 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Hide and Seek
- Review Date: July 4, 2005
- R
- Genre: Thriller
- 2005
Common Sense Media says
Older teens may enjoy; too creepy for kids.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a very scary movie with intense peril and upsetting deaths. For those who have dealt with loss, the killer, "Charlie" will be especially disturbing since he wins Emily as a friend when she most needs someone to help her. Issues of trust and the suffering of main characters, including a child, are themes in this movie. Relationships are strained by inability of characters to handle trauma. There is social drinking, infidelity, and implied psychological spousal abuse.
What's the story?
In this atmospheric thriller, widower Dr. David Callaway (Robert De Niro) moves his daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning) to a woodsy town in upstate New York to help her escape the memories of his wife's suicide. In Woodland, they meet the local police officer, the jumpy real estate agent, and a married couple who live next door, trying to cope with the recent loss of their daughter, who was Emily's age. David reaches out to child psychiatrist Katherine (Famke Jannson), who is the understanding adult trying to help Emily and coach David through the grieving process. Emily starts talking about all the fun games she is playing with "Charlie," her imaginary friend. The disfigured dolls, scrawled threats, and dead cat that follow alarm David enough to leave his study, where he spends most of the day. Emily's strange drawings hint that Charlie might be positioning himself to be Emily's only friend, and the mysterious death that follows finally drives father and daughter to action. To say anything more would make Charlie very, very angry.
Is it any good?
HIDE AND SEEK features strong acting, and the film's quiet scenes are more terrifying than on-screen mayhem. Most of the movie comprises a slow but steady-paced thriller with the camera drinking in little Emily's eerie stare and propensity for standing in the doorway whenever something spooky is happening. The last twenty minutes of the movie will satisfy audiences looking for a cathartic terror and a good twist. For some jaded audiences, however, the ending might seem self-conscious, forced, and dragged-out, especially when Charlie's secret is revealed.
Robert De Niro gives a solid but uninspired performance, and Dakota Fanning does a lovely job in this movie, out-acting the grown-ups with breathtaking grace and dignity. She genuinely seems to break, well, just like a little girl during the big showdown.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about why Emily did not feel like she could talk about her emotions directly and what other characters might have done to let Emily know she was not alone. What does the last picture that we see on-screen mean about Emily and about the future?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
Teen, 14 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
Hide and Seek
This is a must-see for anyone from the ages 12-100! The violence is not as bad as anyone would think. But still kinda bloody. One f-word goes through a seen. Many s,d,g-d,and other words are used. It is good.
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 14 years old
March 31, 2011
AGE
perfect teen thriller
I absolutely loved this movie. It was very creepy but amzing! The ending was completely unpredictable! This whole movie wss very great. Definetly okay for teens, not for kids, iffy for 11ish
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 14 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
PSYCHO logical thriller
This movie was the best flippin' psychological thriller I've ever seen. Great ending! I bought it and put it on my PSP.
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 13 years old
September 4, 2011
AGE
my all time favorite scary movie next to insidious
this is my all time favorite scary movie next to insidious this movie is violent and it is disturbing (spoiler alert) to see how emilys father tries to kill her at the end and how you find out how the father did all of these things. the only really anoying thing is that not a single store has the movie which i am sad about.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
A Great movie
I saw this movie last night i'm 10 and it didn't scare me. The only thing is for some people blood freaks them out. But my mom freaked at some scenes like a dead cop that wasn't dead. Overall a great movie for teens
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 14 years old
June 18, 2009
AGE
Who is Charlie?
This is a very good scary movie for pre teens 13 and up. But the movie gets very cofusing at times because of all the twists and turns!
Even at the end of the movie many people will be confused on if the dad was Charlie all along, or if he was possesed by the neighbor Charlie, or that the dad had a mental illness?
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 13 years old
August 18, 2011
AGE
"Charlie is my best friend..."
For families who love watching scary movies together, the only reason this is R is the graphic violence and mature subject matter. This is not a movie for young children, but for teens in search for a good scare, or for those interested in mental illness or love a good mind game.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 13 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
SCARY!!!!
I was so scared!!!! Only watch this if you love horror movies.... so much SUSPENSE!!!!
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 14 years old
January 23, 2011
AGE
Not one for kids, but perfect for teens!
THE STORY:
After her mother's suicide, a young girl (Dakota Fanning) and her father (Robert De Niro) move to a creepy house in the New York countryside. There's a weird cave, creepy neighbours who bring keys around at 3am, and an even creepier imaginary friend called Charlie. You have been warned.
HOW APPROPRIATE?
There are some tense, eerie moments. You see a woman and a cat dead in a bathtub, writing (in blood) on the walls, a 'dead' policeman come back to life, and blood. The ending is a twist in the tale. Before you watch this, you need to know that - although it's not the scariest film - there are some genuinely tense moments that may make you squirm in your seat. It's not one for kids or pre-teens, but teenagers will enjoy this thriller.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | John Polson |
| Cast: | Dakota Fanning, Famke Janssen, Robert De Niro |
| Genre: | Thriller |
| Run time: | 100 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | January 28, 2005 |
| DVD release date: | July 5, 2005 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | frightening sequences and violence |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
