Parents' Guide to

Hide and Seek

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Older teens may enjoy; too creepy for kids.

Movie R 2005 100 minutes
Hide and Seek Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 13+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Spencers1
Spencers1 Parent of 11 and 13-year-old
October 7, 2022
age 15+
A recurring theme of suicide which younger viewers shouldn't really be exposed to.

This title has:

Too much violence
dvdgirl
dvdgirl Adult
March 7, 2020
age 13+

Not bad

I thought it was good . I like movies like this.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 4 parent reviews

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?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (17):

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • 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?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate