Rating: 
Summary: A bit of a warning...
Review: I you haven't seen this movie yet, and plan on seeing it, skip the review entitled "A Horror Film In Every Sense Of The Word". This reviewer gives away the ending, which may ruin a really good movie for ya.
Rating:
Summary: A bit of a warning...
Review: I you haven't seen this movie yet, and plan on seeing it, skip the review entitled "A Horror Film In Every Sense Of The Word". This reviewer gives away the ending, which may ruin a really good movie for ya.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for me; Repulsive for Hubby
Review: I'm going to warn you that hubby found this film repulsive and wished he'd never seen it. I agree that a lot about it is repulsive but it is a terrific film. It is a suspense film done on the level of an Hitchcock film but it is a lot more grisly. A woman disappears at a gas station when she and her boyfriend are taking a brief pit stop. For years afterwards the boyfriend goes nuts trying to find out what happened to her. Then, it appears that he will find out exactly what happened to her by meeting with this one person who may have been responsible. As this film steamrolls towards its conclusion, your heart will be in your throat and you will never forget the resolution of the whole mystery. Some viewers will find this film very disturbing. I think seeing it is worth the upset. This was remade in America some years later and was simply awful. Skip the American remake at all costs.
Rating:
Summary: If you *really* want to know...
Review: I've seen a number of reviews of this movie, ranging from 'horrific' to 'outstanding' and I must say, I'm somewhat disappointed in the way some people are going about viewing the film. Don't be fooled by those who claim the movie 'sucks' just because it lacks today's special effects and gore. The Vanishing has potential for people of all ages. I, myself, am a mere senior in high school and was thoroughly horrified by the ending. It's true that today's society has been jaded by what is shown in the movies, on television - Heck, even in the news. Everywhere we look, it seems to be just more blood and gore. The wonderful thing about this movie is that it has the ability to reach through your heart, to your spine and just start twisting it about like a dog with a chew toy. It's true, there are no bloody decapitations or gut wrenching gore - but that's not what the movie was about. The movie was able to show an audience the ability of obsession to drive the very essence of your being to the point of no return (This could be said for either Rex or Raymond). We mustn't look at the movie from today's standards of what would be classified as 'horror'. We must open ourselves up to the horrifying truths of the conscious and the unconscious and allow the plot to drive us further towards the edge of our seats until the very last minute. Tell me, friends, would you consider yourselves obsessive over anything at all? If so, take a look at this movie. Let it capture your attention... let it move you... let it help you see yourselves in a way never before possible. THAT's what The Vanishing is all about.
Rating:
Summary: Do you know what *fear* is?
Review: I've watched this movie several times, and I must admit I was shocked to see that some people find the film boring. If you do in fact pay any attention to the film you can delve deeply into the disturbed minds of both Raymond, Rex, and even Saskia. Raymond is obsessed with his own need to beat predestination, and the result is a complete lack of conscience on his part. People who lack a conscience are some of the most dangerous people alive. Rex himself is a warning. He became so obsessed with Saskia that he compelled himself to repeat her experience unto death. And that's just on the surface. This movie puts the "psychological" in psychological thriller, instead of just being a mystery to solve. Also, I was horrified to find that most people were not disturbed by the fact that Rex and Saskia were buried alive. You even see Rex wake up in his own coffin. Doesn't anyone realize how horrible that would be? That is a slow and agonizing death. No one can hear you scream, you can't get out, eventually you'll run out of air. If you find being buried alive boring I suggest you try it. It's an incredibly diabolical thing to do someone. There you lie, with the dirt pressing in all around you, doomed. And the fact that Raymond just didn't seem to care was also terrible. And he could get away with it. Anyone can go around shooting people or slashing around with a knife, but how many people can manage to bury two people alive. And there isn't a shred of suspicion attached to him. True he didn't torture Rex or rape Saskia, and if it's violence you're looking for you won't find it here. You also won't find this to be a whodunit story. But if you're looking for a *real* psychological thriller, this is it.
