie that reminded me,"Oh, yeah,THIS is why I hate special effects." However, aside from the mind-blowingly bad effects and the predictable plot, there is one very, diamond-bright spot in the movie, and that is Jeremy Sisto as the killer Vassago. Spookily sexy in trenchcoat and leather, he resembles a seriously psychotic "Lost Boy". Projecting an enchantingly evil sensuality, he is magnetic in his too-few scenes of dialogue. Truth to tell, if Vassago had cast the spell of his eyes and voice on me, I would have gone with him to a terrible fate. I found enjoyable also the heavy, death-metal soundtrack. (Although I am beginning to tire of the stereotype that killers in movies always listen to metal. What about all the drive-by shooters who listen to rap? But I digress) To sum up, unless you're a big Sisto fan I wouldn't bother. But if you are, Bon Appetit!
Definitely the worst movie adaptation of a novel I've endured.
dsl6116619 April 2012
Let me begin with saying, that the movie really isn't that bad. Just make sure you haven't read the book before. If you have, don't watch the movie. Key elements from the plot of the book is either left out completely, or altered so drastically that it has significant negative effect on both the story and for certain characters, the character development throughout the plot. Actually, this is the 3rd Koontz adaptation I've seen in recent history, and I actually thought it couldn't get any worse than "Watchers", but this one is. So far, the least worst movie adaptation I've seen, is "Mr. Murder". So my recommendation, if your going to rent a Koontz movie, is to avoid this one. Read the book instead. It will take more time but will definitely be worth it.
Excellent horror/thriller!
HumanoidOfFlesh28 November 2001
I've seen earlier Brett Leonard's horror film "The Dead Pit"(1989-check out my comment of it!)and this director is incredibly overlooked and talented."Hideawy" is excellent-fast-paced,violent and really dark.The visuals(especially the vision of Hell)are really impressive,and Jeremy Sisto as a satanic killer Vassago is outstanding-he is pure evil!Great soundtrack bu such industrial/metal bands like KMFDM,Fear Factory,Godflesh("Nihil"-I love this song!)and Front Line Assembly.My absolute recommendation.
Recommended! A clever story, with excellent special effects.
DJO29 November 1999
I had no fore-knowledge of this movie and thus every element was a thrilling surprise. The story-line was a very clever one and had a true sting at the end. The cast were actors of high calibre who gave impressive performances. A pulsing sound-track and impressive special effects, made this a movie that kept me on the edge of my seat.
Hideaway: not worth seeking out
jztzt2 May 2013
One night, while driving home with his wife and daughter, Hatch (Jeff Goldblum) gets into a car accident which results in his temporary death. Enter Dr. Nyebern, who has developed a unique resuscitation technique that can revive the dead even after a prolonged period of time. After his revival, Hatch begins having visions of young girls being murdered. It turns out that he shares some sort of special link with the deranged killer (Jeremy Sisto), as they have both been to the other side. Unable to convince anyone of his warnings and knowledge, it's only up to Hatch to stop the killer, who may have a target in mind close to Hatch's heart.
This film wasn't particularly exciting, scary or suspenseful. In fact, I scoffed at it from time to time. It was quite ridiculous, cheap, trashy, conventional, predictable, and laughable. The special effects were subpar and murky. The best and most inspired scene was during the first five minutes when the killer journeyed in agony towards hell, after committing an atrocious act and then committing suicide. At least that was something I had not seen too often before. The rest of the movie was merely another slasher film in disguise, no matter how high-gloss it seemed.
By the end of the film, many questions and plot holes had arisen but were not addressed. Also, the science, law, and technicalities (e.g. maintaining a patient's confidentiality despite being a menace to others) brought up in the film were terribly erroneous.
Much of the film was in bad taste. From time to time, the filmmakers treaded on thin ice by depicting questionable, unsavory, and objectionable acts and images. I also thought the film was going to make some point about spirituality, religion, hell, or heaven, but no such luck.
Though some characters were not written well or underutilized of their full potentials, the acting was fine, especially Jeremy Sisto's risky performance as the despicable creep. However, I simply did not care for Goldblum's character and was not convinced of his suffering. Some of his actions, reactions, and dialogues were wayward and awkward. Sometimes he made mistakes when he should have known better and was slow to catch on with certain matters. His wife's role (Christine Lahti) was mostly limited and reduced to that of the long-suffering spouse. She was there mostly to lend support when needed, only becoming a more independent and stronger character near the end. Alicia Silverstone's daughter character was limited in scope as well; mainly serving as a plot gimmick for the killer to prey on.
