The Hidden

Director - Nathan Hill (Schlock-O-Rama, Aliens Down Under)
Starring - Simon Mosley (The Samurai, Fallacy), Daniel Rankin (Bride & Doom, Séance), and Narelle Sinclair
Release Date - 1993
Genre - Crime/Horror
Tagline - "Don't look down"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been reviewing movie for almost 10 years and I've seen a lot of movies in that span.  Most are movies I had never seen before and a good bit are movies I had never actually heard of before their release.  It was around the time that I started reviewing that I learned about the S.O.V. horror films of the late 80s and early 90s.  I had picked several up over the years but had no idea that they were considered S.O.V. horror or what shot on video horror actually meant.  Now, I look forward to checking these oddities out.  Some of the S.O.V. horror flicks that I've reviewed over the years are releases that fell into obscurity when the film failed to get a physical release after completing.  Many movie fanatics search for these lost S.O.V. films in hopes of breathing new life into them.  Sometime ago SRS Cinema released the 1993 Australian film The Hidden.  This is another S.O.V. I had never heard of so I was extremely curious.  I reached out to MVD and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.

     The film follows a young man who just lost his brother.  His brother was in with a group of drug deals so he suspects that a rival drug pusher is responsible for his murder.  He is determined to deliver street justice to the one responsible for his brother's death but the deeper in the underground he goes the more he realizes that the man he is after did not kill his brother but the one responsible is something sinister lurking in the sewer below.  

     I always get excited when a new S.O.V. flick is uncovered and get a physical release.  Most of the time the film is a huge let down but I love adding them to my collection.  It's fascinating see how each filmmaker approached their film and how almost every S.O.V. horror film stands out from the rest.  The Hidden was another interesting release but the movie itself was a huge let down.  The acting in this one is backyard quality acting.  Most of the cast has no experience on screen and it shows.  Their dialogue is extremely awkward and forced.  The characters are extremely flat and the cast does nothing to bring them to life.  It's almost as if the film was shot using cardboard cut outs.  The story for this one works but it's extremely difficult not to compare it to Stephen King's It.  In fact, you can even argue that this is a fan film set in the same universe.  That or I'm just trying to find something positive in something I struggled with finishing.  The drug angle almost works but the suspense and atmosphere is non-existent which makes the film feel rushed and uneven.  Finally, those of you looking for the cheap S.O.V. gore will not find it here.  The carnage that you would find in films like Killing Spree and Truth or Dare is not here.  The film relies heavily on the story to work.  Overall, The Hidden is one of the films that I'm glad I have in my collection but I will never watch it again.  Unless I'm mad at myself over something.