The Hidden is a 1987 American science fiction film[2] directed by Jack Sholder, written by Jim Kouf (under the pseudonym Bob Hunt), and released by New Line Cinema.

It stars Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Nouri, along with Clu Gulager, Chris Mulkey, Ed O'Ross, Clarence Felder, Claudia Christian and Larry Cedar, and received mostly positive reviews.

The chase ends when DeVries encounters a police blockade overseen by Detective Thomas Beck.

Frustrated by Gallagher's continuing refusal to explain the strange phenomenon of ordinary citizens turning into crazed killers, Beck arrests him and puts him in a jail cell.

Though Beck manages to stop Masterson, Alhague/Gallagher demonstrates that his weapon cannot kill the alien when it is still inside a human body, thus requiring him to be present while it is transferring hosts.

They are unable to stop the alien from abandoning Masterson's body for that of Beck's partner Willis, who then escapes the station.

When she sees her miraculously "recovered" father, Beck's daughter initially hesitates when he reaches out to her, but then smiles and takes his hand.

Sholder, who saw the potential to turn it into more than an action film, did a rewrite to heighten the themes of what it means to be human.

[5] Interviewed by director Tim Hunter in 2000, Sholder recalled that the police station seen throughout the film was a set "built into some raw space at the Lincoln Heights Jail.

[12] Variety wrote, "The Hidden is a well-constructed thriller, directed with swift assurance by Jack Sholder, brought down by an utterly conventional sci-fi ending.

"[13] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rated it 3/4 stars and called it "a surprisingly effective film".

[14] Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "The movie is mostly a series of automobile chases through Los Angeles, but there is also some humor.

[16] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post wrote, "The Hidden is one of the most satisfying genre movies to hit the streets in a while.

"[17] In a 1992 retrospective, James M. Silver of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film did not have a long enough release to attract a proper audience but is "outstanding".