Hideaway

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I had this mate when I was a teen who had a knowledge of movies that could put me to shame. Seriously! In the very early days of film piracy, known as “Dubbing”, this mate would get his hands on videos from the store, copy them onto tape and bring them to school for me. Or, I would go to his place and we’d watch a barrage of movies for hours on end. Around the time “Clueless” came out in 1995, its rising star Alicia Silverstone was in another film that year. Little known and little seen, it went in and out of Australian theatres in a matter of weeks. Not praised critically or even a commercial hit, “Hideaway” somehow found it’s way into the viewing list of my mate who introduced me to it one weekend at his house.

Based on the novel by Dean Koontz, who comes in second to Stephen King in the horror story department, the film deals with the concept of life after death, in its own twisted and surreal way. I’ve never read a Dean Koontz novel in my life, and only a select few of his titles have made the leap from page to screen. I think this may have been the first. I do have a few of the authors books sitting on my shelf waiting to be read, but for now I’ll watch this little seen but very underrated thriller that deserves a look in.

Starring Jeff Goldblum, who was everywhere in the 90’s off the success of Jurassic Park, this preceded Independence Day and The Lost World, so aside from those blockbusters the quirky actor made smaller scale fare. He does well here as Hatch Harrison, a committed family man with a teenager daughter (Silverstone). Recovering from the tragic death of their youngest daughter the year before, Hatch and his family quietly go about their life; that is until a wrong turn on a dark road changes all of that. As their car hits a truck, spinning out of control and stopping near a steep drop, Regina (Silverstone) manages to get out. But just as she does and the car door closes, Hatch and his wife Lindsey (Christine Lathi) are still in the car as it rolls down the hill and plunges into a raging river. Both knocked unconscious from the impact of hitting the water, Lindsey wakes first to see Hatch still passed out. As the car fills with water, his head goes under. Desperately trying to pull him out, Lindsey gets her husband to land and they are rescued. But Hatch has died, and we the viewer journey with him to the other side. 

The film has some pretty unique special effects. From Hatch’s point of view, we fly down a tunnel of light; spiralling, radiating and shifting in size and shape. It’s unlike anything you’ve seen before or will ever see in a movie again. Surely the brainchild of the author visualised by the director to give us an unusual interpretation of what the journey to the afterlife might look like. As Hatch makes his journey, he is resuscitated in hospital, a full two hours after dying. Rejoining his wife and daughter, Hatch has a second chance at life and starts to enjoy himself.

Unaware that when he was brought back from the dead, Hatch didn’t come back alone, he starts having strange visions. Appearing to him like a nightmare while he is awake, Hatch sees the faces of teenage girls; frightened and begging for their life. He sees hands, his hands, take a knife and kill them. After these visions, he regains some control but can’t remember how he got where he was. He does remember the visions, and they continue, in length and intensity. 

After visiting the doctor that brought him back, who has no explanation for the tricks he’s mind is playing on him, Hatch tries to decipher the meaning of his visions on his own. As they get clearer, he realises he is seeing things as they happen through the eyes of a killer. A killer that is connected to him somehow and preying on teenage girls with long blonde hair. This killer also meets Hatch’s daughter Regina in a nightclub, but as he misses the chance to show her his Hideaway, he is left frustrated and continues to pursue her. Hatch realises the killers next target is his daughter and tries to stop him while the killer also sees through Hatch’s eyes, starting to move in closer for the kill. 

Hideaway is a well thought-out, creatively made and often suspenseful thriller. It has several twists in it which I cannot reveal here. The opening scene, although disturbing and hard to watch, is integral to the rest of the film. It also shows what happens when a character dies and travels to the other side of the afterlife; Hell. And it’s not pretty.

The films is a perfect example of it’s time. The mid 90’s were populated with horror and thriller films, focusing on youth, and portrayed in a grungy and artistic way. Alternative rock music and guys with long hair were all the rage and can been seen in the film at various points. Despite being a victim of the 90’s, Hideaway still works well as a thriller and hasn’t aged very much. The special effects are still fairly decent, offering a different take on the after life, and cleverly establishes its own rules about being brought back to life; the power that gives you, but also the pitfalls. 

Hideaway might be hard to find on DVD, but I just rented it on YouTube for $3.99, so give it a go. You might be pleasantly surprised. And be sure to stay through the closing credits for a little bonus scene at the end which is a nice tease at what might have been after the films climatic finale. 



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