"Hide" Turns a Bedtime Routine Into a Fragile Line of Defense

Hide began the way a lot of true horror does — in the ordinary exhaustion of parenthood. Written by Ohio-born, Southern California-based writer Brian Barnes when he had two kids under five, the film imagines a father (Alejandro Rose-Garcia, also known as the touring musician Shakey Graves) and daughter (Ionie Olivia Nieves) surviving each night by holding fast to a bedtime routine, in a town where something unspeakable arrives after dark.

Directed by Brenden Hubbard and premiering at HollyShorts, Hide is less about what waits outside the door than about what a grieving family tells itself in order to make it to morning. It is a horror short built on the conviction that the imagination can be as terrifying as anything a creature effect could deliver.

Key Takeaways

• Hide mines the universal, post-pandemic language of routine — how it comforts us, and how it can quietly turn into complacency.
• Barnes and director Brenden Hubbard treat sound design, not spectacle, as the film's true monster.
• The short is a sequel set in the same world as an already-written feature origin story, Riverbend.

Barnes spoke with us about writing fear from the inside of fatherhood, breaking his own creative routines, and the ending he had to change.

Interview

What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?

I wrote this story when I was in the thick of two kids under 5 — and survival felt like it was dependent on routines. As time went on, I revisited the script and dove deeper into the role of routine in our daily lives, how it helps us cope with things both big and small, and the complacency that can sometimes come with it. I quickly realized that feeling was both universal and timeless, especially after the pandemic had thrust us all into new regimens and habits.

What surprised you most about the filmmaking process, creatively or logistically?

Our director, Brenden Hubbard, shepherded Hide off my computer and into real life. I'm most comfortable when a story is living happily on my hard drive and I can control and plan every aspect of it, even if that isn't actually what I want as a writer. It's the logistics of bringing it into the real world that can bog me down.

At one point, in my mind, it wasn't a sure thing that Hide was going to happen at all, because of all the production details still up in the air. Brenden, however, confidently told me not to worry, that it was indeed happening, and that we'd figure it out along the way. And, you know what? He was right. It was both surprising and astonishing how quickly it happened once the ball was rolling, and the logistics did in fact come together through the team's dedication.

So, standing there on set, watching an incredible team of people all working hard together and finding ways to bring the story to life, was the moment I realized I had broken away from my own routine and complacency as a writer. That energized feeling was unlike any other, and suddenly, the film came into sharp focus. Sure, breaking your routine CAN be disastrous. But it could also be exactly what you need — and there's only one way to find out.

What moment in the film feels most like you, or like something only you could have made?

I think it's the conversation between the father and daughter when she suggests getting taken so they can see the mom again. It's an odd moment, an idea that feels very childlike, as if she's discovered the solution to the problem they've been having for a long time and she's eager to share it. It's also born from a brief moment of concern — that maybe the dad would go without her — before she excitedly realizes maybe they could both go. The father then has to let her down gently, the way parents so often have to. Plus, both Ionie and Alejandro absolutely nailed this scene, so it fully arrived where it was intended to go.

What was the hardest creative decision you made while making the film?

The original ending in the script was a moment of acceptance and, ultimately, defeat. Changing it felt extremely hard, despite getting notes from Brenden and some of our wonderful producers about it, because it was true to how I was feeling when I wrote it. Then I realized that just because I might have felt that way in the moment, it wasn't how I actually felt now as a dad, looking back. The new ending, while still not exactly a happy one, does ring as hopeful in the face of overwhelming odds, and I'm glad we made the change.

How does your film fit within, or push the boundaries of, its genre?

From the very first draft, I knew that sound design was going to be the ultimate monster. I wanted to prove that the imagination could be just as terrifying as top-notch creature design, so we pushed those boundaries and played with the audience's horror expectations. Sometimes what your brain conjures can be just as bad, if not worse, than what your eyes can see. I hope audiences walk away feeling satisfied with what we've given — and not given — them, and are filled with questions and an eagerness to learn more about the world we've created. But more existentially, I also hope they walk away feeling brave. Because if the daughter can take a stand against an unrelenting horror, we all can, right?

What does it mean to have your film selected for HollyShorts?

Hard to put into words, really. Once the disbelief subsides, not only is it humbling to be selected at all, but to have the opportunity to show amongst other incredible peers and projects of all genres is and always will be the best part. Plus, you're telling me our work is going to show at the TCL Chinese Theatre? Actually, hold on — here comes the disbelief again.

Where do you see this film going next?

Hide is technically a sequel set in the same world as the already-written feature-length origin story called Riverbend, so we'd love the opportunity to go out and make it. I'm still in love with telling stories about families and raising kids in worlds that can be terrifying. Hide has only reinforced that passion for me, and has proven there's an audience for it, too. At the core of all my work is a desire to make people feel the full range of human emotion — all in one sitting.

Main Cast & Crew

• Director: Brenden Hubbard (BEAR)
• Writer: Brian Barnes
• Cast: Alejandro Rose-Garcia (Shakey Graves), Ionie Olivia Nieves, Rod Gator, Denis O'Donnell
• DP: Jack Mannion
• Editor: Josh Earl, ACE
• Executive Producers: Park Bench Creative, Shawn Christensen
• Producers: Mylissa Fitz, Damon Russell, Parth Marathe, Bennett Krishock
• Production Design: Christina Coleman
• Composer: Darren Morze
• Sound Design: Nick Messitte
• Sound Mixer: Ryan Stewart
• Gaffer: Jackson A. Clark

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