Robert De Niro’s mind-numbing psychological horror films are absent from streaming

Pa Robert Succi
| Published 18 seconds ago

Sometimes a psychological horror film has the perfect cast, but not the best script to make the most of their talent. 2005 year Hideouts falls into that unfortunate category because Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning really bring their A-game with their tense performances, brimming with frenzied and paranoid energy in the face of some unknown source of terror. I can’t even blame you Hideouts for the film’s poor production, despite the film’s supposed budget constraints ($25 million is nothing to scoff at), because the cinematography is top-notch and effectively ramps up the tension before things start to fall apart in the third act.

I’m reminded of an industry phrase I’ve learned working with various audio engineers on music projects over the years regarding high production and talent when applied to mediocre songwriting, which I believe refers to Hideouts. That is, you can grind the turd as much as you want, but it’s still nonsense.

But there is Hideouts is everything really that bad? Or is it just contrived and generic – which isn’t necessarily a scathing indictment in the right context – to the point where most savvy horror fans think it’s a waste of time? 13 percent critical score on Rotten tomatoes telling, but even more telling is the 50 percent score on the Popcornmeter, which suggests that Hideouts it’s a somewhat effective psychological thriller that’s orders of magnitude better than the critics would have you believe.

If I had to weigh Hideouts there is contrived and generic, but a good starting point for casual horror fans.

Watch out for Charlie

Hideouts introduces us to Dr. David Callaway (Robert De Niro), a psychologist who has to make a fresh start with his daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning) after the suicide of his wife Alison (Amy Irving). Moving to upstate New York, David unpacks his belongings in his office and begins to put his life together. Spending his evenings listening to music and writing in his journal so he can make sense of the recent tragedy he and Emily have endured, it seems David is doing his best to help his daughter have a normal life after her mother’s horrific death.

Apart from David’s recurring nightmare involving the New Year’s Eve party when he last saw Alison alive, he appears to be collected, but is quickly confused by Emily’s new imaginary friend, “Charlie”. Being a psychologist, David has reason to believe that Charlie is a coping mechanism created by Emily so that she can deal with her grief. David’s hypothesis seems valid until acts of violence occur – such as the killing of the family cat, even though David and Emily live alone – for which Emily always blames Charlie.

As the film’s title suggests, Emily likes to play hide-and-seek with Charlie whenever David is in his office, and the result of this seemingly innocent game always ends in violence. After befriending a local woman named Elizabeth (Elizabeth Shue), things escalate to a breaking point when Emily (and Charlie) invite her to play their cool version of the game with them. David, reeling from his own grief, fatherly tries to help Emily deal with her supposed delusions, while growing increasingly paranoid about the ever-elusive Charlie turning his life upside down.

Acted adequately, but did not stick the landing

Remember when I said that Hideouts contrived and generic but holds up well with its talent? I stand by my claim because Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning work through the premise convincingly, even as the script leads their characters to a painfully obvious conclusion and revelation. A “twist” ending aspires to be The sixth sensebut we end up with a derivative revelation that will leave you disappointed if you’re a frequent flyer on Psychological Horror Airlines.

Most notably, Dakota Fanning has a stellar performance, which is made all the more impressive considering she was only 11 years old at the time Hideouts liberation. Portraying a little girl being tormented by an abusive imaginary friend (or some unknown outsider pretending to be imaginary) is no easy feat, and she convincingly conveys a sense of fear and confusion to the audience through innocent conversations with her concerned father whenever Charlie shows up to make matters worse. situation. You wonder if she’s a manipulative little girl trying to get the better of her father, or if she’s really being tormented by Charlie, and the answer might surprise you if you let your guard down.

I also can’t fault De Niro and Fanning for doing the best they could with what they were given, because the father/daughter dynamic in Hideouts seems to come from a real place.

Look in hiding places

there is Hideouts deserve a 13 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes? Not for long. If anything, I’d consider this a mid-to-entry-level psychological horror film that takes its proper place in the genre for casual viewers who aren’t yet jaded by the genre’s common conventions.

As of this writing Hideouts not available on streamingwhich is a shame because it’s a perfect low-stakes film with some brilliantly shot sequences that are genuinely unsettling. However, you can check the title on request Google Play Movies, Apple TV+, Fandango is at homeand Amazon Prime Video.