The Hidden (1987)

Director:

Jack Sholder

Writer:

Jim Kouf (written by)

Release Date:

20 October 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A new breed of criminal.

Plot:

An alien is on the run in America. To get his kicks, it kills anything that gets in its way, and uses the body as a new hiding place...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Police | FBI | Shooting | Ferrari

Awards:

4 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Kyle MacLachlan	...	Lloyd Gallagher
Michael Nouri	...	Tom Beck
Claudia Christian	...	Brenda Lee Van Buren
Clarence Felder	...	Lt. John Masterson
Clu Gulager	...	Lt. Ed Flynn
Ed O'Ross	...	Cliff Willis
William Boyett	...	Jonathan Miller
Richard Brooks	...	Sanchez
Larry Cedar	...	Brem
Katherine Cannon	...	Barbara Beck
John McCann	...	Senator Holt
Chris Mulkey	...	Jack DeVries
Lin Shaye	...	Carol Miller
James Luisi	...	Ferrari Salesman
Frank Renzulli	...	Michael Buckley
Duane Davis	...	Eddie
Kristen Clayton	...	Juliet Beck
Whitney Reis	...	Liz
Joe Sagal	...	Drunk
Jeff Levine	...	Drunk's Friend
Mark Edward Morante	...	Record Store Clerk
Jill Friedman	...	Record Store Girl
Rick Lieberman	...	Dr. Glass
Joseph Whipp	...	Dr. Rogers
Donald Willis	...	Intern
Beau Gibson	...	Jailer
Joe Perce	...	Coroner
Jason Edwards	...	Adler
J.N. Houck	...	DeVries' Neighbor
Mary Petrie	...	TV Reporter
Joey Aresco	...	Woodfield
Judy Kerr	...	Waitress
Luce Morgan	...	Waitress
Richard B. Whitaker	...	Plainclothesman
Michael Yama	...	Sketch Artist
Charlene White	...	Nurse
Jack McGee	...	Bartender
Marc Siegler	...	Doctor
Steve Eastin	...	Agent Stadt
Ted White	...	Agent Fowler
Loren Haynes	...	Cop with Aspirin
Rachel Todd	...	Reporter
Buckley Norris	...	Reporter
Lenna Robinson	...	Rodeo Drive Girl
Cate Caplin	...	Bank Customer
Joe Gilbride	...	Bank Guard
Deke Anderson	...	Roadblock Cop
Wren T. Brown	...	Patrolman
Alan Marcus	...	Cop in Hotel
Mark Phelan	...	Fielding
Danny Trejo	...	Prisoner
Branscombe Richmond	...	Roberts
Charles Edward Smith	...	Avery
Lew Hopson	...	Jail Escort
Doug Collins	...	Agent Sardi
Bob K. Cummings	...	Agent Lowe
Alonzo Brown Jr.	...	Lab Technician
Rick Diamond	...	Paramedic
Charlie Skeen	...	Agent Graves
Robert Brown	...	Agent Bach
Chris Wentzel	...	Record Store Cop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kris Gilpin	...	(unconfirmed)

Directed by
Jack Sholder

Writing credits
Jim Kouf		(written by) (as Bob Hunt)

Produced by
Stephen Diener	....	executive producer
Dennis Harris	....	executive producer
Jeffrey Klein	....	executive producer
Michael L. Meltzer	....	producer
Lee Muhl	....	executive producer
Gerald T. Olson	....	producer
Robert Shaye	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Convertino

Cinematography by
Jacques Haitkin

Film Editing by
Michael N. Knue
Maureen O'Connell		(co-editor)

Casting by
Annette Benson

Production Design by
C.J. Strawn
Mick Strawn

Set Decoration by
James R. Barrows

Costume Design by
Malissa Daniel

Makeup Department
Carlos David Amador	....	hair designer
Howard Berger	....	makeup effects crew: Kevin Yagher Productions
Everett Burrell	....	makeup effects crew: Kevin Yagher Productions
Gino Crognale	....	makeup effects crew: Kevin Yagher Productions
Steven James	....	makeup effects crew: Kevin Yagher Productions
David Kindlon	....	makeup effects crew: Kevin Yagher Productions
Robert Kurtzman	....	makeup effects crew: Kevin Yagher Productions
Gina Monaci	....	assistant makeup artist/hair
Christa Reusch	....	makeup artist
Mike Trcic	....	makeup effects crew: Kevin Yagher Productions
Kevin Yagher	....	makeup effects

Production Management
Daryl Kass	....	production manager
Deborah Moore	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cindy Clark	....	third assistant director
John R. Woodward	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Rebecca Carriaga	....	art department coordinator
Steven P. Duchscherer	....	property master
Pete von Sholly	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Ara Ashjian	....	sound recordist
Petra Bach	....	adr supervisor
Gregory Cheever	....	sound recordist
Paul J. Diller	....	sound effects editor
Eric J. Goldstein	....	cable puller
Jeffrey J. Haboush	....	sound
Ron Horwitz	....	supervising sound editor
Mark L. Mangino	....	sound effects editor
John O. Robinson III	....	supervising sound editor
Greg P. Russell	....	sound
Kevin Spears	....	sound editor
James Thornton	....	sound mixer
Les Wolf	....	dialogue editor
Les Wolf	....	foley editor

