Something to Hide

and worth seeing more than twice. This film has a haunting quality that stays with you.

Shelley Winters as a nagging wife- Peter Finch as the beleaguered husband. He is tired and bored. Much of the film is located on Isle of Wight, and the scenes are rainy and moody. His marriage is falling apart, his job bores him.

Finch (Harry ) meets a young woman hitch hiking and decides to help her out. There are many commentaries on the transiency of his life, his job; life in general. Overall this film conveys a sense of alienation and disturbance. It almost seems like psychological horror, in retrospect. Do not miss it. 9/10.

I really like this movie but am distressed that the US video SHATTERED runs 86 minutes while the film should run 99 min. The video box claims 100 min, so something is clearly off with the Media release. I have no idea what is missing from the US version but there are scenes that cut off abruptly and the ending also seems tampered with. Peter Finch gives a mighty performance as a man who is hanging by a thread. His involvement with a young pregnant girl seals his fate as he gets sucked in over his head and then makes a very poor decision about how to dispose of unwanted refuse. If anyone has seen a version other than the US video release I would love to hear some details.

This film always played around Christmastime. I watched it late one night, and it has haunted me ever since. It is a must see. Watch it 3 or 4 times to really absorb what the characters are experiencing. Powerful performances make this thriller haunting. One must pay special and careful attention throughout the entire film. It contains surprises, very interesting characters, and a truly haunting story line. It is a perfect film to watch on a cold afternoon with a cup of tea or hot chocolate. The stormy British weather adds so well to the stormy plot. Even the supporting characters in this film are intriguing. The contrast is excellent. The juxtaposition of Winters and Finch is unnerving. You will not forget this one. Everyone seems together when they mention their being haunted for years.

This low-watt British thriller has never got a decent release either on DVD or VHS, despite strong performances from three great character actors.

Peter Finch is, of course, best known for playing a crazed news anchor-man "Howard Beal" in "Network", a role for which he won a post-humous Academy Award. But his other famous role was as a beleaguered husband in "The Pumpkin Eater", a role very similar to the one he plays here. Shelley Winters plays his nagging, shrewish wife. She is good as always, but doesn't have nearly enough screen time. The real surprise though is Linda Hayden, famous for playing sexy, evil (and oft-naked) vixens in movies like "Blood on Satan's Claw". Unfortunately, her best movie, "House on Straw Hill" was actually banned in Britain back in the day and, as a result, has been barely released outside it. And her earlier collaboration with director Alistair Reid, "Baby Love", is also problematic since she debuted in this rather sexy role at the tender age of 15.

Finch plays a decent, well-meaning husband whose life is entirely destroyed by his own horribly bad decisions and two different female harpies--his wife Shelly winters and Linda Hayden, a very pregnant hitchhiker he picks up. Instead of playing her usual sexy and evil, Hayden is just plain evil here, and never has a pregnant woman seemed so menacing. I won't give away the plot, but Finch's character soon has at least one body on his hands as his life spins into blackly comic, vortex nightmare.

I saw the crappy, cut VHS version of this (the only one currently available), but even so it is a quite entertaining movie. It certainly deserves better.

SOMETHING TO HIDE is a rather strange and dreamy low budget thriller shot on the Isle of Wight. It's a little like THE SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH THE SEA but has nowhere near the same level of power. Peter Finch plays a regular guy harrassed by his nagging wife (a powerful Shelley Winters cameo) who picks up pregnant hitchhiker Linda Hayden. It all goes wrong from there, but I didn't feel much until the admittedly powerful climax.