Monday, October 7, 2024

Killer Countdown - Vanishing on 7th Street (2010)



Streaming Service: Hoopla
Movie Name/Year: Vanishing on 7th Street (2010)
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 1h 32min
Rating: R
Director: Brad Anderson
Writer: Anthony Jaswinski
Actors: Hayden Christensen, John Leguizamo, Thandiwe Newton, Jacob Latimore, Taylor Groothuis, Jordan Trovillion, Larry Fessenden

IMDb Blurb: The population of Detroit has almost completely disappeared, but a few remain. As daylight disappears they realize that the Dark is coming for them.


Cat’s Point of View:
I don't remember anything about Vanishing on 7th Street from the time-period it was released. On paper, the premise and cast would promise an amazing and thrilling experience. I am not sure that what I watched lived up to those expectations entirely, but it was interesting.

There were definitely moments that got me, though. Vanishing on 7th Street had an eerie vibe and kept me on the edge of my seat for the most part as the shadows closed in. We're hard-wired to have this primordial unease about the dark. It's instinctive, and this movie definitely plays on that. I read something recently that I found profound in its simplicity – we're not actually afraid of the dark, but what might be IN the dark. When you add people just going poof to that, it's unnerving.


The characters in this film are clearly going through some serious trauma. Thankfully, the production team put a cast together that really sold it well. The combination of Hayden Christensen (Takers, First Kill, Ahsoka), John Leguizamo (Encanto, The Menu, Violent Night), and Thandiwe Newton (Gringo, All the Old Knives, Westworld) really sold this movie when we were looking for a #7 for our Killer Countdown. I adore all of them, and they did the best they could here with what they had to work with. I could feel their despair, fear, and desperation. This was also the film debut for Jacob Latimore (Detroit, House Party, The Chi) and he has gone on to do some really great stuff. I was really impressed with him at his age when this was filmed.

In retrospect, Larry Fessenden (The Dead Don't Die, What Doesn't Float, MaXXXine) was wasted in the bit part he had here that I don't even think had lines. But this was over a decade ago, afterall, and before he made a name for himself – especially in the horror genre. 


Brad Anderson (The Call, Stonehearst Asylum, The Silent Hour) has some really solid films under his proverbial directorial belt. I did appreciate the storytelling here, though there were some kinks that just didn't quite get worked out before the final production was released. The character development was a little lopsided, but I can't tell if that was entirely intentional. We got a lot of subtle cues about Christensen's character and even a bit of a story arc of growth for him. We have very little regarding the other primary characters besides their occupations and what they were doing immediately before the “vanishing” happened. There are so many unanswered questions – but sometimes things are just like that in life. We don't get all the answers we want, and crazy unhinged stuff happens in the world every day that defies explanation. Perhaps the point was to leave the film even more unnerving because we don't get to learn exactly what the hell was going on. It's just a bleak story.


I did have a giggle regarding Leguizamo's character's job as a projectionist at an AMC theater. That was a wonderful little nugget of nostalgia for me, hearing the film reels whir. My first real job when I was in high school and college was at my local AMC theater. I digress...

Vanishing on 7th Street isn't going to be for everyone. If you are the type that needs some clear resolution with your stories, this movie isn't going to be satisfying for you. The ending is even more perplexing than everything else that came before it and laden with heavy symbolism. Though, if you're open to just riding along for the experience, this film does provide the prerequisite mood, ambiance, and general creepy atmosphere for a few thrills.


Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 48%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 21%
Metascore – 50%
Metacritic User Score – 4.8/10
IMDB Score – 4.9/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5

Movie Trailer:

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