The Vanishing

 When the movie first began, I had no idea where it was headed. I had done a little background reading from my trusty movie guide book, but that only gave me the gist of the plot. As Rex and Saskia were driving along, I was curious to see where the movie would go. Then came the scene where their car runs out of gas in the tunnel. I fully expected the event, Saskia's disappearance, to happen here. It seemed a bit early, but it would've worked. It just seemed right since she had just brought up her nightmare and then Rex leaves her alone. Also, when he returns with the extra gasoline, she is gone, but then he drives out of the tunnel and there she is waiting for him. I found this moment a little anticlimactic, although by introducing the conflict a bit later, it allows for more character development. The conflict happens not too much later, as the couple are hanging out at a rest stop before continuing on their journey. From my interpretation of the film, I agree with the critics, I would consider The Vanishing to be a horror flick. This is based on a couple of specific scenes, one involving the villain, Raymond Lemorne, and one involving the protagonist, Rex Hofman. Overall, Raymond Lemorne gave off vibes of Javier Bardem's character in No Country for Old Men and Robert Mitchum's character in Cape Fear. You can tell just by looking at these characters that something is not quite right inside their head.

The first scene which points toward the film being classified as a horror involves the villain of the story, Raymond Lemorne. Raymond has convinced Rex to travel to France with him so that he may finally learn the fate of Saskia. They are driving on the highway and Raymond is outlining to Rex stories from his past that explain who he really is and why he has kidnapped Saskia. The scene relies on medium shots mixed with close-ups of Raymond and Rex to show reactions and facial expressions. As with a good portion of the film, there is no music during this scene. As Raymond is revealing his past to Rex, his smiles and smugness illustrate his evil nature. It is evident that Raymond feels no remorse for his past and is more than willing to repeat his terrible deeds. He even admits to Rex that he is a sociopath. The fact that he knows what he is and he embraces it, openly declares that this movie is a horror movie.

The other scene that leads me to conclude The Vanishing is a horror film is one of the final scenes of the film. It depicts Rex Hofman finally discovering the fate of Saskia. The scene is pitch dark, then Rex ignites his lighter. The tiny flame creates a small path of light. Rex quickly realizes he has been buried alive. He sees the wooden boards above him and screams. This particular scene is intensely dark, far darker than any other in the film. Not only is the imagery of a man buried alive a dark one, but it is literally dark, since Rex is in a small box buried several feet underground. There is no music playing during this scene, which only adds to the impact. The shot is a closeup on Rex's face, focusing on his panic-stricken eyes. Soon the shot tilts up to show the boards above him. The scene creates a feeling of dread and desperation as Rex continues to switch his lighter on and off until finally, he switches it on, but the flame doesn't light as before, showing that the oxygen level of the box has diminished. The viewer can discern from this that Rex has only minutes left before all of his available oxygen is used up. The lack of lighting and the dimness of the flame incite panic in both Rex and the viewer. Rex was buried as a result of his own foolishness. He was so determined to learn the truth about Saskia that he fell in to Raymond's trap. This scene is certainly one of terror. After all, it is chilling to think a person could enjoy burying another person alive, and then eat a meal and show no emotion about the whole thing. Raymond's actions and Rex's reactions in this scene indicate that The Vanishing is in fact a horror film. A man endures an awful fate by a means which causes pain and suffering, a classic plot device in a horror movie.