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Movie Review: The Vanishing (1988)

Into Thin Air

Movie: The Vanishing (1988)

Dir: George Sluizer

   The Vanishing pervades a mood of tension and dread from its very beginning and is unlike any other thriller I had seen. Structurally elegant and subtle--with an air of impending doom that tempt us to believe that things might go wrong at any moment--the film is throttled by chance happenings and eerie omens, that decides the lives of people in it, forever. The movie tells the tale of Rex and Saskia, who were on their on-road holidaying trip in France after they had promised their loyalty towards each other, until suddenly Saskia disappears, while Rex was waiting for her at a gas station.

   It has been three years now, since Saskia had been swallowed in by the early morning air of France, but Rex is still perturbed by her vanishing act. He goes about pasting missing-notices of her on the streets, along with his fiancée, and is so obsessed with the search for her that it has its impact on his current relationship. What makes The Vanishing a unique horror experience is its ability to spread its dread to the audience, the movie works like an insidious contagion, and the viewers can’t but get affected by it. The closest example of a horror movie that worked on a similar level of dealing with destiny and chance would be, Nicolas Roeg’s brilliant Don’t Look Now (this movie always pops up in my head when someone asks me what’s your favorite horror flick).

   Although there are many horror films like The Omen, Żuławski’s Possession, The Exorcist and Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby that were too obvious and overtly exhibitionist of what they were trying to convey (which is not in any way a problem), the we-are-not-here-to-scare-you-outta-your-wits demeanour of The Vanishing makes it even more terrifying and effective. No wonder Stanley Kubrick called it as the most terrifying film he had ever seen.

   The Vanishing sheds all of the typical horror movie tropes and is not just ‘a horror movie’; it’s also ‘a masterful movie’ if we were to leave the equation of horror out of it. For instance, there’s a tunnel-road scene in the very beginning of the movie, wherein the couple’s car runs out of gas and abruptly stops midway into the abyss of the tunnel. There’s no light, a truck could’ve rammed into them and killed them. Saskia’s frenzied, and Rex walks out to come back after a while with a can of gasoline only to find her missing. Later, he meets her at the end of the tunnel, and begins their journey with mutual-apologies of having not stayed together when such a situation ensued. This scene is so important in the movie, it sets the stage for the vanishing act that happens later and haunts the movie till its very end to provide it with a perfect ending.

Try forgetting this movie, it won’t be an easy act.

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