Special Effects by
Thomas L. Bellissimo	....	special effects carpenter
Martin Bresin	....	special effects crew
Greg Landerer	....	special effects coordinator
Eric Rylander	....	special effects crew
Steve Wolke	....	special effects crew

Visual Effects by
Michael Backauskas	....	visual effects optical line-up
Katherine Kean	....	animator: DQI
Justin Klarenbeck	....	visual effects supervisor: DQI
Jeff Matakovich	....	compositor: DQI
David McCue	....	optical supervisor: Dream Quest Images, Inc.
Jim Shaw	....	animator: DQI

Stunts
Rick Avery	....	stunts
Jeff Brewer	....	stunts
Bob Brown	....	stunts (as Robert Brown)
Hal Burton	....	stunts
Monty Cox	....	stunts
Jeffrey J. Dashnaw	....	stunts (as Jeff Dashnaw)
Andy Epper	....	stunts (as Andrew Epper)
Jon H. Epstein	....	stunts
Glory Fioramonti	....	stunts
Rob King	....	stunts
Lane Leavitt	....	stunts
Irving E. Lewis	....	stunts (as Irving Lewis)
Cole S. McKay	....	stunts (as Cole McKay)
Artie Nay	....	stunts (as Arthur Nay)
Mark Orrison	....	stunts
Diane Peterson	....	stunts
Don Pike	....	stunt coordinator
Gary Pike	....	stunts
Charlie Skeen	....	stunts
Alex Stevens	....	stunts
John Stewart	....	stunts
Steve Vandeman	....	stunts
Gene LeBell	....	stunts (uncredited)
John R. Woodward	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Marsha Blackburn	....	still photographer
Paul A. Edwards	....	camera operator: second unit
Rudy M. Fenenga Jr.	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Gary Molyneux	....	grip
Bob Myers	....	dolly grip
Bob Myers	....	key grip
Greg Fausak	....	grip (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Bob Hagans	....	color timer
Brian Ralph	....	negative cutter

Transportation Department
Jason Belsky	....	transportation captain
Brian Joseph Moore	....	driver
Chris Wentzel	....	driver

Other crew
Steve Berens	....	owner: "Jake"
Steve Berens	....	trainer: "Jake"
Jane Cassell	....	choreographer: Claudia Christian
Larry Evans	....	stand-in
Dixie Jones	....	assistant production accountant
Robert Perault	....	stand-in
Grant Rose	....	stand-in
James A. Wyle	....	stand-in

Production Companies

• Heron Communications
• Mega Entertainment
• New Line Cinema
• Third Elm Street Venture

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox of Germany (1989) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• New Line Cinema (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
• Succéfilm AB (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Alliance Home Video (Canada) (VHS)
• Asso Film (video)
• Astral Films (Canada)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Lumivision (USA) (DVD)
• Lumivision (USA) (VHS)
• Lumivision (USA) (laserdisc)
• Media Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Media Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• New Line Home Video (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Dream Quest Images (special visual effects)
• Kevin Yagher Productions (makeup effects)

Other Companies

• B & B Sound Studios  sound re-recording
• Ray Mercer & Company  titles and opticals

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 | France:-12 | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Heron Communications

Trivia:

The transfer of the alien from DeVries into Jonathan Miller was accomplished by stop-motion photography. During the stops, stage hands would work at stuffing the creature model into the mock head. Actor William Boyett, upon seeing the alien going into "his" mouth, was so disgusted he refused to watch and actually left the room.

Goofs:

Continuity: Early in first chase scene, the driver side fog light cover is missing. Before the car hits the pane of glass, it’s back, then gone again.

Quotes:

Doctor: Detective Beck. No one deserves to die like that. I don't care what the man's done.
Cliff Willis: He killed twelve people, wounded twenty three more, stole six cars, most of them Ferraris. Robbed eight banks, six supermarkets, four jewelery stores and a candy shop. Six of the ones he killed he carved up with a butcher knife. Two of them were kids. He did all that in two weeks. If anyone deserves to go that way, it sure in the hell was him.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Shakedown (1988)

Soundtrack:

You Make Me Feel So Young

I Agree: Entertaining As Anything!

I wrote the following three paragraphs and then scanned some of the reviews....only to find everyone else saying pretty much the same thing as I had written, namely that this movie is a hidden gem and enormously entertaining. Well, add my name to the list of admirers.

Here's a low-grade sci-fi/crime story that is amazingly entertaining. It's a fast- paced account of normal people taking turns being inhabited by an alien being and suddenly turning into out-of-control killing machines. It guess it kind of sounds dumb, but seeing it is better than describing it. The characters in here are wild.

Kyle MacLachlan plays his normal mid-80s strange character, a la Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, etc. Here, he is the FBI agent....or is he?

On the first viewing I found Michael Nouri's role as too abrasive, taking away from some of the fun of viewing this, but, in future viewings he was more tolerable. What also helps this film is a little bit of humor thrown in here and there. It will probably wind up as a cult classic.