Hidden Ending Explained: The Darker Side Of Human Nature

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Before "Stranger Things," which (as of publication) we've been waiting on with bated breath to see how it all ends since 2022 and will finally wrap up for season 5 in 2025, the Duffer Brothers released their first feature film, "Hidden," in 2015. Part character-driven drama and part apocalyptic thriller, "Hidden" is a gripping exercise in suspenseful and economical filmmaking. The film mostly takes place in a fallout shelter where a couple, Ray and Claire (Alexander Skarsgård and Andrea Riseborough), and their young daughter, Zoe (Emily Alyn Lind), wander in darkness and scrounge dwindling canned goods. They are hiding from a sinister outside presence called the "Breathers." 

The Duffer Brothers use tight framing and dim lighting to immerse the audience in the characters' claustrophobia and fear. Like these isolated protagonists, you are unsure of what is really happening and fear what lies ahead. This very intense film keeps the audience questioning throughout until the unexpected twist completely flips your understanding of who the Breathers are and the deadly outbreak that ravaged America. Here's what you need to remember about the movie, and what the ending means.

Ray, Claire, and Zoe mark the 301st day they've been underground. While Zoe is frustrated by their clandestine lifestyle, Ray serves as a beacon of hope, often lifting her spirits by playing an imaginative game where she closes her eyes and revisits memories from her past life. Zoe's serene recollections tie into the rigid set of rules she must follow to maintain emotional stability. The family constantly reminds one another not to become too anxious, fearful, angry, or other distressing emotions. This concept of inner peace holds significant importance in the ending. Zoe is also forbidden from leaving the shelter via the top hatch, firmly held in place by chains that Zoe and her father carefully inspect to make sure that it "holds fast." However, the hatch is not as strong as they believe it is.

The Duffer Brothers skillfully build apprehension and intrigue by gradually interweaving flashbacks into the present-day scenes. We discover that amid a deadly outbreak in their hometown, the family attempted to escape via the highway but encountered a CDC-enforced quarantine. When they attempt to return home, they witness military fighter jets incinerating Kingsville, effectively wiping out everyone and everything they know and love. Claire remembers the fallout shelter near Zoe's school and leads her family there, becoming what they believe to be the only survivors of a vicious, intentional attack.

The intense climax begins with a small rat that infiltrates what's left of their canned food. After Claire violently kills the poor creature, a lamp tips over and catches fire. Through the small air duct that the rat used as an entryway, the rising smoke exposes the family's presence to the deadly Breathers.

After the Breathers break open the hatch that was revealed from the smoke, Claire and Zoe escape through the air duct but Ray cannot fit. Then, we see the splatter of blood, implying that the fearsome Breathers have ferociously killed him. Claire and Zoe run past the elementary school and onto the highway crowded with cars. Suddenly, the Breathers move close into the frame, holding needles that they place into the pair's necks to draw their blood and euthanize them. This shot reveals that the Breathers are not any sort of monster or strange creature at all.

The Breathers are soldiers, and the sound of heavy breathing comes from the gas masks they wear to protect themselves from the infection that we realize Ray, Claire, and Zoe all have. They also wear tactical gear and carry weapons with a scope. A flashback of Claire cutting her hand and spilling black blood pinpoints the moment she was infected, confirming that the outbreak was transmitted through the environment. The Breathers also wear goggles and carry needles because they are soldiers following protocol, monitoring, and keeping this area of quarantine under control. The only monsters in "Hidden" are, in fact, the main characters themselves. When Ray returns to throw the Breathers off Claire and Zoe, we witness the infection transform its victim into a black-veined, bulging red-eyed monster with astonishing strength and uncontrollable anger.

The Breathers shoot Ray when he attacks them, while Claire and Zoe escape from their net and kill all the soldiers — even infecting one by removing their mask, causing the airborne virus to immediately spread. In her wild fury triggered by all the chaos, Zoe accidentally pins her mother down. Claire maintains steady eye contact, reminding her daughter about their rule to maintain composure. We realize that this was not just for their well-being in the bunker, it was to keep their infection under control since it is triggered by intense emotions. The rage and violence that can possess the family is what makes them the monsters from the perspective of the Breeders, which is a completely unexpected wrinkle in this apocalyptic story.

Then, Claire and Zoe run from an oncoming helicopter and, much to their surprise, come across Zoe's friend Joey. Joey leads them to a group of infected survivors who live underground. Before they enter their new home, Zoe remarks that it is now day 302. "Not days," Claire replies, implying that every morning is a small miracle — Ray's hopeful statement earlier in the film.

The compelling twist of "Hidden" subverts the zombie genre's expectations of villains and heroes. By revealing that the family we've been rooting for are actually the ones the Breathers are afraid of, the Duffer Brothers suggest that good and evil are relative concepts. Audiences often overlook the fact that zombies were once human beings and they've suffered a profound loss; not only of their family and friends, but also themselves. By viewing both sides, we are able to understand how a viral outbreak affects everyone, not just those who are trying not to become sick.