There are far better and scarier horror films out there, Hideaway is not one of them. One film that comes to mind is Lord of Illusions, which is more grotesque, violent, gory, and over-the-top, but effective nonetheless. It goes all the way with its unique, nightmarish, and sensational imagery, and knows no boundaries. Unlike Hideaway, it establishes no pretensions of the divine and evil, and engages us with interesting characters whom we care about.
This film wasn't particularly exciting, scary or suspenseful. In fact, I scoffed at it from time to time. It was quite ridiculous, cheap, trashy, conventional, predictable, and laughable. The special effects were subpar and murky. The best and most inspired scene was during the first five minutes when the killer journeyed in agony towards hell, after committing an atrocious act and then committing suicide. At least that was something I had not seen too often before. The rest of the movie was merely another slasher film in disguise, no matter how high-gloss it seemed.
By the end of the film, many questions and plot holes had arisen but were not addressed. Also, the science, law, and technicalities (e.g. maintaining a patient's confidentiality despite being a menace to others) brought up in the film were terribly erroneous.
Much of the film was in bad taste. From time to time, the filmmakers treaded on thin ice by depicting questionable, unsavory, and objectionable acts and images. I also thought the film was going to make some point about spirituality, religion, hell, or heaven, but no such luck.
Though some characters were not written well or underutilized of their full potentials, the acting was fine, especially Jeremy Sisto's risky performance as the despicable creep. However, I simply did not care for Goldblum's character and was not convinced of his suffering. Some of his actions, reactions, and dialogues were wayward and awkward. Sometimes he made mistakes when he should have known better and was slow to catch on with certain matters. His wife's role (Christine Lahti) was mostly limited and reduced to that of the long-suffering spouse. She was there mostly to lend support when needed, only becoming a more independent and stronger character near the end. Alicia Silverstone's daughter character was limited in scope as well; mainly serving as a plot gimmick for the killer to prey on.
There are far better and scarier horror films out there, Hideaway is not one of them. One film that comes to mind is Lord of Illusions, which is more grotesque, violent, gory, and over-the-top, but effective nonetheless. It goes all the way with its unique, nightmarish, and sensational imagery, and knows no boundaries. Unlike Hideaway, it establishes no pretensions of the divine and evil, and engages us with interesting characters whom we care about.
Decent film, sick-making effects
Leigh L.16 January 2001
It's true, Hideaway was absolutely slaughtered on release and is still systematically torn apart in the listings every time it's on TV, but - hey! - it's not that bad. Jeff Goldblum is always, er, 'interesting' to watch, and the same goes for Brett Leonard films (try as he might to cripple them with whatever bottom-of-the-barrel SFX company he keeps hiring - the effects here are practically carbon copies of those in The Lawnmower Man, and seeing as they're supposed to represent ethereal spiritual journeys rather than clunky virtual reality environments, it doesn't exactly work wonders). So yeah, for what it was, I enjoyed it. But of course I haven't read the book, so I don't have any outraged fanboy zeal to contend with...
forgettable thriller with dated computer graphics, and lots of corny moments
FieCrier1 January 2005
I just watched this on video. Looking at the video box, I remembered looking at the video box before, but I didn't remember seeing it before. I remember seeing it before now, though. Not a good sign. I can honestly, then, say this movie is forgettable.
It starts with a young man in a house, with two women who appear to be praying silently. He goes up into a small room in which he has a lot of candles lit, newspaper clippings, and things written on the wall in red. He impales himself on a knife. A man runs into the house, and finds his wife and daughter are not praying, they're dead and posed, and he then finds his dead son. In a CGI scene, the dead son's soul or whatever (his translucent face, and a vague indication of his body) is traveling through colorful tunnels. It's pretty laughably bad.
From that happy family, we go to Jeff Goldblum and his wife Christine Lahti on vacation with their daughter, Alicia Silverstone. They're corny, and their daughter finds them annoying. They get into a car accident on the way home, and Goldblum drowns or nearly drowns. He goes through the same sort of tunnels, but he also sees his other daughter who had died sometime in the past calling to him. It's pretty laughable too.
