Rating: 
Summary: "ONE - FOR THE ROAD"
Review: A genital freezing movie [for the guys] not sure how it strikes the gals, but strike it does! A "gasping for air" mega-punch down there!A minor lover's spat "on the road" turns catastrophic, and there's no turning back. The girl disappears, without a trace, in broad daylight at a heavily populated truck-stop. The boy becomes obsessed about this disappearance - where is she? What happened? An all too common scenario, especially today. Later, the mysterious notes, letters, etc. appear, tantalizing....... Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, a worthy brother to our Hannibal rivets with this "portrait of another serial collector", and what a collector, he rivals Terence Stamp's performance in Wiliam Wyler's [similarly themed] "The Collector"! It's a nasty journed through a demented mind, with a suitable conclusion. Here's mud in your eye! See this one, alone in a cold, dark house, then check all the doors and windows carefully. Another companion piece? Gert Froebe "Assault in Broad Daylight" - slightly different, but another "one the road" movie, also "The Night Digger" Nicholas Clay. The remake - also the same director, different ending - disappoints. The original title "Spoorloos" actually translates to "Traceless" - better title! Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Watch at your own Risk
Review: Here is the deceptively simple, yet mind-blowingly warped story of what happens when the lives of an average European couple cross the path of a seemingly average family man -- a guy whose mind blew a fuse at the age of six and began to bleed the thoughts of a sociopath. This film's ending is so dour, depressing, and hopeless that it made me want to vomit. But "The Vanishing"'s *most* disturbing aspect is that it actually carries the audience into the sociopath's mind, and invites each viewer to share the mad logic behind the heinous acts he commits -- a logic based upon principles universal and fundamental. I've read many reviews which state, "This is the scariest film I've ever seen." I think it's more accurately described as "disturbing" instead of "scary".. a subtle, yet important distinction... Whereas a film like "The Changeling" (arguably one of the scariest movies ever made, about a haunted house) or "The Exorcist" has the ability to frighten for a couple of hours, here is a little wonder (MINUS any blood or gore) that could genuinely warp a viewer's mind if he or she took it too seriously. I rated this film 4 stars instead of 5... not because it's poorly made or acted (on the contrary, the production and the performances are wonderful), but simply because it is difficult to fully enjoy a film that is this upsetting... When all is said and done, the grimness makes the viewing experience undesirable. In sum, I'll echo another viewer's sentiment: I wish I'd never seen this. Watch at your own risk.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I am a huge film buff, and there are very few movies that really leave an impression on me, but this is one of them. the film is primarily a mystery/psychological horror which takes us into the mind of a sociopath. The villain is not some hideous monster like Fredy Krueger, but a family man, who, all other things considered, seems to be normal. The film is shot very simply -- no fancy effects, no gore, no elaborate chase scenes.. in fact it looks like the whole thing could be done with a video camera -- but it is the scariest film I have ever seen, and should be a wake-up call to horror film directors that the addition of special effects do not do anything to the substance of a movie. Highly reccomended **Incidentally please dont watch the U.S. version of the film -- It is garbage, and an insult to the viewer's intelligence
Rating:
Summary: Horrifying film that still gives me nightmares....
Review: Perhaps I would have been better off if I had never seen this film. I don't usually watch horror films. I was scared out of my wits by "Psycho" when it came out in theater's (it's hard for younger people who grew up with Freddie Kruger to imagine it, but there was a time when you didn't see blood all over the screen.) This film does't show any blood and I don't remember much violence, however, it's a psychologically terrifying movie like "Diabolique" so if you have a weak heart don't watch it. "The Vanishing" has a fine cast and was shot somewhere in the Netherlands--I believe the cast is Dutch. Johanna ter Steage(?), the fine actress who played Theo's wife in "Vincent" and Frau Beethoven in "Immortal Beloved" plays a young woman who becomes the victim of a mentally unhinged stalker. The man's derangement is demonstated by his lifelong willingness to "experience" things like deliberately falling off a balcony so he can see what it feels like to break an arm. Johanna's boyfriend cannot overcome the loss of his girlfriend. Her memory ruins opportunities to form a realationship with a new person. The crime drives the boyfriend to acquire the attributes of the man who 'stole' his girlfriend. First he becomes obsessed about establishing a link with a particular person, just as the stalker became obsessed about finding a woman he could kidnap. Second he stalks the kidnapper in a variety of ways, just as the kidnapper used a variety of ways to lure a woman into his car. Third, he says he is willing to 'experience' what the kidnapper demands so that he can discover what happened to his girlfriend. In the end, I was left "unhinged."
