Hider in the House (1989)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Matthew Patrick

Writer (WGA):

Lem Dobbs (written by)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

You can't lock him out. He's already in.

Plot:

A deranged man, Tom Sykes, hides out in the attic while an unsuspecting couple (Rogers & McKean) and...

Plot Keywords:

Attic | Voyeur | Dog | Institution | Matricide

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Gary Busey	...	Tom Sykes
Mimi Rogers	...	Julie Dreyer
Michael McKean	...	Phil Dreyer
Kurt Christopher Kinder	...	Neil Dreyer
Candace Hutson	...	Holly Dreyer
Elizabeth Ruscio	...	Rita
Chuck Lafont	...	Dr. Gordon
Bruce Glover	...	Gene Hufford
Leonard Termo	...	George / Exterminator
John Green Jr.	...	Bernard
Bob Neill	...	Tom's Father's Voice (voice)
Carole King	...	Tom's Mother (voice)
Jake Busey	...	Teenage Tom (voice)
Ryan Sheridan	...	Tom's Child's Voice (voice)
Martin Goslins	...	Maitre d'

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

UK:18 | Iceland:12 | USA:R | South Korea:15

Company:

Precision Films

Quotes:

Tom Sykes: When I was your age I used to have people hurt me all the time.
Neil Dreyer: So what happened?
Tom Sykes: [pauses] They didn't hurt me anymore.

Soundtrack:

SECRET DOORS

Busey unplugged...and in your attic too!

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!