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Hider in the House

  • 1989
  • R
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
Hider in the House (1989)
A deranged man hides in the attic of a new house and becomes obsessed with the unsuspecting family that moves in.
Play trailer1:56
1 Video
17 Photos
Psychological ThrillerThriller

A deranged man hides in the attic of a new house and becomes obsessed with the unsuspecting family that moves in.A deranged man hides in the attic of a new house and becomes obsessed with the unsuspecting family that moves in.A deranged man hides in the attic of a new house and becomes obsessed with the unsuspecting family that moves in.

  • Director
    • Matthew Patrick
  • Writer
    • Lem Dobbs
  • Stars
    • Gary Busey
    • Mimi Rogers
    • Michael McKean
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    2.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Matthew Patrick
    • Writer
      • Lem Dobbs
    • Stars
      • Gary Busey
      • Mimi Rogers
      • Michael McKean
    • 33User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:56
    Official Trailer

    Photos17

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    Top cast27

    Edit
    Gary Busey
    Gary Busey
    • Tom Sykes
    Mimi Rogers
    Mimi Rogers
    • Julie Dreyer
    Michael McKean
    Michael McKean
    • Phil Dreyer
    Kurt Christopher Kinder
    Kurt Christopher Kinder
    • Neil Dreyer
    Candace Hutson
    Candace Hutson
    • Holly Dreyer
    Elizabeth Ruscio
    Elizabeth Ruscio
    • Rita
    Chuck Lafont
    • Dr. Gordon
    Bruce Glover
    Bruce Glover
    • Gene Hufford
    Leonard Termo
    Leonard Termo
    • George…
    Johnny Green
    • Bernard
    • (as John Green Jr.)
    Bob Neill
    • Tom's Father's Voice
    • (voice)
    Carole King
    Carole King
    • Tom's Mother
    • (voice)
    Jake Busey
    Jake Busey
    • Teenage Tom
    • (voice)
    Ryan Sheridan
    • Tom's Child's Voice
    • (voice)
    Martin Goslins
    • Maitre d'
    Rebekka Armstrong
    Rebekka Armstrong
    • Attractive Woman
    John Del Regno
    John Del Regno
    • Desk Clerk
    James C. Lewis
    • Policeman
    • (as C. James Lewis)
    • Director
      • Matthew Patrick
    • Writer
      • Lem Dobbs
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews33

    5.92.1K
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    Featured reviews

    6martin-secker

    Busey's Frankenstein

    This is a decent little thriller. Busey steals the show as he often does, managing here to evoke the memories of the Universal Horror creatures of the 1930/40, a lumbering oaf whom the audience has an empathy with. It is quite an accomplishment from Busey, as the premise is both ridiculous and unoriginal. McKean and Rogers are satisfactory as the put-upon couple who become the unwanted centre of Busey's jealousy and affection. It's a shame that Busey's once promising career soon went downhill, as he is a very good character actor. He'll be remembered for his bigger roles but I truly think this is his best performance.
    6michaelRokeefe

    Lurking in the attic; he knows every move you make.

    A refugee(Gary Busey) from the nut house takes up living in the attic of an empty house. After a young family movies in, he becomes obsessed with the lovely housewife(Mimi Rogers). This particular scenario is hard to believe, but also hard to forget about. Pretty predictable story line with Busey the focus of the better scenes. There is no better psycho than Gary. Rogers is enjoyable to look at, but acting skills are lacking throughout cast...Busey the exception of course. Also appearing are Michael McKean, Bruce Glover and Carole King.
    funkadelica-1

    Great little movie

    Gary Busey is superb in this role as a misunderstood and lonely man who lost his family and feels the need to " inherit" someone elses . His little evil giggles whilst he is hiding in the attic will crack you up. He's as Nutty as a fruitcake and makes the movie all the more fun, even though, its actually a thriller. His Character is believable and you actually feel sorry for him. Busey fans as well as fans of Mimi Rogers will not be disappointed. Mimi is great to look at ( I mean , wouldn't take a fancy to her) Gary just oozes an evil, but sensitive quality in this film . The ending is climactic too , once the plot is revealed and you'll be hard pushed not to grip the arms of your sofa !
    6Wizard-8

    Actually, not that bad

    I will agree that the premise of this movie - a man secretly hiding in a house without anyone detecting him - is a bit hard to swallow. But I found this movie strangely compelling. One reason is that the "bad guy" isn't without sympathy. We see that he is still insane, but that's no fault of his, and that he struggles very hard not to do anything bad. (Busey gives a great performance, by the way.) Some events in the movie, like when he starts to introduce himself incognito to the family, are unexpected and intriguing.

    However, starting about 20 minutes before the end, we see the movie start to fall apart, and the climax is way too familiar and expected - it's almost like the screenwriter refused to change from a typical cop-out ending.

    Otherwise, not bad.
    6Mehki_Girl

    Kept my interest...

    I really like Busey when he portrayef Buddy Holly. I was so disappointed in the later Busey, who ruined his looks and his brain.

    The acting isn't that great, except Busey and you can see why I would have liked him so much when he played nice guy Holly. Busey, who probably had hidden psycho in his makeup even before cracking his head open, does crazy really well.

    Not for nothing the premise of someone living in your house unbeknownst to you is actually has happened in the past. There's a famous case of a woman having her lover living in the attic of her home while she lived downstairs with her husband for something like a decade or 15 years, so it's not impossible for someone to be living in your house and you're unaware of them.

    At any rate, this isn't going to win any Oscars but it kept me entertained even though you know where it's going.

    It was nice to see Busey young and good looking before the crap hit the fan in his life.

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    Related interests

    Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl (2014)
    Psychological Thriller
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Was supposed to be released theatrically everywhere in 1989, but Vestron Pictures went broke before the film's release. In the end, while the film gained at least one theatrical release in Europe, as Vestron had already pre-sold the film there, it skipped every other theatre and was largely straight to video.
    • Goofs
      In the end credits Bruce Glover's character Gene Hufford is credited as "Gary Hufford"
    • Quotes

      Tom Sykes: When I was your age I used to have people hurt me all the time.

      Neil Dreyer: So what happened?

      Tom Sykes: [pauses] They didn't hurt me anymore.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Tony (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      HARLEM HOLIDAY
      Performed by Maxine Sullivan

      Courtesy of Harbinger Records Ltd.

      Words by Ted Koehler

      Music by Harold Arlen

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 18, 1989 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • En el silencio de la noche
    • Filming locations
      • 145 W Hillcrest Blvd, Monrovia, California, USA(Dreyer's house)
    • Production companies
      • Baltimore Pictures
      • Precision Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 48m(108 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Ultra Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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