The Anticipation Is Killing Me

Vanishing on 7th Street

There is a lot of love for Brad Anderson around these parts. Director of the instant classic and don't-watch-this-if-you-are-afraid-of-the-dark creep-fest Session 9, as well as the criminally underexposed The Machinist, to say that I get a little excited whenever a new project of his is coming down the pipeline would be, well an understatement. For my money, I believe Brad Anderson to be a member of that illustrious cadre of filmmakers currently toiling away at the fringes of the genre that though their work goes largely unseen by mainstream audiences, they are in fact making films that will one day be on those seasonal "100 Best Horror Films of All Time" lists that crop up every year around October. Hell for the most part, I believe Session 9 had already been granted that status by writers other than myself, it's just that most people aren't aware of this. Ever since 2008's Transsiberian, Anderson has been passing the time shooting episodes of various television shows, most notably FOX's critical darling yet viewer starved Fringe (seriously, watch this show and thank me later). I'd been recently wondering if Anderson was up to anything in the feature film arena, when news broke that indeed he had been and was premiering a new horror film, Vanishing On 7th Street, at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival. Early buzz has been mixed, with advanced reviews alternating back and forth from negative to positive. There's been comparisons and accusations of ripping off everything from Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend, to the 2010 Remedy Entertainment video game Alan Wake (not to mention 1984's cult classic Night Of The Comet of all things), have been fired in it's direction. I'll reserve any judgment on the matter until after I've seen the final cut though. However, I will level this criticism it's way. While both are capable actors, I think that I am going to find Hayden Christensen and John Leguizamo's presence in the film...distracting. Not in a good way either. I think both actor's faces are a little to familiar for me to truly lose myself in their characters but then I guess I shall see. End of minor criticism.

Now, on to the film in question because honestly I am chewing at the bit to set my eyes on this sucker. In fact, I'm already creeped out.

Magnet Releasing's Press Release:

From director Brad Anderson (Session 9, Transsiberian, The Machinist) 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 remain—surrounded by heaps of empty clothing, abandoned cars and lengthening shadows. A small handful of strangers that have survived the night (Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo and newcomer Jacob Latimore) 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.

Vanishing On 7th Street's Teaser Trailer:








Vanishing on 7th Street Trailer
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