Hider in the House (1989) Reviews

• Actually, not that bad

  Wizard-81999-06-03

  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-secker2007-11-01

  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.

  gridoon2001-10-20

  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.

  michaelRokeefe2001-10-26

  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.

• Great little movie

  funkadelica-12004-10-21

  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 !