- published: 01 Mar 2011
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Hide and Seek is a 2005 American horror film starring Robert De Niro, Famke Janssen and Dakota Fanning. It was directed by John Polson. The film opened in the United States in January 2005 and was top of the box office. It did not reach the same level of critical success; it garnered mainly negative reviews, receiving only a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes. The performances of the actors were highly praised however.
Widowed David (Robert DeNiro) and his daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning), with whom he shares a troubled relationship, move after Emily's mother, Allison, commits suicide. David meets local woman Elizabeth (Elisabeth Shue) and her niece, Amy, who is roughly the same age as Emily. Hoping to cultivate a new friendship for Emily, David sets up a play-date for her. The play-date is spoiled however when Emily cuts up the face of Amy's doll. Despite the unsuccessful play-date, David and Elizabeth hit it off, though Emily acts hostile towards her as well.
When a family friend, Katherine, comes to visit David and Emily, Emily reveals Charlie, her imaginary friend. Elizabeth later visits, hoping to make peace with Emily. When Emily tells her that she is playing hide-and-seek with Charlie, Elizabeth indulges her by pretending to look for him. However, someone pushes Elizabeth out the window to her death. When David asks Emily who did it, she replies that Charlie did. David, armed with a knife, goes outside, where he meets his neighbor. He assumes his neighbor is Charlie and cuts him with the knife, after which the suspicious neighbor calls the police.