Rent The Vanishing (1988)

Mystery, horror and tension without the jump scares - The Vanishing review by KB

I hired this film because it's been decades since I first saw it, and I remember it made a huge impact on me back in the day. The ending stayed with me for a long time, so I decided to see if it has stood the test of time. I would say, yes, definitely. In recent years we in the UK have grown to enjoy TV series and films from Europe, Scandinavia and elsewhere, and have got used to watching with subtitles (always better than dubbing as it's good to hear the actors' real voices). When this movie was made it was rare for a non English language film to have much success with UK and American audiences. The subtlety of Spoorloos/The Vanishing is still as impactful as when I watched it around 30 years ago on video. No irritating Hollywood jump scares for starters. My rule of thumb: the more jump scares, the lousier the film. Audiences are not stupid, we know when we feel scared, we don't need to be made to jump artificially by introducing stupidly loud and pointless musical commands. This film relied on the audience piecing little things together, observing, and yet it never really hints at the eventual outcome, so that it comes as a horrible shock. As the film progresses we are gradually introduced to the modus operandi of the villain. I noticed little things that I had missed watching the film the first time around, such as the placement of vehicles and characters, which you may or may not register but which are all there for a reason. There are one or two lovely red herrings. The psychology of this film is fascinating; we recognise that a character is doomed by their psychological reactions to certain stimuli, upon which they cannot help but act. There's also the sadness of inevitability, and the awful reality of chance changing peoples lives forever. The villain is perhaps unique in the world of film, or was at that time; they are so bland as to pass unnoticed in a crowd, and are made all the more chilling for that. The acting was natural rather than OTT, so that when a scene required a bit of hand wringing it had some impact. The ending is now no surprise to me, so the horror wasn't there in quite the same way this time. Rather like 'The Usual Suspects', you need to watch carefully first time around to benefit from the surprise ending. After that, repeat watching is just a case of spotting the clues along the way. Just one more thing to add: how refreshing to take a trip back to a time when adults and a children alike were not glued to mobile phones. The incidental scenes that show families talking, laughing and playing games together were lovely and made me long for the past.

Good but dated - The Vanishing review by JD

The other reviews, in my opinion have been a bit too gushing. I have not seen the Holly wood remake which may have affected my judgement, but I would not regard this as "one of the best suspense thrillers ever made".

Having said that I enjoyed it immensely. Although a little dated and lower budget by modern standards the plot was good, there is an intense need to know what happened to the abducted girl created mainly by good acting but with fine direction, and the characters are all very believable but quite extreme. Definitely creepy and very memorable.

The Dread in Daylight - The Vanishing review by griggs

This is the kind of thriller that makes you go quiet halfway through, like you don’t want to jinx it. No flashy tricks, no “clever” editing — just a calm, controlled walk towards something awful. I kept checking the time, not because I was bored, but because I was thinking, how much worse is this going to get?

The horror’s in the everyday texture. Bright daylight. Polite chats. Normal errands. And then this low, steady dread that starts early and never really leaves. And yes: that beard — not a villain costume, just another ordinary detail that somehow turns into a warning sign. Even his home life has a faint wrongness to it — the kind you can’t quite name, but you don’t forget.

The acting is doing a lot of damage, quietly. Johanna ter Steege brings warmth that makes the early scenes feel safe. Gene Bervoets makes Rex’s search feel like a slow self-erasure, obsession taking up all the space. And Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu is the real nightmare: mild, reasonable, almost reassuring — which is exactly why he’s terrifying.

Underneath the suspense, it’s an understated study of victimhood and the life-destroying fixation it can leave behind, plus a portrait of evil that’s small, patient, and horribly plausible. No flashy misdirection, no late rug-pull: it just states its case, then sits in your head like a bad thought you can’t shake.

Awful! - The Vanishing review by SoniaGee

Only rent this film if you want to be kept awake through the night following. I wish I had not seen it.

The story drags the mind into it, until the end. Like a true murder. I recommend that only if you're unemotional it might suit you.

Dated - The Vanishing review by CP Customer

Good story, and I wanted to find out what happened in the end, but it is terribly dated! I think there are better thrillers out there now.