User reviews

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.

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.

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. (**)

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!

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.

Well it's a well-off middle class family with a sleazy Dad, oh and Gary Busey in the attic. Not something that would give you a good nights sleep. I liked this movie. It has enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat and Busey is great. I would have liked to have seen more of the creepy neighbour as his similar looks to Busey could have caused some confusion for the family and police.

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!!!

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.

I LOVED this movie because it reminds me of the plot of "Bad Ronald" and it is a good movie to watch while it is raining and if you have ever been in a secret passage in a house. It is a PLAUSIBLE story as Busey is CLEVER in the things he does to delay and prevent his discovery. If is funny in parts because you see the human side and kindness of a man. And you also see the rage welling up inside and his decline & development to more violent acts. The progression of his childhood at the beginning and his falling through the cracks with the psycho-analysis,makes it particularly interesting from a criminal psychiatry standpoint. The drama is intense, especially when an exterminator sprays his area and nearly kills him! the pace is perfect, as his feelings for the wife develop and he eavesdrops enough to cause trouble for the couple he is observing. Great innocence & love for family shown by Mimi Rogers. Great affectionate but desperation acted by Busey.

Hider in the House is the story of a disturbed man (played by Gary Busey) who is desperate to be a part of a functional and "normal" family. Tom Sykes (Busey) was verbally and physically abused by his parents growing up. He took action into his own hands and burned their house down with them in it. Committed to a psychiatric facility his whole life, the hospital board felt it was time to release him into society. Boy, were they wrong. We quickly find out he is still very disturbed from the events that took place in his childhood. Meanwhile, we meet the Dreyer family who is moving into a new house. Tom sneaks up to the attic of that house and builds some sort of a room sheltering him from the family. They have no clue he's hiding out in there.

While up there, he overhears pretty much every conversation that takes place. The ironic thing about "Hider in the Hoiuse" is that the family he so desperately wants to be a part of is FAR from "normal". The man of the house is cheating on his wife (Mimi Rogers), the young son is having pretty serious emotional issues involving bullies, etc. Tom overhears all of it. He eventually becomes infatuated with Julie Dreyer (Rogers) and worms his way into her life. All this leads up to a satisfying conclusion.

Hider in the House is a pretty good suspense/thriller. Gary Busey puts in a good performance as does Mimi Rogers. There are a few murders in the film, but that's not what this is about. The true point of the movie is the back story involving Tom and his childhood. It's interesting to see him looking at the Dreyer family like they are the perfect thing in the world. Of course, the viewers see them as a very dysfunctional group. There are some slow parts that drag on, and the idea of him hiding out in the attic without anyone knowing is VERY unbelievable. But it's good enough for a viewing.

6/10

This movie steals the main premise from "Bad Ronald" (1974) and some elements from "Black Christmas" (1974 also) but mixes them in a boring manner. Gary Busey delivers a good, believable performance as a psycho. He was abused as a kid so he has some really messed up ideas.

This psycho sets in the attic of a new house and spies the family. Soon after he falls in love with the wife and even tries to make "a move" on her. By the way, Mimi Rogers was damn hot in those days.

The premise is pretty good but is not correctly used in the movie. In my opinion, the best thing about "Hider In The House" is it's title and Busey's performance. Don't bother looking for this one, it surely will disappoint you. Watch it only if it airs on cable. Don't spend money on this.

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.

With a bit More Atmosphere and some Stylizing this could have become a Cult Movie just like "The Stepfather" (1987). It has a Similar, if Not so Powerful, feel. But it does have a Powerful and Memorable Performance from Gary Busey. He Manages to pull off the Dual Personality with an Uncomfortable Ease.

This is a Believable Unbelievable Story that draws You in and Delivers a Good Set-Up, some Disturbing Scenes, and an overall Feeling of Lurking Menace that Hides behind this Suburban Sanctuary.

Good Acting all around, but it revolves around Tom Sykes, Suffering from a Horrendously Abusive Childhood, and will Never be completely "Cured" and because the Audience is Aware of this from the beginning it unfolds as an Empathetic, Fearful Film.

These two Emotions Uneasily Mix as We Wish what will Never Happen. This Movie is a Sleeper and will most Likely be a more Rewarding Experience than anticipated. Something a bit Deeper and a bit Different than the usual Psycho Stuff.

