The Hidden is an Underrated '80s Sci-Fi Blast

There was no shortage of badass sci-fi films in the '80s—it was a fortunate era for film. Unfortunately, The Hidden seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle somewhere between The Thing and Killer Klowns from Outer Space. While the movie does center around an evil creature with homicidal tendencies and expensive taste in cars, the benevolent alien-turned-FBI agent introduces a fresh angle on the Alien Persona genre we were used to  from our '80s queue.

The beginning of the film leaves a lot to the viewer’s interpretation, which can be frustrating. There’s very little detail surrounding the FBI agent and his case—why does he feel so invested in this case, what does he mean by saying both killers killed his loved ones,  and most noticeably, why is he so strange when he meets Beck’s family? I’m sorry, where did he say he was from?

Things are clarified when the host-hopping alien is revealed and we learn that Gallagher is non-human as well.  I was pleasantly surprised by how concealed these ideas were early-on in the film—there's no flashes to alien headquarters or scenes of Gallagher shedding his human skin. The film eloquently frames his character as human, preserving his sensitive disposition despite the knowledge that he, too, is an alien in the film. In other sci-fi films, the alien character would be the antagonist of the story, which allows The Hidden to add some depth to a seemingly straightforward story.

One thing I loved about this film was the clear homages to classic sci fi-horror films from before its time. While The Hidden is a unique take on the genre, the film presents flashes of Alien as the creature transfers from the first body to the next (also, round of applause to the '80s for gnarly practical effects) and The Thing, which also conceals which character has been corrupted by the creature.

I absolutely loved that this alien was looking for a wild time here on Earth. It  didn’t seem like it had a specific goal throughout the movie; rather, it was just along for the ride. It was here for the fastest red sports cars, getting into fights, grabbing some boobs (thankfully, its own) and being president, when the opportunity presented itself. There didn’t seem to be an objective, though, to rule the world or destroy humankind. There was no deliberate selection of the next host. Perhaps this choice reflects the '80s-era political greed and Raegan’s notorious economic choices. Regardless, the movie’s decision to motivate the antagonist based on its basic, naughty instincts felt like a break from the grand schemes that often color the sci-fi genre and allow viewers to sit back and enjoy whatever the alien is going to do next.

I did have to do some research on the ending to investigate whether there was a canon explanation, but this didn’t detract from how much I enjoyed the film’s close. It was unclear where The Good Alien hailed from and what he might do once he had avenged his family. I half expected a grand departure in a spaceship that only Beck would see. However, Gallagher sacrifices his own personhood to replace Beck for the sake of his family, but it's clear that Beck's daughter can tell the difference. On the night Beck’s daughter and Gallagher first met, we can see that Gallagher made a strong impression on her, so it makes sense that she would recognize him, even in a different form. Not only does the film take this opportunity to  give Gallagher another chance at having a family and relieve Beck’s loved ones of impending grief, but it also nicely ties in the childhood intuition that gives an alien form a chance, no questions asked.

While the vague nature of the film turned out to be its strength, there were some points of confusion—primarily, why did it take him nine years to try lighting this thing on fire? How will he carry on disguised as Beck when he can’t hold a conversation? Clearly the FBI didn’t have a SUPER strong pre-screener game in 1987, but I enjoyed the story’s perspective so much that these things didn’t matter. Also, hello Lin Shaye and Danny Trejo! The Hidden is a sweet, unique rendition of the classic sci-fi experience. It holds  more careful nuance than you might expect, and, most importantly, it holds up against the test of time.