Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- eerie
- foreboding
- claustrophobic
- late night horror viewing
- dark movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that Robert De Niro and especially Dakota Fanning gave the film some value, while the derivative, illogical, and increasingly silly thriller mechanics undermined it.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Emily's unseen friend Charlie drives the suspense while the story withholds whether he is imaginary or real.
David and Emily's upstate home shifts from refuge after bereavement into the arena for the deadly hide-and-seek game.
Emily's response to her mother's suicide and David's effort to help her shape the film's mystery and dread.
Emily's encounters with Charlie and the adults around her make childhood vulnerability central to the suspense.
Films like Hide and Seek, and why
The Sixth Sense
Shared psychological horror, child-centered mystery, grief, and an ambiguous supernatural-or-psychological threat.
The Others
Shared haunted domestic setting, traumatized child protagonist, hidden identity mystery, and twist-driven suspense.
Secret Window
Shared serial-killer thriller framework, unstable psychology, family trauma, and escalating investigation.
Identity
Shared psychological suspense, sinister domestic atmosphere, and a protagonist confronting fractured identity.
Movie Details
- Director
- John Polson
- Release Date
- 2005-01-27
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (1790)
Cast
- Robert De Niro
- Dakota Fanning
- Famke Janssen
- Elisabeth Shue
- Amy Irving
- Dylan Baker
- Melissa Leo
- Robert John Burke
- Molly Grant Kallins
- David Chandler
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Hide and Seek about?
- A grieving psychologist moves his daughter to an isolated upstate home, where her invisible friend turns recovery into a deadly psychological mystery.
- What is Hide and Seek like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hide and Seek as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Hide and Seek violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Hide and Seek as brutal.
- What did critics think of Hide and Seek?
- Critics broadly agreed that Robert De Niro and especially Dakota Fanning gave the film some value, while the derivative, illogical, and increasingly silly thriller mechanics undermined it.
- Which films are like Hide and Seek?
- Films with a similar feel include The Sixth Sense, The Others, Secret Window, and Identity.
- How long is Hide and Seek?
- Hide and Seek runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch Hide and Seek?
- In United States, Hide and Seek is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
