‘The Hidden’ is one of those movies you might easily pass by on first glance, assuming it’s just your standard 1980s b-grade trash. The thing is it’s FANTASTIC 1980s b-grade trash! This is one of the most entertaining sci fi thrillers you’ll ever see, and lovers of cinematic violence will be thrilled by its body count, which is one of the highest you’ll see outside a Hong Kong action movie. Michael Nouri (‘Flashdance’… yeah, I know) is a cop tailing an average guy who has seemingly snapped and turned into a homicidal maniac. He is teamed with a kooky FBI agent (‘Blue Velvet’s Kyle MacLachlan) who knows a lot more than he lets on. Very quickly Kyle goes all ‘Starman’ on us, and Nouri soon realizes that he’s actually on the trail of an extraterrestrial psycho who is taking over people’s bodies so he can go on a rampage of murder, car theft, fatty foods and heavy metal music! So okay, this isn’t the most cerebral movie in the world but I defy anybody not to have a ball watching it! The supporting cast includes Claudia Christian (‘Babylon 5’) as a foxy looking stripper, Clu Gulager (‘The Killers’) as Nouri’s superior, and even a blink and you’ll miss it cameo from future tough guy legend Danny Trejo (‘From Dusk Til Dawn’,etc.) as a convict. ‘The Hidden’ is a non-stop action ride, and the cheesiest 1980s fun this side of ‘Maniac Cop’. Highly recommended.