John Polson
Nascosto Nel Buio

I remember watching it a few years ago on some television network and also remember it left a good impression on me. So, I decided to revisit it, not remembering much about it, intrigued by the presence of Robert De Niro, the "prodigy" child Dakota Fanning, and the recent Oscar winner Melissa Leo (her appearances are fleeting).

Hide and Seek was filmed in January 2004 by director John Polson, a skilled craftsman of horror cinema (certainly of the softer kind), already known for "Swifman." The story told is about David and his daughter Emily, who decide to move house after the death of his wife/her mother. Her suicide seems to plunge little Emily into total depression, and as per the script of films of this type, she will meet an imaginary friend, which inevitably leads to strange events and situations bordering on the rational.

It's a somewhat familiar script for this Hide and Seek, which from the start carries remnants of all-too-predictable and clichéd ghost stories. It seems almost as if making horror films today is by necessity connected to the ghost story, the well-placed sound jump. Yet the film was structured in an entirely different way, warranting curiosity, especially for the psychological imprint of the characters (everything is tied to the protagonist David's work). Moreover, the subject, thanks also to Bob De Niro's good performance, could have been more than interesting, only to then succumb to the usual decision to confine everything to what in every respect ends up transforming into the haunted house, although reality is a whole other thing...

So there is a "plot twist" at the end, even if the turn of events is sensed a little too early, almost inevitable by the way things are presented. The film thus ends up becoming something it is not but could have been, so much so that despite raking in a lot of money at the time (2004), there were many negative opinions about Polson's film. The lack of complete success is probably also due to the "new culture" of horror, that is, the preference for surreal stories, traditional ghost stories, over the rougher and more essential horror cinema, now destroyed by the prevailing false moralism of the new millennium.

The final result is a well-shot film, also enriched by good cinematography, particularly concerning the claustrophobia of the wide, dark spaces of the house. Otherwise, the plot is something seen a thousand times before with an all-too-predictable ending. A "niche" product for those who love the genre.