Alfred Molina brings Goldblum back to life, but Goldblum starts having visions of himself killing young women. He also finds that when he injures himself, the injuries heal up almost instantly (that was never explained). Goldblum worries for the safety of his daughter, who the killer takes an interest in.
In the end, there's a big CGI battle between good and evil. It's pretty corny too, and it's not just a matter of the now-dated special effects.
It starts with a young man in a house, with two women who appear to be praying silently. He goes up into a small room in which he has a lot of candles lit, newspaper clippings, and things written on the wall in red. He impales himself on a knife. A man runs into the house, and finds his wife and daughter are not praying, they're dead and posed, and he then finds his dead son. In a CGI scene, the dead son's soul or whatever (his translucent face, and a vague indication of his body) is traveling through colorful tunnels. It's pretty laughably bad.
From that happy family, we go to Jeff Goldblum and his wife Christine Lahti on vacation with their daughter, Alicia Silverstone. They're corny, and their daughter finds them annoying. They get into a car accident on the way home, and Goldblum drowns or nearly drowns. He goes through the same sort of tunnels, but he also sees his other daughter who had died sometime in the past calling to him. It's pretty laughable too.
Alfred Molina brings Goldblum back to life, but Goldblum starts having visions of himself killing young women. He also finds that when he injures himself, the injuries heal up almost instantly (that was never explained). Goldblum worries for the safety of his daughter, who the killer takes an interest in.
In the end, there's a big CGI battle between good and evil. It's pretty corny too, and it's not just a matter of the now-dated special effects.
Not that bad, but could've been better
slayrrr6664 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
"Hideaway" really wasn't as bad as it could've been, but it's not all that great as it is.
**SPOILERS**
Coming home from their ski-top resort, Hatch, (Jeff Goldblum) and Lindsey Harrison, (Christine Lahti) and his troubled daughter Regina, (Alicia Silverstone) are involved in a horrific car accident, and Hatch is brought back from the dead afterwards. After being normal for a few days, he begins to have weird nightmares and visions, and Dr. Jonas Nybern, (Alfred Molina) confirms it's nothing. Despite the reassurance, he still has the visions of a strange man attacking people, all done with his mind. Eventually learning that the man is named Jeremy, (Jeremy Sisto) and that he had been brought back to life Hatch's recovery from the accident after himself dying. As he begins a city-wide rampage that includes Regina in his targets, Hatch races to stop him before he can fully return from the dark side.
The Good News: This wasn't all that bad of a film and did contain some nice moments. The fact that the film does use a fairly routine and clichéd storyline into something actually decent. The fact that an ordinary man is in contact with a demonic entity is done before and done quite well, but this is still a very watchable film. They use the technique well and make it a very worthwhile watch. That also has an added bonus in being able to give the film a large amount of suspense through this, and it does have a creepy tone throughout. The visions are thankfully not just of the killer going about his business killing the innocents, but also the set-ups and seemingly random scenes that will eventually be useful later on in the chase. That is a nice touch and is really welcomed. The ending chase is it's best part, full of suspense and some nice action. The reasoning behind the battle is the majority of the suspense, as the longer it takes to get to the final showdown is less time needed to save one of the victims and the journey to get there through a never-ending series of darkened tunnels also chipping in some as well. The final battle, with the turns in the tide of the fight and the setting placed provide some really nice action scenes that effectively end the movie on a high note. The early scenes in the nightclubs do have an eerie quality to them, and are nicely placed to keep it from being a really drawn-process. The car crash at the beginning, while being slightly overkill, is also one of the best scenes, being a really high-action set-piece that is quite thrilling and is a real spectacle. The pace isn't that terrible, and while it could've shortened some scenes there's really nothing that keeps it from being an overlong film. This really could've been far worse.
The Bad News: There isn't a lot here that keeps it from being that great. As mentioned before, the pace isn't that great, and there are some scenes that drag out far longer than possible. The opening car crash is a major example. Once the car hits the woods, the scene could've ended there and still had the set-up necessary for the rest of the movie. There's no reason to drag it out far longer than it is. The many scenes of wandering around listening to the characters attempt to explain what's going on near the end are some other big scenes. That also brings up the other big factor, which is the stupidity of the characters. Major plot points are not revealed by any intelligence on the characters' part, but based on coincidence. The best is the discovery of the motel the killer is staying at. The character happens to drive by it, even though it's been seen through his visions countless time before it and that takes it sheer coincidence that it happened. The CGI at the end is really unrealistic and only just looks fake now as it did then. With a little help, this could've been a lot better.
