Event Horizon

Summary

I have always considered the Nineties to be one of the best eras for science fiction. This is partially due to my nostalgic memories of that time, but also due to the amount of inventive memorable films that were made in that genre spanning from Waterworld to films like Being John Malkovich to Total Recall. In 1997, Paul W.S. Anderson directed an excellent horror film that happened to take place in outer space – Event Horizon. The film managed to be effective in both the horror and science fiction genres, which is a really difficult balance to find. Critics at the time of the release seemed to largely dismiss the film, which I have always thought was mainly just showboating. Horror and science fiction genre films have a hard time pleasing critics in general, so maybe by mixing the genres together they had a task too difficult to accomplish. The only successful horror films to take place in space and receive critical praise that come to mind are the Alien films and possibly 2001: A Space Odyssey (which is really more of a thriller and an art house picture than a horror film.) I am not saying that Event Horizon is without its issues. For example, the film’s final act has a fantastic premise that it explores, but it also feels a bit unwieldy because of a couple cliche moments of villainy. That said, taken as a whole, the film has deservedly been praised by both genre communities for its great premise, frightening moments and ideas, brilliant production design, and memorable sequences. 

The fact that the film turned out so well is also a bit miraculous. I remember when Fangoria first released photographs from the set of the film as it was being produced. Unfortunately, the film was scaled back from the original cut presented to Paramount which ran over thirty minutes longer. When the film began to sell well on DVD, Paramount contacted Paul W.S. Anderson to reassemble the missing footage for a director’s cut, but the footage was either lost or damaged. This original cut, while Anderson has said it was still a rough cut and he probably would have only used about ten more minutes of the lost footage, has become for many collectors one of those holy grail wishlist items that will probably never happen. It has become the science fiction/ horror nerds’ The Magnificent Ambersons.

In 2047, a rescue vessel called the Lewis and Clark is sent towards the outer realms of Neptune on a mission that has not been fully explained. Onboard the ship is the crew which consists of Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne,) Lieutenant Stark (Joely Richardson,) pilot Smith (Sean Pertwee,) medical technician Peters (Kathleen Quinlan,) Doctor D.J. (Jason Isaacs,) engineer Justin (Jack Noseworthy,) and rescue technician Cooper (Richard T. Jones.) The crew has been joined by scientist Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill.) Once they have gone through their thirty day journey within their sleep pods and have awakened, Captain Miller asks Dr. Weir exactly why they have been brought so far out. He explains that the rescue mission is to bring back the Event Horizon. The Event Horizon was an experimental vessel that had disappeared completely seven years earlier. Dr. Weir explains that the ship was designed with a gravity drive that was capable of creating a tiny black hole and passing through it to get from point A to point B. When it had disappeared, no one had been able to pinpoint where the ship had gone. When it reappeared suddenly, a signal had been sent out with a strange message. Dr. Weir plays the message for all the crew members on board. It is horrific sounding message, but one of the crew members hears the Latin term “Liberate Me,” which he explains means “Save me.” Dr. Weir has been sent with the Lewis and Clark in order to pilot the Event Horizon back. The Lewis and Clark approaches the Event Horizon. The crew can not prepare themselves fully for the horrors that await them and the dangers that they will face aboard the Event Horizon.

First and foremost, the production design of Event Horizon is impeccable. Joseph Bennett’s work on the film can not be underestimated. The set designs by Crispian Sallis are fantastic. The cinematography by Adrian Biddle, who also worked on the films Aliens and Judge Dredd is great. The film uses some computer generated visuals, but the best looking sequences are all done with practical effects and well thought out design. Event Horizon, for my money, is one of the most visually enticing science fiction films of that era. 

The cast of the film features some great performers. Laurence Fishburn is perfectly cast for the role of Captain Miller. He has a great air of authority and intelligence to him that works perfectly here. I can understand fully why he was cast as Morpheus in the Matrix films. Sam Neill is great in the role of the haunted Dr. Weir. I had no trouble believing him as a scientist, but I grew up repeatedly watching him as a paleontologist in Jurassic Park. They are the two best members of the cast, but the other members of the crew are filled out by talented actors including Joely Richardson, Kathleen Quinlan, and Jason Isaacs. 

