Hider in the House

Of all the people who could be hiding in a secret compartment in one's house, Gary Busey has got to be one of the most unsettling possibilities. In fact, rather than having Busey portray a fictional character--the mentally disturbed Tom Sykes--the director should simply have let Gary Busey portray the mentally disturbed Gary Busey. Now THAT would have added an extra layer of creepiness to the film! Yes, the movie was predictable at many points. And yes, the ending was unimaginative and even disappointing. But there's something so sinister, so psychologically tumultuous about the prospect of that clunkhead, Gary Busey, sneaking around an unsuspecting family's house, that I found the film bordering on the horrific. (I visualize him right now, crouched in my attic, strumming his guitar and singing "Peggy Sue.")What's that noise I hear?! Could it be....GARY BUSEY???!!!AAAAHHHH!!!

A great psychological thriller, hider in the house exemplifies childhood trauma and its effect on a a man's life. Tom Sykes (Gary Busey) undergoes the transformation from child to head of the household of Mimi Rogers's family. Mimi Rogers sexes up the role of a woman going through marital problems. Michael McKean (best known for his character Gibby from dream on) plays an arrogant adulterer who gets a good beating from the buse. This movie was worth the three dollars for its rental, just to see Gary Busey beat a man to death with a flash-light. Another quality film from the man with horse teeth.

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.

Forget the inanity (no thats NOT a typo!) of the plot...a fruitloop living soundlessly in an attic, in a tiny room he built there - EQUALLY soundlessly!......this is a tour-de-force performance from Busey. The most realistic nutter put on screen since Norman Bates! As someone commented, a similar premise to THE STEPFATHER, being the story of a lone weirdo psychotically disposed towards creating the "perfect" family!

Busey's deranged Tom Sykes, complete with nervous dysfunctionality is awesome. There are several scenes you feel for the guy and really ache for his solitude and inherent decency! I believe it was his best role and despite the fact the wheels tended to fall off towards the end, as it entered the standard formula "where-do-we-go-from-here" scriptwriters' block, ENOUGH professional work had been witnessed to term this a way better than average thriller! Mimi Rogers always has dignity, class and resolve (well OK she struck-out marrying Tom Cruise arguably) Here, she puts across a sympathetic woman who finds herself in a seriously unwanted position through no fault of her own.

Ultimately you'd have to wonder, if despite his mental disturbances, Sykes wouldn't have made a better husband than Phil (McKean) who proves himself the wimpiest womaniser on the block! I was rooting for Busy to take him out big-time!

Flawed thriller that should by rights, be rating 6.8 here!

Not outstanding, but far from the worst of its kind. It's true that the "shock" ending is cliched, and most of the plot developments are predictable, but the film gets a great big boost from Gary Busey's three-dimensional character and intense performance. In some ways, "Hider in the House" is quite similar to "The Stepfather", another film in which a mentally unbalanced man wants to create the "perfect family", and although it has a much lower reputation, it is actually better. (**)