One of the most frightening thoughts imaginable is that someone invades your private living areas without you knowing, observes your every move from hideout places, and then begins manipulating your life with the information he/she gathered...And all this becomes even more frightening if that "someone" has a manic face like Gary Busey's!

Considering this is exactly the plot of "Hider in the House", it means it's a very effective and compelling thriller, and I'm quite surprised the film is so unknown. There were quite a bunch of "invasion of privacy" thrillers/horror movies during the late 80s and early 90s ("Pacific Heights", "Desperate Hours", "Sleeping with the Enemy", "Single White Female", ...) and "Hider in the House" is at least as good - if not better - than most of them, but somehow still unloved.

Of course, "Hider in the House" owes most of its power to the tour-de-force performance by the unique Gary Busey. He's marvelously cast as Thomas Sykes, a nearly 40-year-old who spent most of his adult life in an insane asylum due to extreme abusive by his parents and the subsequent bloody vengeance he took. Now finishing his last psychiatric session, Tom is determined to start a new life, and he does so by building a secret chamber in the attic of the enormous house where the Dryer family just moved into! Tom, still totally sick in the head, quickly becomes obsessed with the wife/mother Julie (great role of the lovely Mimi Rogers). He exposes the husband's adultery, makes contact with the children, and unsubtly gets rid of everyone who comes to close.

The many scenes of bonkers Busey gazing at Julie while she sleeps, showers, or swims are genuinely uncanny, as are the moments when he pops up in the kitchen immediately after the family leaves for school or work. He's not exactly careful when he walks around and uses the facilities, and so the sequences where Julie grows suspicious are also very tense. The climax comes abruptly but is still creepy and satisfying. Last but not least, there's an awesome supportive role for Bruce Glover as the pervy neighbor. He's not as crazy as Busey, but still not a guy you'd like to have next door.

Besides being pretty dull, I don't see how any of this could have happened. No way could this lunkhead hole up in the attic without being found out on day one. Why didn't someone notice the wall with a door in it? Three windows were showing from the outside and only 2 inside. Doesn't that give somebody a clue? The wall was such an obvious add-on that a ten year old could have spotted it. What a dumb film.

Gary Busey is released from a mental institution and promptly finds himself a new family to replace the one he killed and set fire to. Hiding in an attic he observes the familial interactions playing out below him, and then proceeds to manipulate things in an attempt to get closer to the wife, Mimi Rogers. Busey's character is part psychopath, yet not without some compassion, as he secretly saves the three year old Daughter from drowning in the backyard swimming pool. There are definitely some tense moments, and a couple of murders, along the way towards Gary's goal. Really not a horror movie, "Hider in the House" is more of a bizarre thriller, and a good one at that. - MERK

Hider in the house was to me, bland, unexciting, boring and even a little disturbing. It was totally predictable in every manner and scene. The beginning, when Tom was being abused as a child, was quite disturbing and made me have some sympathy for him. But all in all pretty poor.

Great cast of actors. Directing was horrible in this. Writing sucked too but it had alot of potential, just made cheaply and B ish. Plus you have Mimi Rogers who has a great body especially in 89. And you don't get her nude. Horrible decision.

I can't believe they did it. Mathew Patrick has displayed unremorseful genius with this film. And Busey couldn't have been more amazing had he worn a robe made of lion's skin.

This film will frighten you. Not for fear of the unknown though. It will frighten you when you find out that you have less control over your affect than you had imagined. You will be afraid that Busey might be more important to you than seems reasonable. Busey will become your mother -your lover, your son -your daughter. Busey will become the voice in your head that says, "No, I'm not gonna follow the flock anymore."

Suspense doesn't begin to categorize this movie. I have never seen anything like it. When Mimi Rogers begins to address the subtle feelings she has for Busey (Tom Sykes), my heart turned into a bird's nest. You just can't help but to pray for the guy. He has more love in him than the ocean has salt. It will be all you can do to keep yourself from tearing out of your clothes and attempting to dive into the screen screaming, "Mimi you fool! He could be yours! You could be his!" The movie leaves me muttled beyond repair. It challenged me. I had a difficult time with it. Busey is beyond finesse here. He is a crescendo of livid soul-searching feeling. He is not acting in Hider in the House, he is astonishing.

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 !