Paramount Home Media Selects Oct. 20 For The DVD Debut Of Writer/Director Peter Facinelli's The Vanished

The pandemic has really taken a toll on the theatrical market.  Last year at this time, as an example, we had 54 films that had pulled in over $25 million at the box office.  This year, there are just nine.   Nine … nothing in that range since March.

 

So many films that could have been released have either been shelved until sunnier times, or have been given a very expensive direct-to-streaming, followed by a direct-to-video launch.

 

Another one of these surfaced this past week from Paramount Home Media as news arrived that writer/director Peter Facinelli’s The Vanished will be making its way to the DVD on Oct. 20.

 

The film got a sneak-peek film festival release last February to generate “buzz.”  The plan was to take the reviews and either expand the film festival play dates or move the film into a summer theatrical release window.   March 15 came and all of that went down the drain.

 

The Vanished, starring Thomas Jane (The Mist, Deep Blue Sea, Dreamcatcher, etc.), Anne Heche, Jason Patric, and Peter Facinelli (directing only his second film), starts off simple enough.   Wendy (Anne Heche) and Paul (Thomas Jane) are on vacation with their daughter Taylor (played twins Sadie and Kennedy Heim), rolling down the highway in their RV.   End of day, RV park, rest for the night … simple.

 

If you are a fan of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan and his misdirection stories; his wicked twists, then you get a hint of that here.   Wendy and Paul arrive at the RV park and a series of scenes play out that create tension and set up all sorts of red herrings … the people running the place are down-right nasty.

 

And there is the “cute” woman in the neighboring RV that catches Paul’s eye.  Before you can say “start the BBQ,” little Taylor has vanished.

 

Panic!!   The law arrives, Sheriff Baker (Jason Patric) and his sidekick, Deputy Rakes (Facinelli), and before we even get into searching for the missing girl, the family is informed that dangerous convicts have escaped from. the local prison, so that might be the reason for their daughter’s disappearance.  

 

From this point on, nothing is going to be normal.   Buckle up, grab the popcorn and settle in for a rollercoaster ride that will keep you guessing as to what comes next … and what comes after that!!