Rating:
Summary: HORRIFIC
Review: This film is one of the most exceptionally disturbing horror films of all time. The lean, psychologically terrifying premise is played out with clever, revealing twists and turns that result in one of the most shocking and mind-bending finales ever. The performances in this Dutch thriller are exceptional; the tension and real anguish of the lead character's predicament -- he lost his girlfriend at a highway truck stop -- is palpable, and you will want closure along with him. As with every other reviewer below, I agree wholeheartedly that the skillful artistry of this mesmerizing, involving movie is all but gone from the same director's Hollywood-ized version of the same script, which exemplifies the dumbing down of American audiences. Rent or buy this original classic instead; if you have a taste for terror, this will be appealing to you, even in its horrifying conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Movie
Review: The plot is well described above so I won't repeat except to say that it is one of the creepiest, scariest movies that I have ever seen and I'm a movie buff. Greatly enhancing the movie is the atmosphere created by the subtitles and the setting in France and the Netherlands. Don't waste your time with the wooden 1993 US English language version with Jeff Bridges, Keifer Sutherland and the always bland Sandra Bullock. They're no match and miscast in comparison with the European cast. Why Hollywood won't make a movie with big names is beyond me. Anyway, a really excellent mmovie you'll watch more than once.
Rating:
Summary: Truly terrifying
Review: Without graphic violence, this is the most disturbing film I have seen in a long time. I stayed up late watching it, then couldn't sleep for hours afterwards. It disturbed me all the next day. I again renewed my admonitions to my kids to never talk to strangers, and don't, for any reason, get into a stranger's car. You'll understand once you've seen this movie. It is terrifying without any blood or guts. As one reviewer above said, the scariest part is that there are kidnappers like the one in this film out there.
Rating: 
Summary: Gaahd!
Review: Having read Krabbe's The Golden Egg, watched this version and the American version of the films, I have to say I liked this one the best. But that's honestly picking which one I dislike the least. The story is compelling, but the way it's presented leaves much to be desired. This version stays very close to the book, but there are moments when I felt as though something was very wrong. For example, when the kidnapping is being practiced by the Lemorne, there is this bizarre, sprightly music playing. What's up with that? The acting in this version is so-so, with Rex being the character done the least amount of justice by his portrayer. Well, actually, he isn't a very rounded character in the book, so maybe he's portrayed the best. If you've read the book, you'll find this to be more satisfying than the American version. Hell, even if you haven't read the book, you'll be more satisfied with this one.
Rating:
Summary: A Study in Psychological Terror
Review: This, the original The Vanishing (please, please, pass over the dumbed down 1993 US version by same director) is without doubt one of the most quietly chilling films of all time. Based on the novel The Golden Egg by Tim Krabbe, this beautifully constructed little thriller has a glossily calm, ultimately misleading, veneer around its bleak icy heart. The casting is astounding, especially Donnadieu as the mild mannered, outwardly benign, existential sociopath Lemorne (Jeff Bridges merely mugged his way through his later role). Here we have true, dastardly intellect of an equal to that of Dr.Hannibal Lecter. The story itself is a study in efficiency. Two young lovers whilst touring France stop off at a gas station. Saskia goes into the store for some refreshments, Rex waits for her outside. Saskia never returns. Over the next three years Rex becomes obsessed by the disappearance of his lover. What happened to Saskia? The fractured time structure preserves this central premise right up until the film's final few frames (while the remake chose to unfold the story in strict chronology, thus removing all that movie's sense of mystery and tension). The answer that Rex seeks is one of those powerful cinema moments that are impossible to forget. Utterly bloodless yet profoundly disturbing. This DVD has little to offer in the region of extras(Come on Criterion, where are you when we need you?; is the Full Screen version (which no true film buff should accept); has irremovable subtitles burned into the film-stock, and the picture quality is decidedly grainy with more than its fair share of detectable artifacts. That said, I still urge you to buy this superb movie.
Rating:
Summary: best version
Review: This is the original version of this movie and by far the best. The american version is a disgrace the way they completely change the ending thus changing the entire context of the movie. Only the Europeans have the guts to do this movie with such a brutal, realistic ending. Worth every penny and should be mandatory viewing for anyone who had to sit through the american drivel.
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