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Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critics What's this?

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Mixed or average reviews- based on 26 Ratings

  • Starring: Hayden Christensen, John Leguizamo, Thandie Newton
  • Summary: From director Brad Anderson comes Vanishing on 7th Street, a terrifying, apocalyptic thriller that taps into one of humankind’s most primal anxieties: fear of the dark. An unexplained blackout plunges the city of Detroit into total darkness, and by the time the sun rises, only a few people r remain—surrounded by heaps of empty clothing, abandoned cars and lengthening shadows. A small handful of strangers that have survived the night each find their way to a rundown bar, whose gasoline-powered generator and stockpile of food and drink make it the last refuge in a deserted city. With daylight beginning to disappear completely and whispering shadows surrounding the survivors, they soon discover that the enemy is the darkness itself, and only the few remaining light sources can keep them safe. As time begins to run out for them, darkness closes in and they must face the ultimate terror. (Magnolia Pictures) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 14
  2. Negative: 2 out of 14
  1. Reviewed by: Betsy Sharkey
    Feb 24, 2011
    70
    Anderson spends most of his energy creating a mood - making "Vanishing" more cerebral than white-knuckle, though a few more shrieks (mine) might have been nice.
  2. Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    Feb 17, 2011
    60
    The story, which starts promisingly only to stop, restart, sputter and come to a wheezing, disappointing puff of nada, proves the least satisfying part of the whole. The finale certainly isn't earned, but all the nasty, tiny jolts throughout the movie do prick the skin nicely.
  3. Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    Feb 18, 2011
    60
    It's a slow time at the cineplex, and the sinister scares served up by Brad Anderson are just spooky enough to freak out undemanding horror fans.
  4. Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    Feb 16, 2011
    25
    Anderson has made a zombie movie without the zombies.

See all 14 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 10
  2. Negative: 4 out of 10
  1. One of the most better horror films ever! Is fantastic, the trama of Vanishing on 7th Street is fantastic, the performance of Hayden Christensen is awesome. A new classic. Expand
  2. Leaves a lot of questions unanswered (all of them, actually), but it's an entertaining movie nonetheless. Has a strong cast and visuals but well.. could have a different ending. Expand
  3. Vanishing On 7th Street had a lot of possibilities, but it was done so narrow-mindedly, that the film just becomes a complete waste of time. First, we are rushed into the heart of the story, without any background or character development. Then, within twenty minutes, we're thrown ahead three days, leaving us with many questions that are never answered. Finally, after an hour of typical frantic people stuck in an impossible situation, we get an ending that just doesn't fit. I was attracted to this film by its clever title and by Hayden Christensen, who I believe to be a very underrated actor, but I was highly disappointed. Vanishing On 7th Street is rushed, sloppy, predictable, and full of plot holes. To me this seemed more like a rough draft than a full length feature film, it really just wasn't very good. Expand
  4. This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I guess we now know where the so-so-but-still-entertaining 2011 movie "Into the Darkness" got it's premise: Brad Anderson's obscure "Vanishing on 7th Street." Anderson's other endeavors "The Machinist" (Hey, Christine Bale can get really skinny!), Session 9 (yes, abandoned mental health institutions are very creepy!) and TransSiberian (don't trust the suave Spanish guy or the Russians!) are all pretty good. And the premise of this flick is also decent. BUT SPOILER ALERT, and, CAVEAT! If you haven't seen the movie, watch it before you read my review. And if you have never seen the classic "Ghost" or don't know what "The Rapture" is, you'll probably really enjoy this flick. If this applies to you, go here for a good review: http://www.fearnet.com/news/review/tiff-2010-review-vanishing-7th-street

    The premise starts out promising. Nearly everybody disappears at one point leaving just their clothes behind. The "survivors" need to stay in the light which continues to dwindle as the movie progresses (batteries don't last that long, "daytime" gets shorter and shorter).

    Then, it get's very derivative. The ominous shadows which constantly encroach the antagonists sometimes appear as human figures. Anderson clearly saw the classic movie "Ghost," and the "shadow-monsters" have the same look-and-feel and ominous groans as "Ghost's" shadow-monsters had as they dragged the bad guys to hell. Then Thandie Newton's character starts praying and the shadow monsters retreat. People disappear and leave their clothes behind and that doesn't ring a "religious" bell? If you don't remember "The Rapture," it was an evangelistic (and absurd) belief that God will whisk the virtuous to heaven wherever they may be while leaving the rest of the planet to rot in hell. Well, I guess most of the planet is virtuous given that the majority of people get "beamed up" leaving their clothes behind, and a handful of folks are left to fight off the shadow-monsters. And if you are still unconvinced, why was the only survivor a kid who curled up in a church and the only other person left was a little girl (the new "Adam and Eve" to populate the planet). And they road off into the sunset, I mean, "shadows," together.
    Expand

See all 10 User Reviews