My threshhold - The Innocents, The Haunting, and The Orphanage. The Orphanage didn't continue to scare me after I saw the ending which I hated but still, watching any of these alone would have crossed the line between enjoyably scary and giving me a heart attack. I know, it's silly, but from 1 - 10, how scary is this?
shareThere are no real scary parts. The idea is scary. The whole setting is so very normal, things look as if they are recorded from real life. A human being is erased. The lack of motive makes it even scarier. As if it can happen to anyone. This movie will probably stay in your head for some time, but watching the movie itself can even be a bit boring.
share"This movie will probably stay in your head for some time, but watching the movie itself can even be a bit boring."
***SPOILERS***
I couldn't agree more. The film experience itself was not all that terrifying, but thinking about it later is very unsettling. I love that we get background on Raymond as a curious individual with sociopath tendencies rather than an all-out crazed killer.
Having said that, I'm extremely disappointed in the ending. I suppose the reason is that I was sitting there the whole time having this idea planted in my head from various individuals and websites stating "The ending of this movie is so incredibly disturbing! I will never watch The Vanishing again!" and when it came to the coffin scene, I was expecting there to be something else, maybe torture or something. I felt robbed.
What can be scarier than to be buried alive !!!!! I kept saying, don't drink it, don't drink it. Yes, this movie disturbed me as I saw it this morning for the first time. Did this guy actually think he was ever going to wake up with his questions answered ? This was a maniac he was dealing with. I remember reading the inside of a matchbook cover many years ago and I am guided by that brief saying........."He'll tell you he knows where the bus stops, don't follow him" ! I knew Saskia was in trouble when she got into the car !
shareYes, I agree. The buildup was great; I loved all the suspense. But the ending, being buried alive, really? I was expecting torture and mutilation at the very least.
shareBut the ending, being buried alive, really? I was expecting torture and mutilation at the very least.
This isn't "scary", it's extremely suspenseful and gut-wrenching psychologically. It will stay will you for a very, very long time. Excellent movie.
shareYes. It's not the movie itself that is scary (although the killer is creepy), but the thoughts that it provokes and leaves unfinished. You must fill in the gaps yourself, it you are brave enough.
share[deleted]
let me put it this way, i saw this with my gf when it was released, and after it finished we left the cinema, walked for about 10 minutes before we realised that we hadnt said a word to each other since we entered the cinema.
a few weeks later and the creepiness was still lingering.
thing is though the effect is geater when you know nothing about it going in (a bit late now because of all the comments)
watch it with the lights off
to this day i cant bring myself to watch it again, even though i have dl'd it
avoid the US version like the plague, cant believe it was made by the same director, but then again its dollars
helps if you're a fan of poe
scary/shock - 1/10
creepy/disturbing - 10/10
The first time I saw this I thought, wow this was a nice suspenseful Thriller which a nice twist. Then came the ending and cought me COMPLETELY off guard. I've seen lot's of things in my life and the ending scene is something I will never forget. The sheer terror I felt from simply watching that scene is one of the most memorable experience's I've had.
shareNot scary but I found it very involving. You very much empathize with the boyfriend's quest; his need to know. The ending is memorable...perhaps haunting is a better term for it. It won't scare you but it will linger in your mind for many days after.
I knew about the ending before seeing this movie. Still, my blood pressure actually went up towards the end since I knew what was coming. I do wish I could have seen this movie without knowing about the end, but at the same time if I hadn't seen the ending on Bravo's scariest movie moments, I wouldn't have thought to look for it at the Library and probably wouldn't have known about it until even more recently.
shareAgreed, it's more unsettling and a little disturbing because of its ideas and because of the apparent inevitability of that ending, given what we know about the characters. It really stays with you after you see it. If it had been a horror movie the ending wouldn't be scary, but because it isn't, it is.
If I have to tell you again, we're gonna take it outside and I'm gonna show you what it's like!
A true classic horror film must contain three elements in my opinion: 1. A overwhelming sense of dread set up by the pacing cinematography and acting. 2. A horrific conceptual element 3. true tense moments of juxtaposition of frightening images scenes.
Few movies live up to the standard: 1. "Jaws" 2. "The Exorcist" 3. "Exorcist III" 4. "Night of the Living Dead" 5. "Dawn of the Dead" (1978)
This film has two of the three elements.
I would call the ending chilling and creepy. If you don't know how it ends you will not forget it after you watch it.
share***Spoilers***
I think someone may have pointed this out, but as horrifying as the coffin scene is, it's even mroe frightening to think that this was how poor Saskia met her demise. The boyfriends obsession with finding out what happened to her also led to his death as well, all for the price of finding out what happened, which he certainly did. It's very unsettling.
Exactly my thoughts. If being left alone in a dark tunnel made Saskia panic so much, it's hard to imagine her horror when she woke up in the coffin. However, it's perfectly fine that the film didn't show Saskias ending so said horror can unfold in our imagination.
share[deleted]