The Vanishing (The Criterion Collection)

The Vanishing (The Criterion Collection)
by George Sluizer

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Movie Reviews of The Vanishing (The Criterion Collection)

Movie Review: An example of a perfect horror film
Summary: 5 Stars

Then, we have movies like The Vanishing. I am not talking about the inferior remade American version from 1993. I mean the original Dutch/French version from 1988. This is the best horror film I have ever seen, even though there is not one drop of blood or one death on screen.

The story is pretty simple. Rex (Gene Boerverts) and Saskia (Johanna Ter Steege) are lovers taking a bicycle vacation through France. They have a small catastrophe very early in the film (run out of gas) and Rex chooses to leave her behind in a tunnel to get help. They are both rather upset when he leaves and when he returns, she is not in the car. He puts the gas back into the car and drives through the tunnel, where he sees her at the end. They make up eventually and decide to stop at a gas station for a restroom stop and just to take a break.

After coming back from the restroom, Saskia offers to go back to get them something to drink. Right before she goes in, she makes him swear that he will never abandon her again. He swears to it, she goes into the convenience store, and seemingly vanishes into thin air. He never sees her again.

At this point, the viewer probably thinks it will be a whodunit, where we try to piece together clues and figure out who the culprit is who would kidnap the girl. But no, we are introduced to the kidnapper immediately. Even more surprising is that he becomes the main focus of the movie for the next 20 minutes, while we learn about his background and his lifestyle. He has a family and is completely normal from the outside.

From here, three years pass and Rex is desperately trying to figure out what happened to Saskia. He has a new girlfriend who is sympathetic to the situation, but he can't get Saskia out of his head. He spends all his free time obsessing about her, and where she could be. It makes no sense to him. All the while, the kidnapper sends him letters telling him to meet him at certain places to find out about her. He goes each time, but never actually meets the kidnapper, because the kidnapper stays out of range, he only wants to see how badly Rex wants the answer.

Finally, out of desperation, Rex goes on TV and pleads with the kidnapper to reveal himself. He tells him he does not want to hurt him, he just wants to know what happened to Saskia. The kidnapper decides to take him up on it. He goes to Rex's house. What happens from here on is for you to learn yourself. I will say that the reasons for the kidnapping are made clear and the true horror of the movie becomes evident in the last part. The kidnapper is a real person, he could be your next door neighbor. The man has two daughters and teaches chemistry at a local university. Yet in his mind he is able to plan out in intricate detail and execute this crime. Eventually he offers Rex a choice to find out what happened to Saskia. To find out, Rex has to put himself in a vulnerable position. He makes the choice and...

He brings the movie to what has to be one of the most blood chilling endings in film history. It is completely logical and goes right along with what has gone before, but the audacity and straightforward nature of it will shock you. I promise, you won't soon forget this ending. It is criminal that the American film chose to change this ending to make it happier. As a result of this, the fates of the characters are completely different. The mystery to me is that the same director did both films. Why would he make such a great first effort and then let it be butchered so badly in this shoddy second telling?

No matter. The first film is a horror classic, belonging right up there with the greats. If you have never seen this movie, rent it or find someone with a copy. The DVD is pretty good, but unlike lots of Criterion copies with a boatload of extra features, this is rather stripped down. There is a trailor in French which is okay and an essay in the inside cover of the case, but that's pretty much it. The sound is clear and the subtitles are much better than when the film first hit video in the late eighties. Without a doubt, this is one you can't miss!

Summary of The Vanishing (The Criterion Collection)