Through the Breathers and the family's battle for survival, "Hidden" showcases how self-preservation can bring out the darker side of human nature. The themes of fear, distrust, and anger towards others during a pandemic feel especially resonant in the wake of COVID-19. The pandemic exposed widespread selfishness, particularly in the U.S., where individuals prioritized their own interests and cared little about others' livelihoods.

The Breathers aim to protect themselves by destroying Kingsville, but this raises the moral question of whether we destroy a few individuals to preserve the whole. Is the sacrifice of countless families necessary for the greater good — protecting the virus from spreading across the U.S. — or could the infected have learned, like Zoe's family, to temper the virus with a little self-control? The moral ambiguity of the ending to "Hidden" suggests that these ideas are complex and there is no single correct answer. "Hidden" rejects cookie-cutter ideas of right and wrong, even in life-and-death emergencies.

By portraying characters who are ethically gray, the Duffer Brothers challenge the horror framework of light versus darkness. Both the Breathers and Zoe's family are fighting to stay alive, and having empathy for one another could help them navigate the viral crisis in a better way.

The screenplay for Hidden was so innovative and thrilling that it sparked a bidding war among studios when the Duffer brothers were just starting out after college. Warner Bros. won, and the Duffer brothers even managed to land a role in the director's chair as well. Yet, despite its incredible use of minimalistic filmmaking techniques and build-up to a stunning conclusion, Warner Bros. did not end up supporting "Hidden." The studio disliked the film's gloomy underground setting, even though that's what provides the white-knuckle tension. Still, the Duffer Brothers made their film as they envisioned, accepting that the studio would not be actively promoting "Hidden" to a wider audience. It received a very, very limited release.

"At the end of the day 'Hidden' was a great experience because we know what it's like to fail. And we know it will happen again," Ross Duffer told Vulture. In all, the Duffer Brothers considered "Hidden" to be a humbling and enlightening experience that taught them how to collaborate with a studio, lessons that undoubtedly influenced their work on the "Stranger Things" juggernaut for Netflix. Without "Hidden," they would never have been inspired to create it.

M. Night Shyamalan read the screenplay for "Hidden" and hired the Duffers to write four episodes of the short-lived "Wayward Pines," a mystery series about the search for missing federal agents in a sleepy Idaho town. Although the Duffer brothers told the New York Times they initially envisioned Stranger Things as a film, their experience writing for "Wayward Pines" taught them how TV can be just as creatively exciting as cinema, especially because it allows for longer story arcs. "The cool thing about TV is you have a lot more time," Matt says.

Alexander Skarsgård spoke about "Hidden" for an interview with GQ, praising the Duffer brothers as "hardworking, incredibly talented guys," who despite only being in their 20s at the time, were smart filmmakers with a keen sense of storytelling that took its cues from early Spielberg. Skarsgård describes shooting "Hidden" as intense but rewarding, since the majority of the intimate, three-person scenes were filmed "in a dark basement with a fire going off, rats running around, and kids crying." He lost weight for the role to appear as emaciated as his starving character was. 

Andrea Riseborough, on the other hand, had a more demoralizing experience. In an interview with the Times, she explains how the experience led to the creation of her nearly all-female film production company: 

"I started Mother Sucker in 2012 at a time when I was particularly pissed off with the sexism that Warner Bros had presented me. I felt like it was important to be part of commissioning work that enabled female voices and telling their stories through a female lens." 

Risenborough says on "Hidden," she "signed up to a female-driven script and I ended up playing the wife." She vowed never to work on a Hollywood blockbuster again because of this misogyny. Although Alexander Skarsgård's character takes up some more space and attention in the narrative, Risenborough's character Claire never comes off as anything less than a strong and resourceful woman, a caring mother fighting to survive just as much as the rest of her family. Perhaps Risenborough saw a version of the "Hidden" script where she had even more to do, so what she ended up with seemed passive in comparison. 

"Hidden" leaves many unanswered questions and concludes with a riveting cliffhanger. Although the film suggests the virus is airborne, we do not know if the infection extends past Kingsville to other U.S. towns. The exact reason for Kingsville's destruction remains unclear. Was it a testing site or the virus' point or origin? A sequel could explore Kingsville's role in the outbreak in more depth.

It would also be fascinating to see how Zoe and Claire function in the new shelter with a larger group. Would they manage some kind of uprising and fight against the Breathers? Does this underground society require certain rules in order to function? A follow-up film nearly 10 years later that follows Zoe as an adult would be especially intriguing, potentially exploring what it is like to spend your entire adolescence underground.

While the Duffer Brothers haven't hinted at a sequel to "Hidden," the conclusion leaves you wanting so much more. Zoe and Claire's story feels like it's just beginning. The filmmakers could potentially explore so many ideas, such as how the fabric of society changes within the confines of an underground bunker, the evolution of the virus and what it means for their future, or a potential war against the Breathers. The ending of "Hidden" feels as if we've only witnessed the first chapter in what could be a lengthy epic of a unique apocalyptic world.

"Hidden" is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.