The Vanishing

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The Vanishing

Released Oct 10, 1990

1h 46m

Mystery & Thriller

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96%

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50 Reviews

88%

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10,000+ Ratings

Rex (Gene Bervoets) and Saskia (Johanna Ter Steege) are enjoying a biking holiday in France when, stopping at a gas station, Saskia disappears. Confounded, Rex searches everywhere, but to no avail. Three years later, he's still obsessed with finding her, pleading his case on television, putting up posters and ruining his new relationship in the process. Eventually an unassuming chemistry teacher, Raymond (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu), approaches Rex, intimating that he knows what happened.

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Critics Consensus

A clinical, maddening descent into the mind of a serial killer and a slowly unraveling hero, culminating with one of the scariest endings of all time.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Sluizer isn't among the more original stylists, but the literalness of his direction suffices to evoke the horrific and monstrous possibilities lurking behind the façades of ordinary life.

Oct 30, 2020

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Christy Lemire

ChristyLemire.com

It's an elegant, riveting piece of filmmaking.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 20, 2018

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

The appalling, horrific climax of The Vanishing will haunt your mind long after this film is over.

Oct 19, 2016

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

A film that is literally blood chilling. [Full review in Spanish]

Aug 4, 2023

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Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

The ending itself fulfills its pledge as one of the most terrifying films ever made – and it’s done without any blood spilled.

Feb 22, 2023

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Kubrick considered Sluizer's The Vanishing a truly terrifying film, and its power is in its unsettling simplicity as it explores the potency of its nightmare scenarios.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 3, 2020

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Phyllis Y

The movie was great...until the ending. I'm still waiting to be scared much less terrified. I might have given it a higher rating if so many viewers hadn't led me to believe the ending would be great...it just wasn't.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

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Rachel M

Watched this movie because it's often brought up by directors and writers in the horror genre as one of their faves. Definitely well-made. Intense. Thoughtful. I've continued to think about it (which I think can be a mark of a good movie). The ending is abrupt, and I was surprised (because people don't usually take this route when ending a story of this nature), but it was very interesting. It's one of those movies that made me put myself in the place of various characters and consider what I would do in the same situation. I've also pondered the character motivations and the significance of those and how it applies to real life (evil exists: how do my own motivations, traits, defects play a role in resisting or connecting to evil?).

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/09/25

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To F

Es bastante lenta, aunque los diálogos son bastante interesantes. En ocasiones se siente esa impotencia e intriga y el final para mi, fue algo muy rápido.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

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Mason M

I think that The Vanishing is a very good film, it's well-made, tense, and pretty much succeeds at what it tries to do. My main issue is that it doesn't seem to give a reason to show the things that it's showing. This is a great film, but I wasn't able to find much connection to it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/21/24

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Aaron C

I don't know how I feel about this film, maybe I need to give it a rewatch on near future. I loved the American remake more than this version. I didn't feel the suspense everyone else raves on about. I get and liked his obsession on finding his friends killer killed him in the end, but it felt more of an anticlimax

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

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Alex H

Unsettling and frustrating experience. You see its influence on the thriller genre throughout since. Not scary in the sense of frightening to watch but in its realistic simplicity. Very much Hitchcockian thriller. It lays everything out for you immediately but still seems to be suspenseful. The movie plays like a documentary. Good performances. I was expecting a bit more from reading these reviews but it was a gripping experience and worth the watch. I don’t see myself rewatching it again but I suppose a second viewing wouldn’t be terrible even knowing the outcome.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/29/24

Full Review

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George Sluizer

Director

Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu

Raymond Lemorne

Gene Bervoets

Rex Hofman

Johanna ter Steege

Saskia Wagter

Gwen Eckhaus

Lieneke

Anne Gordon

Producer

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Synopsis

Rex (Gene Bervoets) and Saskia (Johanna Ter Steege) are enjoying a biking holiday in France when, stopping at a gas station, Saskia disappears. Confounded, Rex searches everywhere, but to no avail. Three years later, he's still obsessed with finding her, pleading his case on television, putting up posters and ruining his new relationship in the process. Eventually an unassuming chemistry teacher, Raymond (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu), approaches Rex, intimating that he knows what happened.

Director: George Sluizer
Producer: Anne Gordon, George Sluizer
Screenwriter: Tim Krabbé, George Sluizer
Production Co: Argos Films
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Dutch
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 25, 2017
Runtime: 1h 46m

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