The Final Verdict: There could've been some little fixing to make this a little better, but it's still not that bad as it is. It's not really the worst film of this type, but there is still room for improvement. Give it a shot if it sounds interesting, just don't expect a classic and it'll be a decent watch.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Nudity
**SPOILERS**
Coming home from their ski-top resort, Hatch, (Jeff Goldblum) and Lindsey Harrison, (Christine Lahti) and his troubled daughter Regina, (Alicia Silverstone) are involved in a horrific car accident, and Hatch is brought back from the dead afterwards. After being normal for a few days, he begins to have weird nightmares and visions, and Dr. Jonas Nybern, (Alfred Molina) confirms it's nothing. Despite the reassurance, he still has the visions of a strange man attacking people, all done with his mind. Eventually learning that the man is named Jeremy, (Jeremy Sisto) and that he had been brought back to life Hatch's recovery from the accident after himself dying. As he begins a city-wide rampage that includes Regina in his targets, Hatch races to stop him before he can fully return from the dark side.
The Good News: This wasn't all that bad of a film and did contain some nice moments. The fact that the film does use a fairly routine and clichéd storyline into something actually decent. The fact that an ordinary man is in contact with a demonic entity is done before and done quite well, but this is still a very watchable film. They use the technique well and make it a very worthwhile watch. That also has an added bonus in being able to give the film a large amount of suspense through this, and it does have a creepy tone throughout. The visions are thankfully not just of the killer going about his business killing the innocents, but also the set-ups and seemingly random scenes that will eventually be useful later on in the chase. That is a nice touch and is really welcomed. The ending chase is it's best part, full of suspense and some nice action. The reasoning behind the battle is the majority of the suspense, as the longer it takes to get to the final showdown is less time needed to save one of the victims and the journey to get there through a never-ending series of darkened tunnels also chipping in some as well. The final battle, with the turns in the tide of the fight and the setting placed provide some really nice action scenes that effectively end the movie on a high note. The early scenes in the nightclubs do have an eerie quality to them, and are nicely placed to keep it from being a really drawn-process. The car crash at the beginning, while being slightly overkill, is also one of the best scenes, being a really high-action set-piece that is quite thrilling and is a real spectacle. The pace isn't that terrible, and while it could've shortened some scenes there's really nothing that keeps it from being an overlong film. This really could've been far worse.
The Bad News: There isn't a lot here that keeps it from being that great. As mentioned before, the pace isn't that great, and there are some scenes that drag out far longer than possible. The opening car crash is a major example. Once the car hits the woods, the scene could've ended there and still had the set-up necessary for the rest of the movie. There's no reason to drag it out far longer than it is. The many scenes of wandering around listening to the characters attempt to explain what's going on near the end are some other big scenes. That also brings up the other big factor, which is the stupidity of the characters. Major plot points are not revealed by any intelligence on the characters' part, but based on coincidence. The best is the discovery of the motel the killer is staying at. The character happens to drive by it, even though it's been seen through his visions countless time before it and that takes it sheer coincidence that it happened. The CGI at the end is really unrealistic and only just looks fake now as it did then. With a little help, this could've been a lot better.
The Final Verdict: There could've been some little fixing to make this a little better, but it's still not that bad as it is. It's not really the worst film of this type, but there is still room for improvement. Give it a shot if it sounds interesting, just don't expect a classic and it'll be a decent watch.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Nudity
Great In The 90s But Hasn't Aged Well
flowerstardust19795 May 2022
I watched this when it was released in 1995 and it was actually a decent movie. Fast forward to 2022 and it's just about watchable. This was the year that Alicia Silverstone had quite a few movies out and also the year that showed she was a terrible actress in anything that wasn't comedy. It was hard to watch her squealing during serious moments.
Even Jeff Goldblum couldn't save this movie but he made it watchable.
Even Jeff Goldblum couldn't save this movie but he made it watchable.
good movie, exciting thriller, nice to watch
juliesunshine30 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I did enjoy this thriller, it was very suspenseful throughout, climaxing in a marvellous finish.
