“The Vanishing” (1988) won’t soon fade from Memory 

I saw the 1993 American remake of “The Vanishing” starring Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland and Sandra Bullock. I remember thinking of it as okay. The film was directed by George Sluizer, who was also at the helm and co-wrote the story for the 1988 Dutch/French original release. This one makes much more of an impression.

Rex and Saskia are two young lovers on a car trip from Holland to France to do some vacation bicycling together. They make a pit stop at a busy service station for petrol and drinks for the road. Saskia disappears.

Three years later she is still missing without a trace.

Rex refuses to let his girlfriend's memory fade. He parts with his grip on reality and a new love interest as a result.

Rex begins receiving taunting postcards which he believes to be from Saskia’s abductor. Thus begins a twisted cat-and-mouse game between mentally-deranged hunter and emotionally-damaged surviving victim.

We learn who this sick fuck is before Rex does. A tightly-wound, remorseless self-absorbed sociopath. Who has diabolically deceived everyone around him to believe he is an unassuming college science professor and family man.

And who is also smarter than hell.

And speaking of the netherworld, the ending to these two variations on Sluizer’s chilling theme could not be more disparate. This will resonate should you ever see both of these harrowing efforts.

With that, I shall leave you hanging.

And vanish.