Excellent but underrated film

best movie i've ever seen.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Let me begin with saying, that the movie really isn't that bad. Just make sure you haven't read the book before. If you have, don't watch the movie. Key elements from the plot of the book is either left out completely, or altered so drastically that it has significant negative effect on both the story and for certain characters, the character development throughout the plot. Actually, this is the 3rd Koontz adaptation I've seen in recent history, and I actually thought it couldn't get any worse than "Watchers", but this one is. So far, the least worst movie adaptation I've seen, is "Mr. Murder". So my recommendation, if your going to rent a Koontz movie, is to avoid this one. Read the book instead. It will take more time but will definitely be worth it.

"Hideaway" really wasn't as bad as it could've been, but it's not all that great as it is.**SPOILERS**Coming home from their ski-top resort, Hatch, (Jeff Goldblum) and Lindsey Harrison, (Christine Lahti) and his troubled daughter Regina, (Alicia Silverstone) are involved in a horrific car accident, and Hatch is brought back from the dead afterwards. After being normal for a few days, he begins to have weird nightmares and visions, and Dr. Jonas Nybern, (Alfred Molina) confirms it's nothing. Despite the reassurance, he still has the visions of a strange man attacking people, all done with his mind. Eventually learning that the man is named Jeremy, (Jeremy Sisto) and that he had been brought back to life Hatch's recovery from the accident after himself dying. As he begins a city-wide rampage that includes Regina in his targets, Hatch races to stop him before he can fully return from the dark side.The Good News: This wasn't all that bad of a film and did contain some nice moments. The fact that the film does use a fairly routine and clichéd storyline into something actually decent. The fact that an ordinary man is in contact with a demonic entity is done before and done quite well, but this is still a very watchable film. They use the technique well and make it a very worthwhile watch. That also has an added bonus in being able to give the film a large amount of suspense through this, and it does have a creepy tone throughout. The visions are thankfully not just of the killer going about his business killing the innocents, but also the set-ups and seemingly random scenes that will eventually be useful later on in the chase. That is a nice touch and is really welcomed. The ending chase is it's best part, full of suspense and some nice action. The reasoning behind the battle is the majority of the suspense, as the longer it takes to get to the final showdown is less time needed to save one of the victims and the journey to get there through a never-ending series of darkened tunnels also chipping in some as well. The final battle, with the turns in the tide of the fight and the setting placed provide some really nice action scenes that effectively end the movie on a high note. The early scenes in the nightclubs do have an eerie quality to them, and are nicely placed to keep it from being a really drawn-process. The car crash at the beginning, while being slightly overkill, is also one of the best scenes, being a really high-action set-piece that is quite thrilling and is a real spectacle. The pace isn't that terrible, and while it could've shortened some scenes there's really nothing that keeps it from being an overlong film. This really could've been far worse.The Bad News: There isn't a lot here that keeps it from being that great. As mentioned before, the pace isn't that great, and there are some scenes that drag out far longer than possible. The opening car crash is a major example. Once the car hits the woods, the scene could've ended there and still had the set-up necessary for the rest of the movie. There's no reason to drag it out far longer than it is. The many scenes of wandering around listening to the characters attempt to explain what's going on near the end are some other big scenes. That also brings up the other big factor, which is the stupidity of the characters. Major plot points are not revealed by any intelligence on the characters' part, but based on coincidence. The best is the discovery of the motel the killer is staying at. The character happens to drive by it, even though it's been seen through his visions countless time before it and that takes it sheer coincidence that it happened. The CGI at the end is really unrealistic and only just looks fake now as it did then. With a little help, this could've been a lot better.The Final Verdict: There could've been some little fixing to make this a little better, but it's still not that bad as it is. It's not really the worst film of this type, but there is still room for improvement. Give it a shot if it sounds interesting, just don't expect a classic and it'll be a decent watch.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Nudity

***Spoilers may be contained within*** According to this movie's "trivia" section, the book's author, Dean R Koontz, was sorely disappointed in the movie adaptation and asked that his name be removed. He had every right to be peeved. I saw this in theatres when it was released and was soundly disappointed, too. The previews seemed kind of interesting but I have to admit I'm a Christine Lahti fan, even though her role in this is strictly "the wife". The story is that of a man, played by Jeff Goldblum, who, following a near-death experience, finds he is psychically linked with a serial killer, played by Jeremy Sisto, who decides to go after Goldblum's daughter (Alicia Silverstone). A cat-and-mouse thriller with sci-fi overtones. I've never read the Koontz book on which this is based. Goodness knows it can't be any worse. As lead, Goldblum is OK, I guess, though he's given this basic performance before. Lahti, unfortunately, is wasted in a part that could be played by just about ANY actress; it's a step up from "and how was YOUR day, dear?" but not much. Silverstone, charming in "Clueless", here is little more than an irritant, nearly making one rather root for the killer, but she can often be irritating in films, so I can't say if it's the fault of the part as written or the actress. As said villain, Jeremy Sisto has obviously watched every other psycho-on-the-loose movie and decided to "juice it up" a bit: he rolls his eyes, leers, laughs "maniacally", tries to seem intimidating by staring through lowered eyes. Every trick in the book is trotted out in his performance and for naught: he's about as terrifying as a computer geek. Sisto can, in other performances, be hammy, and he's no less so here: one nearly expects to see him studded with cloves and pineapple slices. Oh, it's not TOTALLY his fault, since the pedestrian script practically BEGS for overacting; I suppose if he DIDN'T chew the scenery, it might actually be less entertaining than it already IS. Beyond its psychic-link tricks, the film, in its less-than-chilling climax, throws in, seemingly out of nowhere, the twist that this is almost literally a battle between (of course) good and evil. This is revealed with a scene when Goldblum and Sisto are finally staring one another down, and a shot of red flames are visible in Sisto's eye; suddenly, in response, we see a flash of white-blue light in Goldblum's eye. A moment later, flames shoot and rise from Sisto's body, forming a fireball above him; blue-white rays of light pour forth from a kneeling Goldblum, forming a vaguely female form above him. The combination of film-school "special" effects (if they look cheesy on the SMALL screen, you can't IMAGINE how bad they were in the theatre!), this last-minute twist, and the inability to stretch one's suspension of disbelief any longer, is fatal. I heard several voices in the audience yell out, in unison, "Oh, COME ON!" From some of the reviews listed here, this movie has a fair number of supporters. I can only wonder just what version of this movie they saw.

While traveling on the road with his wife Lindsay (Christine Lahti) and his daughter Regina (Alicia Silverstone), Hatch Harrison (Jeff Goldblum) has a car accident, hitting a truck and falling with his wife in a river. He dies for more than two hours, but the specialist Dr. Jonas Nyebern (Alfred Molina) successfully brings him back to life. Hatch has some weird premonitions and becomes able to see through the eyes of the psychopath serial killer Vassago (Jeremy Sisto), a young man that killed his mother and his sister and committed suicide and was also brought back to life and now is killing young women and teenagers. When he foresees that Vassago is trying to capture his daughter, Hatch tries to find the criminal first, in spite of Lindsay, Regina and the detective in charge of the investigation believe that he needs psychiatric help."Hideaway" is another rip-off of "Eye of Laura Mars", I believe the first movie to explore the idea of a person connected to a serial killer through his eyes. "Hideaway" has a good cinematography and special affects, the cast is great and the sequence of the accident of Hatch and Lindsay is excellent. Although not being an original storyline, this attractive movie entertains. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "O Esconderijo" ("The Hiding Place")