Review of Event Horizon (1997) by Klavs P — 28 Aug 2011

The film opens with a large space vessel hovering near the planet Neptune. Inside objects float in the corridor due to the ship not having gravity. At the bridge an unknown man hovers and spins around in front of a cross-shaped window; the camera rushes in to his scarred face then cuts to Sam Neill waking up in his bed, as if experiencing a nightmare. We later discover that the vessel, the Event Horizon, has now returned after a mysterious disappearance seven years ago. By now you should be unsettled about this film that pays homage to the classic space movies like Stanley Kubrickâ(TM)s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Ridley Scottâ(TM)s Alien and also haunted house movies such as Kubrickâ(TM)s The Shining and Robert Wiseâ(TM)s The Haunting. However director Paul Anderson (Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil) adds something unique to this sci-fi horror film: hell.

A search-and-rescue ship is deployed to find the Horizon and search for possible survivors. Dr. Weir (Sam Neill), the man who created the vessel, informs the crew that the Horizon has a black hole-type gateway that allows it to âtravel to the nearest star in a dayâ? instead of 50 years. Once onboard the Horizon all hell breaks loose (literally) as the crew discovers that where the ship went and what it saw, some of it stayed onboard. One by one the crew sees âthe dark inside of themselves,â? all of their fears, secrets and guilt and forces them to relive it. Hearing the Horizonâ(TM)s final message again Jason Isaacs reveals the real message, âsave yourself from hell.â? For Weir, he keeps seeing his dead wife; Laurence Fishburneâ(TM)s captain sees a burning man; whatever Jack Noseworthy saw it caused him to commit suicide by opening the shipâ(TM)s air lock that is on the same scary, gory level as the chestburster scene in Alien. The crew tries to stay alive long enough to leave the ship before they share the same fate as the Horizonâ(TM)s crew (go frame by frame to see what happened to them, if youâ(TM)re brave enough).

A disappointment during its original release for its gory, strange visions of hell the film has now taken a cult status. While it has similarities to other films, Paul Anderson keeps the picture stealthy and dark, aided by a crashing score from Mark Kamen which lends the film an oppressive and threatening mood. The design of the Event Horizon is amazing, resembling the Notre Dome cathedral with its circular shapes, stained glass windows, pillars and other religious iconography. The photography is excellent in creating a spooky, dreading feeling throughout (the sickly green lighting one corridor has still makes me uncomfortable for some reason) while making you experience the same feeling of dizziness the crew has in zero gravity. The script could have given the characters a little more dimension and not just having them play types. Also if it wasnâ(TM)t for the studio forcing Anderson to cut 30 minutes out after a bad test screening, the character moments and the gory moments could have a greater impact. Nevertheless the film must be seen for horror fans. The razor sharp cuts will dig into your subconscious.