Stanley Kubrick called it “the most frightening film I have ever seen” – no small compliment from the creator of The Shining. Disturbing, claustrophobic, and enigmatic, this psychological thriller by George Sluizer is all of these things. Spoorloos (The Vanishing) is a nail-biting account, full of underlying tension, about a sudden disappearance and its impact on those left behind. While on vacation in southern France, Rex (Gene Bervoets) briefly loses sight of his girlfriend Saskia (Johanna ter Steege) when they stop at a gas station. She vanishes without a trace, and for years, he continues to search for her. A bizarre climax unfolds: the kidnapper contacts Rex; if he wants to know where Saskia is, he must undergo the same chilling fate as his girlfriend...
George Sluizer’s psychothriller became an instant classic upon its release in 1988. The adaptation of Tim Krabbé’s novel The Golden Egg, featuring Johanna ter Steege, won a Golden Calf for Best Film and inspired an American remake (The Vanishing, 1993).