VANISHING ON 7TH STREET (2010)

This fascinating horror thriller uses a plot device similar to many other horror and science fiction films. Most of the Earth's population has suddenly disappeared with no warning and the few survivors try to find out what happened and why they weren't taken along with everyone else. Films as diverse as TARGET EARTH (1954) and 28 DAYS LATER (2002) have started out in much the same way. Those other films, however, provide explanations and conclusions, while VANISHING ON 7TH STREET ends as mysteriously as it begins, which makes it all the more unsettling.

After the Earth has suddenly plunged into darkness and all known power sources have ceased functioning, almost the entire human population has disappeared, leaving only their clothes, glasses, jewelry, etc. Four survivors (Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo and Jacob Latimore) manage to come together to seek answers and try to escape the fate of the rest of humanity. They discover that only carrying some source of light (flashlights, torches, etc.) has enabled them to survive. They find themselves surrounded by mysterious shadows that threaten to overtake them if their light sources stop working.

I had never heard of this film until I found it for sale at Big Lots for $3.00. It apparently had a very limited release and failed miserably at the box office. That's unfortunate, because this film is definitely worth seeing. It brought to mind one of my favorite horror films, KAIRO aka PULSE (2001), an excellent Japanese thriller directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. KAIRO also features a post-Apocalyptic theme with individual people mysteriously disappearing while those still existing search desperately for an explanation. But while KAIRO offers an existential explanation for the disappearances, VANISHING ON 7TH STREET only hints at a possible connection to the Roanoke Colony that vanished without a trace in 16th Century America.

The film was directed by Brad Anderson, who also directed another one of my favorite films, THE MACHINIST (2004), starring Christian Bale. The evocative music score was composed by Lucas Vidal, and on-location filming took place in Detroit.

Highly recommended. And completely devoid of violence and gore.