Having read the book (which was brilliant) as well, I must say certain key aspects have been changed for the movie, like for example Regina's character.
In the movie, Regina is Hatch's biological daughter - a blonde, green eyed, carefree, flirty teenager, while in Koontz' book Regina is a crippled, small-for-her-age but very smart ten year old orphan with "grey eyes and beautiful deep auburn hair", who is later adopted by Hatch and his wife Lindsey.
Also, Hatch dies in a traffic accident in the movie and is resuscitated after two hours. In the book, Hatch drowns, but is brought back to life after just over an hour.
Hatch is described as "five foot ten, 160 pounds" in the novel. Jeff Goldblum, who plays him in the film, is much taller at six foot four and a half and significantly heavier as well.
Lindsey is blonde in the movie, but in the book she is described as a woman with "dark hair".
So much for authenticity! At least they made an excellent choice with Jeremy Sisto, who played the mad serial killer Vassago very convincingly.
If you happen to have read the book first, you can't help but notice the dissimilarities, but that surely didn't stop me from enjoying this movie a great deal. If you haven't read the book at all, this film will blow you away! Gina Skinner, near London, UK
Having read the book (which was brilliant) as well, I must say certain key aspects have been changed for the movie, like for example Regina's character.
In the movie, Regina is Hatch's biological daughter - a blonde, green eyed, carefree, flirty teenager, while in Koontz' book Regina is a crippled, small-for-her-age but very smart ten year old orphan with "grey eyes and beautiful deep auburn hair", who is later adopted by Hatch and his wife Lindsey.
Also, Hatch dies in a traffic accident in the movie and is resuscitated after two hours. In the book, Hatch drowns, but is brought back to life after just over an hour.
Hatch is described as "five foot ten, 160 pounds" in the novel. Jeff Goldblum, who plays him in the film, is much taller at six foot four and a half and significantly heavier as well.
Lindsey is blonde in the movie, but in the book she is described as a woman with "dark hair".
So much for authenticity! At least they made an excellent choice with Jeremy Sisto, who played the mad serial killer Vassago very convincingly.
If you happen to have read the book first, you can't help but notice the dissimilarities, but that surely didn't stop me from enjoying this movie a great deal. If you haven't read the book at all, this film will blow you away! Gina Skinner, near London, UK
He sees through me
sarkara17 July 2021
So, Jeff Goldbloom has a car crash and is dead for almost two hours before being brought back to life by an experimental procedure that's never explained. You'd think the inventor of such a procedure would be buying Bentleys for his dogs, right? Anyway, the phenomenon that starts it all is actually not unique. Hundreds of people who have had Near-Death-Experiences (NDE) claim to have seen tunnels of light and stuff, and often describe things they couldn't have seen (they're dead, remember?). Bloom's case is a little more special because he comes back with a psychic connection to a serial killer.
The problem is, I've already told you the most interesting part of the movie and I didn't even use a spoiler. Bloom's wife and daughter are so annoying that I would've understood if he just stayed dead. Alicia Silverstone plays the daughter, and tries too hard to portray a rebellious teen, but manages to only come across as a sulking, whining b**ch. The wife just stands around and constantly yells at her husband for seeing things. The "special effects" are so stupid and bad even 40's silent movies could do better.
The problem is, I've already told you the most interesting part of the movie and I didn't even use a spoiler. Bloom's wife and daughter are so annoying that I would've understood if he just stayed dead. Alicia Silverstone plays the daughter, and tries too hard to portray a rebellious teen, but manages to only come across as a sulking, whining b**ch. The wife just stands around and constantly yells at her husband for seeing things. The "special effects" are so stupid and bad even 40's silent movies could do better.
Still a good watch nearly 25years later
jomayevans20 November 2022
Original story. Good acting like the visuals don't understand the low score compared to the trash churned out today that makes this look like Shakespeare. But I guess each to their own
Original story. Good acting like the visuals don't understand the low score compared to the trash churned out today that makes this look like Shakespeare. But I guess each to their own
Original story. Good acting like the visuals don't understand the low score compared to the trash churned out today that makes this look like Shakespeare. But I guess each to their own
Original story. Good acting like the visuals don't understand the low score compared to the trash churned out today that makes this look like Shakespeare. But I guess each to their own.
Even Jeff Goldblum can't save this one
bakergarrett15 September 2021
Jeff Goldblum delivers a good performance as usual, but the writing, characters, dialogue, and special effects all are lacking.
