all not well at the home of the callaways . david ( robert de niro ) and alison ( amy irving ) have obvious tension in their relationship . when it lead to suicide shortly after the film begin and david and a psychologist and pack up his young daughter emily ( dakota fanning ) and head from new york city to bucolic upstate new york to try to start over . unfortunately and the suicide be just the start of their problem . it seem that something evil may have follow them into the wood . hide and seek be not your typical thriller . for much of it length and it be a much quieter and slow pace drama and rest almost entirely on meaty and complex performance from two actor and one of whom fanning be only 10 year old while make the film . it also be veers back and forth from thriller to horror territory ( which have a notoriously gray border anyway ) depend partially on one interpretation of the film . the end be mark by a clever twist that most viewer may not see come and and which will pleasantly broach more question than it answer long after you have see the film . those fact might turn some potential viewer off and but anyone able to slow down and appreciate fine act house in a dense and creepy environment will be reward . the film be a positive for me . newcomer screenwriter ari schlossberg have say that he grow up in the city and so just the idea of the wood and as well a child in general and frighten him . those may be unusual sentiment and but director john polson have translate them with remarkable ease into hide and seek . the country set feel eerie from the moment david and emily arrive and and fan outstanding performance have her gradually change from a cute kid to a scary little pseudo goth monster more slyly than native new yorker slip into the subway car before you to grab the last seat . of course de niro be good and too and but that go without say . hide and seek give both performer a chance to show their range and but the big surprise be perhaps that fan can match de niro step for step . the rest of the cast doesn not slouch and either and but theyre not the focus . their role be more to provide the necessary little nudge to justify our star next dazzling feat . while i can not talk at length about various subtexts and interpretation without give spoiler and they range from the purely psychological to the supernatural . it be worth note before watch that little of what you see play out on the screen may be actually happen and and there may be something more sinister at work that be never fully state in the film . schlossberg have say that among his many influence for this script be the shining ( 1980 ) and and in fact and that masterpiece be directly reference a few time . those be big shoe to try to fill . while the style and content of hide and seek be very different than the shin hide and seek be even more understated that also a slow paced film that find much of it effectiveness from it thick atmosphere and commendable performance and and fan of kubrick great horror film should find enough to enjoy here as well .