Vanishing on 7th Street

John Chard

Vamoosh! Directed by Brad Anderson and written by Anthony Jaswinski. It stars Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo and Jacop Latimore. Music is by Lucas Vidal and cinematography by Uta Briesewitz. Detroit falls dark and silent and people are disappearing into thin air. A tiny group of survivors "exist"... Well it went down like a lead balloon! Critics and horror fans alike can't find much to like about it. It's certainly a tricky film to have confidence in recommending to anyone, for it's a bit short on answers and scares, sort of? However, considering the budget there's some technical guile here, and if giving the makers some credit, there's possibly intelligence of thought in the writing as well. Religio observations, a sly incorporation of the Roanoke colony disappearance and an existential undercurrent. Yet it's such a frustrating picture, especially if you are a fan of Anderson's best works, or even if you rock up expecting the scarer that the adverts and plot synopsis' suggested. Cast are by the numbers wasted due to being hamstrung by the plot's attempt at blending chills with deeper thought, rendering the characterisations as unfleshed, while the ending feels like a cheat of unfinished business. Personally I'm glad I didn't pay at the cinema to see it, but with that comes the fact that in my darkened living room the other night I enjoyed it to a point. But here's a thing, it probably needs a second viewing for it to breathe better, but I'm not sure I could ever sit through it again... 6/10