The Vanishing (1988) Horror Movie (?) Review

by Sonia (timbodi)
(Washington State)

***Reader Submitted Review***

Most horror movies are able to be tied down into their genre because of particular quirks and elements that most horror movies are known to have. It’s these elements that let people know whether or not they enjoyed a film, and usually they are able to realize just from viewing one horror movie whether or not they will like most of the films in the genre. If you didn’t like Re-Animator, it’s a good bet you won’t like Hellraiser.

Some horror movies are considered horror based on their atmosphere alone. It’s always interesting to see what the critics and mainstream audiences like, the people who really don’t go out of their way to see the early Peter Jackson stuff or anything based on any H.P. Lovecraft story, ever. What the mainstream/critical audience considers to be “good” or even “Oscar-worthy” usually has a lot of depth, almost to the point that it could be called a drama rather than anything else, and it almost always has some sort of horribly sadistic villain. People are still afraid of Hannibal Lecter. Silence of the Lambs won best picture, once upon a time, and it can hardly be considered anything but horror - to those who know the genre. But the mainstream audiences who aren’t completely familiar with the horror genre didn’t recognize the aspects of the film as a “complete” horror movie, though they felt the tension that a good horror movie is able to deliver. They seemed to disregard this and instead focused on the drama and mystery of the film, which is really what gave the film the Oscar.

The Vanishing (1988) is often overlooked by audiences because it doesn’t fall into any one conventional genre. It’s definitely more of a thriller/mystery film than outright horror, but there are still enough elements of horror weaved in there to merit it a review on a horror website. On the other hand, it’s got what mainstream audiences are willing to see: an interesting story, a mysterious kidnapping, and a sadistic villain. (Unfortunately, most American mainstream audiences would not be willing to see this, since it’s subtitled.)

It begins on a summer day in France, where a young Dutch couple is taking a trip so that they can go bike-riding. They’re obviously very in love, and the film does go on a bit about them in the beginning. It shows when they run out of gas in a tunnel and end up having an argument, but it also shows when they make up and appear, once again, very much in love. They stop at a crowded gas station and stay there for a long time, frolicking and enjoying one another’s company. There’s a definitely a sense of foreboding at this point, since the first thing shown of the gas station is a middle-aged man in a car putting a false cast onto his arm.

The story turns dark when the wife, Saskia (Johanna ter Steege), goes in to buy some drinks and never returns. Three years later, her husband (Gene Bervoets) is still looking for her. He’s in a relationship with someone else, but he’s got a burning desire to know what happened to Saskia. He doesn’t even expect to find her alive, he just needs to know to be able to continue on with his life. It becomes an obsession to him because she was so close to him when she disappeared. She literally went into the store for a minute and vanished without a trace, and her husband is desperate to find that missing piece of the puzzle. How could she have disappeared from under his nose? What could he have possibly missed?

In the end, it’s not the villain that brings horror to this film. He’s frightening, yes, and the fact that he’s married with children is extremely creepy. When his reason for having abducted the woman is revealed, it’s a sadistic enough reason to satisfy the critics and the mainstream. But it’s not enough to make this a horror movie. This film is atmospheric, but besides that it doesn’t have all that many elements of horror. There’s no part in the film that is so outright frightening that it brings any chills, really, and nothing jumps out at anybody for the entire length of the film. The score isn’t particularly eerie, either, though it is shocking and loud (and a little distracting). Overall, it just doesn’t feel like a horror movie. The horror in this film appears when the villain and the husband meet and the husband is given a choice to find out what happened to his wife - with a catch. The choice that the husband makes is where the horror comes in. What he might be willing to risk because he can’t live without knowing what happened is what delivers the chills. The fact that he’s become so obsessed is really the scariest thing of all.

Again, this is not a typical horror film. In fact, it may not even be considered a horror film despite the chilling ending. It’s a thriller/mystery/drama, which appeals to a wider audience, but the ending is really what will make it for the horror audience. Also, the acting in this film is quite worth a look as well. The villain is played very well Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, who is required to act as a family man as well as what he comes to be seen as throughout the film. The greatest thing about this film is that it really can appeal to so many people. It’s a horror movie for people who dislike horror movies and a horror movie for people who can’t see enough horror movies. In that way, it’s quite brilliant.