The direction by Paul W.S. Anderson is solid. Anderson worked hand in hand with screenwriter Philip Eisner to rework the script away from the idea of alien life forms and closer to the idea of a possessed ship. The premise is a great one that a spaceship (spoiler alert) could come back from Hell and bring something terrible back with it. 

Overall – aside from a few moments that veer toward cliche, Event Horizon is a very satisfying science fiction film and a very satisfying horror film.

Video

Shout! Factory have done an excellent job on their transfer of the film using an MPEG-4 AVC codec from a new 4K scan of the original camera negatives. The 2.35:1 image looks great. The new scan shows off excellent fine detail and very fine grain over the image. Films with amazing production and set design like Event Horizon deserve to be given Blu-ray releases so that the artistry in the film can be looked at with a greater degree of detail. I owned the Paramount Blu-ray, which admittedly looked pretty good, but I think that the Shout! Factory release (unless we get a 4K UHD release) will be the definitive video presentation of the film for some time. Fans should be pleased. 

Audio

Shout! Factory have provided an immersive and well mastered DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track. The film effectively induces jump scares using the surrounds for some pretty frightening sequences. The gravity drive has never sounded better than it does here! 

Supplements:

• Audio Commentary with Director Paul W.S. Anderson and Producer Jeremy Bolt
• Reflecting on Hell – An Interview with Director Paul W.S. Anderson – in this new interview, Anderson looks back briefly at the production of the film, the large sets built in Pinewood Studios in England, and the difficult task of editing the film in 4 weeks. He claims to still be very proud of the film in the form that it is shown even without some of the additional footage.
• Ghost Galleon – An Interview with Writer Philip Eisner – Eisner does an excellent job of discussing the ways in which the script developed from ideas revolving around alien realms to physical Hell, and his great working relationship with Paul W.S. Anderson.
• Organized Chaos – An Interview with Actress Kathleen Quinlan – Quinlan reminisces about her time working on the film and the amazing craftsmanship that went into it.
• Compassion in Space – An Interview with Actor Jack Noseworthy – Noseworthy discusses how he used the pain of losing a family member to deliver his performance.
• The Doomed Captain – An Interview with Actor Peter Marinker – Marinker reminisces on his very fast role in the film.
• Space Cathedral – An Interview with Production Designer Joseph Bennett – a brief but fantastic interview with Bennett who discusses where some of the ideas came for the design.
• Something New – An Interview with Set Decorator Crispian Sallis – Sallis despite the brevity of the interview discusses some of the clever tricks he utilized to create the visual fabric of the film. I really enjoyed this interview,
• Taking Care of It – An Interview with Production Manager Dusty Symonds – a very brief interview about the production.
• Reinforcements – An Interview with Second Unit Director Robin Vidgeon – Vidgeon discusses how he took over the second unit which was facing difficulties before his arrival.
• Almost Real – An Interview with Location Manager Derek Harrington
• Screams from the Cosmos – An Interview with Sound Designer Campbell Askew 
• The Making of Event Horizon – A 5-Part Documentary – this is the very well made hour long making-of that was originally featured on the Paramount release.
• The Point of No Return – A 4-Part Look at the Filming of EVENT HORIZON with Narration by Paul W.S. Anderson
• Secrets – Deleted and Extended Scenes with Director’s Commentary – Three scenes
• The Unseen Event Horizon – The Un-filmed Rescue Scene and Conceptual Art with Director’s Commentary 
• Theatrical Trailer
• Video Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 5/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Event Horizon was rushed out by Paramount and was only given about a month for the picture to be edited. In the process, Paul W.S. Anderson cut out over thirty minutes of footage. He believes that about ten minutes of it would have been beneficial to the film. As it stands, Event Horizon is still one of the best science fiction and horror films from the Nineties. Critics were largely dismissive of the film, but I think they were just plain wrong about the film. While the final act of the film falls into a few tropes that could have been avoided, the film’s brilliant production and set design should have shown the critics that a lot of care had gone into the film. It is unfortunate that the missing footage has either been destroyed or lost, but the film is still a great effort that sparks the imagination. There has been a devoted legion of fans for the film since its release for good reason. Shout! Factory’s release of the film features a plethora of interviews and a great transfer from a 4K scan. Fans will definitely want to consider a double dip from the solid (but out of print) Paramount Blu-ray.