Rating:
Summary: Do you know what *fear* is?
Review: I've watched this movie several times, and I must admit I was shocked to see that some people find the film boring. If you do in fact pay any attention to the film you can delve deeply into the disturbed minds of both Raymond, Rex, and even Saskia. Raymond is obsessed with his own need to beat predestination, and the result is a complete lack of conscience on his part. People who lack a conscience are some of the most dangerous people alive. Rex himself is a warning. He became so obsessed with Saskia that he compelled himself to repeat her experience unto death. And that's just on the surface. This movie puts the "psychological" in psychological thriller, instead of just being a mystery to solve. Also, I was horrified to find that most people were not disturbed by the fact that Rex and Saskia were buried alive. You even see Rex wake up in his own coffin. Doesn't anyone realize how horrible that would be? That is a slow and agonizing death. No one can hear you scream, you can't get out, eventually you'll run out of air. If you find being buried alive boring I suggest you try it. It's an incredibly diabolical thing to do someone. There you lie, with the dirt pressing in all around you, doomed. And the fact that Raymond just didn't seem to care was also terrible. And he could get away with it. Anyone can go around shooting people or slashing around with a knife, but how many people can manage to bury two people alive. And there isn't a shred of suspicion attached to him. True he didn't torture Rex or rape Saskia, and if it's violence you're looking for you won't find it here. You also won't find this to be a whodunit story. But if you're looking for a *real* psychological thriller, this is it.
Rating: 
Summary: Exceptional---a breakthrough in suspense!
Review: If you are into suspense thrillers, but are looking for something original that breaks the genre cliches, then this is the movie for you. The suspense and mystery build up quietly, and you barely realize that you're on edge until it hits you, hard. When the kidnapper antagonist and boyfriend protagonist interact, there is an electricity in the inevitability of the situation that keeps viewers rooted to the spot, wondering what will happen next. Won't go into the details, as other reviewers have done that more satisfactorily than I ever could, but just want to throw in my review and say that this movie is great...tough to watch repeatedly though, since you are literally taken on the exhausting emotional journey of the protagonist.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Movie, Overrated ending.
Review: If you like character studies then this is your type of movie. It provided a lot of interesting mood swings, and even the red herrings tossed our way are interesting. The acting is great as is typical of European cinema.
But...I was so hyped up for the "masterful" ending and was sorely disappointed. I wouldn't call it "Hitchcockian" as much as I would "Rod Serlingian". It's a gruesome ending, but nothing you wouldn't see in a C-grade horror flick.
Rating:
Summary: IGNORE AMERICAN REMAKE
Review: Ignore the lame American remake-this is the one to watch. Suspense and horror-all in the bright light of day. This is a portrait of a sociopath and his testing of himself. That this includes both the good and the evil makes it all the more chilling. It is also a story of obsession with knowing the truth about yourself and others. The directing is wonderful and the unhurried pace of the editing only enhances the suspense.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and supurb horror film
Review: Intelligently written and originally titled Spoorloos, (don't ask me where they came up with that name) and had an inferior american re-make. I never saw the american version, but I don't plan too. This is a thinking man's movie. This is not for Scream fans. It is a complex film. Not as complex as Jacob's Ladder, but complex nontheless. It's about a young Dutchman who discovers that his girlfriend has gone missing during their return to Holland from a bicycling trip in France, he begins a three-year search that forms the basis of this unsettling psychological thriller/horror film. Made in the 80s, a time that you recall the screens were being conquered by blood and guts, and it's surprisingly not bloody. In this movie, it is all in the mind. This is a film that even the great Alfred Hitchcock would certainly have admired! But this movie packs one heck of a conclusion, which I will not disclose here. I think giving away BIG things about the movie is EVIL! This is an obscure little gem, but I would deffinately recommend this movie to anyone with good taste. WATCH IT ALONE IN THE DARK!! Hope you enjoy getting scared by this horror masterpiece.
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