Overview
A chilling journey into obsession and the unknown, where love and loss intertwine.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- foreboding
- clinical
- late night viewing
- arthouse thriller night
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film as a controlled, psychologically penetrating thriller that creates intense suspense through its unusual structure and refusal of genre clichés.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Raymond's actions and preparation are shown while Rex continues searching for Saskia without understanding the truth.
Rex pursues the abductor for an explanation and accepts increasingly dangerous terms to satisfy his need to know.
Saskia vanishes from a busy roadside service station, making an everyday holiday stop permanently sinister.
Raymond Lemorne is introduced as a seemingly ordinary local chemistry teacher whose controlled behavior conceals chilling intent.
Films like The Vanishing, and why
Cure
psychological thriller suspense built around disappearance, obsession, and an intellectually disturbing investigation
The Silence of the Lambs
quietly ominous European mystery with controlled pacing, moral unease, and a chillingly opaque antagonist
Prisoners
claustrophobic psychological suspense focused on missing people, fixation, and the terrible consequences of seeking hidden truth
Movie Details
- Director
- George Sluizer
- Release Date
- 1988-10-27
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (880)
Cast
- Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu
- Gene Bervoets
- Johanna ter Steege
- Gwen Eckhaus
- Pierre Forget
- Bernadette Le Saché
- Tania Latarjet
- Lucille Glenn
- Roger Souza
- Caroline Appéré
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Vanishing about?
- A devoted man's three-year search for his vanished lover draws him into a chilling encounter with the ordinary-looking man responsible.
- What is The Vanishing like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Vanishing as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Vanishing violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Vanishing as mild.
- What did critics think of The Vanishing?
- Critics broadly praise the film as a controlled, psychologically penetrating thriller that creates intense suspense through its unusual structure and refusal of genre clichés.
- Which films are like The Vanishing?
- Films with a similar feel include Cure, The Silence of the Lambs, and Prisoners.
- How long is The Vanishing?
- The Vanishing runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Vanishing?
- In United States, The Vanishing is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store.