The director of Hideaway also directed The Lawnmower Man and I would say that he did not learn from any of his mistakes. The same goofy plot points, horrible CGI, and awful dioloauge that plagued that film also fills this one. I will again shout out Jeff Goldblum and even Jeremy Sisto to some level, as being good in the film but this is a massive miss for me.
The director of Hideaway also directed The Lawnmower Man and I would say that he did not learn from any of his mistakes. The same goofy plot points, horrible CGI, and awful dioloauge that plagued that film also fills this one. I will again shout out Jeff Goldblum and even Jeremy Sisto to some level, as being good in the film but this is a massive miss for me.
A unique, visual gem
rivertam269 July 2020
I've always loved this movie since I first saw it with my friends in theaters back in 95. I thought it was such a unique, original idea executed with solid performances and inspired visuals as well as s kick ass score and soundtrack. The movie tells the story of a sexy ass Jeff Goldblum as Hatch a man who dies in a car accident and is resurrected by an experimental procedure. A few days after awakening he begins to horrific visions of murders through the eyes of a disturbingly sexy Jeremy Sisto. He tries to solve the crimes blaming his self along the way and becomes even more intent when the killer targets his daughter it girl at the time Alicia Silverstone. Christine Lahti also stars as her mother and she is one tough bad ass. The movie is do fun and imaginative I'm surprised it never really took off.
Budget: $15M Box Office: $12.2M
Budget: $15M Box Office: $12.2M
Would have been an easy 8.5 except for the cheesy ending!! DARN!!
joiningjt14 April 2021
Entertaining and a decent but predictable story but excellent cast lead by the severely Underrated Jeff goldblum. Has a decent pace and keeps you entertained and interested until the stupid AND cheesy ending. What a missed opportunity for a film to have long lasting impression. .
One of the worst movies ever made
Logan-2210 February 2002
Warning: Spoilers
"Hideaway" was one of the worst films I have ever seen (and not in a "so bad it's good" way, either). It was a thoroughly pathetic and predictable supernatural thriller with zero mystery and uninspired performances. The opening car wreck is perhaps the most ineptly filmed in recent memory. **SPOILER** The identity of the killer is revealed way too soon, and when it is, it is as a heavy metal loser with the personality of a doorknob. Every time he shows up, we are "treated" to lame headbanger music (is that supposed to be scary or just sell copies of the soundtrack?). None of it makes any sense, nor does it ever really attempt to explain how or why any of the supernatural elements are occurring (particularly the painfully incompetent final confrontation between the forces of good and evil, with cornball dialogue like, "evil cannot survive in the light."). I couldn't believe this trash was ever released into theaters; it felt like a bad TV movie (and looked about as expensive).
As a final nail in the film's coffin, "Hideaway" suffers greatly under the remarkably ham-fisted direction of Brett Leonard, whose bizarre obsession with utilizing terrible computer animation (ala' his prior, and much better, film THE LAWNMOWER MAN) serves to completely undermine and destroy this picture.
I have not read the novel on which this is based, nor any of Dean Koontz's books, so do not take this as an attack on Mr. Koontz's writing ability (which hopefully is better than Hideaway's horrendously cliche'd screenplay would lead me to believe)... I rented "Hideaway" as half of a "2 videos for 99 cents" deal and felt cheated out of my rental fee, as the film failed to deliver even that miniscule amount of entertainment.
All I can say is: "Boo!!! Brett Leonard you owe me fifty cents!"
*throws popcorn at the screen*
As a final nail in the film's coffin, "Hideaway" suffers greatly under the remarkably ham-fisted direction of Brett Leonard, whose bizarre obsession with utilizing terrible computer animation (ala' his prior, and much better, film THE LAWNMOWER MAN) serves to completely undermine and destroy this picture.
I have not read the novel on which this is based, nor any of Dean Koontz's books, so do not take this as an attack on Mr. Koontz's writing ability (which hopefully is better than Hideaway's horrendously cliche'd screenplay would lead me to believe)... I rented "Hideaway" as half of a "2 videos for 99 cents" deal and felt cheated out of my rental fee, as the film failed to deliver even that miniscule amount of entertainment.
All I can say is: "Boo!!! Brett Leonard you owe me fifty cents!"
*throws popcorn at the screen*
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