This movie review was previously published with the Event Horizon Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray release from Scream Factory.
Director Paul W.S. Anderson is such a fascinating filmmaker to follow throughout his career. His films very rarely knock it out of the park, but they are usually packed with enough fun moments to make them worth your time. His initial international breakout hit was the popular video game adaptation of Mortal Kombat, which is a personal favorite. Movies based on video games have seemingly been his bread and butter, from helming the best entries in the Resident Evil franchise to his latest bit of over-the-top fun known as Monster Hunter. Perhaps one of the biggest outliers in terms of quality in his filmography is 1997’s Event Horizon, his second stab at a big budget studio feature. The film was a critical and box office failure, but it strangely has garnered one of the biggest followings of any of his movies due to the strong blend of sci-fi and horror that made for a pretty compelling narrative. A rushed production and editing period did not allow for this film to be the best version it could have been, but what we got is still one of the stronger sci-fi horror films to come out of the late 90s.
The idea for Event Horizon as described by screenwriter Philip Eisner is a “haunted house story in space” in the vein of The Shining. While Anderson is no Stanley Kubrick and few can match up to the excellence of Jack Nicholson, the talent involved in front of the camera is nothing to discount. Laurence Fishburne plays Captain Miller, the commanding officer of the Lewis and Clarke. The year is 2047 and a signal has been received from a long-lost space vessel known as the Event Horizon which disappeared nearly a decade ago only to reappear on the outskirts of Neptune’s orbit. Miller’s rescue vessel has been assigned the task of reclaiming the ship and finding out what happened. He has a colorful cast of crew members that will make for good horror fodder in the impending expedition. He is also required to bring along Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill, Jurassic Park), the designer of the Event Horizon who suffers from hallucinations of his dead wife. The titular ship is full of secrets including the fact that it was built with an experimental gravity drive which generates artificial black holes to bridge two points in space and time – traveling vast distances in the blink of an eye. If movies have taught us anything, it is that it is never a good idea to mess with black holes.
It does not take long for the movie to arrive at this ill-fated ship, at which time everyone’s lives take a turn for the worse. No one quite knows where the ship has been this entire time, only that it went into a black hole and now the entire crew is dead. The notable aspect of this film is that the horrors that lie within the ship are not your typical alien parasite or other such personified entity. Instead, the movie relies on the psychological dread that comes from confronting your fears. One by one, crew members succumb to intense hallucinations connected to something unresolved from their past. Anderson evokes some very provocative imagery during some of these horrific sequences, but, based on stories about even more boundary-pushing content that was originally in the film, you wish there was more in the version we got. Every member of the crew gets their turn in the spotlight, but the standouts outside of the two top-billed gentlemen include Joely Richardson as Lieutenant Starck and Jason Isaacs as the ship’s doctor, DJ. The film has a lot of ambitious sci-fi concepts in its sights, and it does an admirable job of condensing it into a propulsive narrative. The film does not always follow the most obvious path which helps make it feel fresh throughout.
The best and worst elements of Event Horizon are in the technical aspects of the film. The haunted ship is a marvel of production design. The crowning achievement of this vessel is the spiky, gargantuan room that houses the black hole drive. There is also a visually marvelous cylindrical hallway that appears almost as if you are walking into a meat grinder. The cinematography and lighting design goes a long way toward creating the creepy atmosphere that is key to making this film work as well as it does. Elements that do not fare as strong include the extremely dated CGI employed at particular points in the film. It is rough enough to take you out of this world at times, but it is not bad enough to ruin the film as a whole. Event Horizon is a pretty fun, gnarly time at the movies that does not quite reach greatness thanks to the more visceral footage being excised out of the final product. It is not only the blood and guts that you are missing without this footage, but also what likely amounts to some further characterizations that makes some of the thin characters feel more substantial in the long run. There is no sense in dreaming about this alternate cut that will never be seen. Even with the drawbacks, Event Horizon is a solidly entertaining genre flick that ranks among the strongest from its director.
Video Quality
Event Horizon makes its long-anticipated 4K UHD Blu-Ray debut with a terrific 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer that allows the film to look better than it ever has. The previous Paramount Blu-Ray release, also included in this release for the special features, was frankly a major disappointment. Scream Factory then rescued the film last year with its own top-tier Blu-Ray release derived from a 4K scan of the original camera negative which is also the basis for this new 4K UHD Blu-Ray release. When compared to the old Paramount Blu-Ray, this disc offers monumental improvements in all respects, but even those with the Scream Factory release will find some lovely improvements.
This new 4K UHD Blu-Ray has a fetching amount of natural film grain that allows this movie to shine and gives a lot of pleasing texture and detail to the transfer. For the first time on home entertainment, you can clearly see specific ridges and divots in the production design. The image presents with a miraculous amount of depth that makes the ship feel more three dimensional than ever. The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are outstanding, especially when you look at the interior of the room with the black hole drive and the outfits of various characters. Character makeup also feels more textured and natural than ever before with certain gore effects looking extra visceral. The practical effects of the various terrors hold up well under the scrutiny of the format. The CGI employed in the film can look very dated by today’s standards, but it is accurate to the original look of the film.
The UHD disc contains very sophisticated colors throughout even with the more metallic color palette to suit the environment. The most impressive moments of Dolby Vision implementation are in the black levels that exercise a much greater depth and control without any crush. With this the picture maintains an excellent amount of detail in darker environments. This especially comes in handy as the film is conjuring up nightmares as you explore the ship further. White levels are brighter and offer a greater stability without veering into blooming. Reds and greens also stand out in the production design, not to mention the glorious orange of the fire. Skin tones look more natural even with the varied color temperature throughout the film. The clarity of the transfer gives you a great amount of facial detail, and nearly all print damage has been jettisoned. This transfer is a treat for fans of the film. You honestly could not ask for better from the folks at Paramount.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track instead of getting an upgrade to Dolby Atmos like some fans probably wanted. This is not a dealbreaker since the original track is far from poor and it aligns with the original creative intent, but it is worth noting. Although, judging from brief, rudimentary A/B testing, I feel the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track from the Scream Factory release slightly outperforms this Dolby track, and I wish it could have been included. This could just be my brain having a greater familiarity and fondness for DTS tracks, though.
EIther way, the track we get tackles this world pretty well sonically. Dialogue comes through clearly without sound effects or the score steamrolling important information. Nearly every scene utilizes distinct sounds that creep through the surrounds to provide some distinct ambient details. All of the various sounds in the mix seem accurately placed so that nothing ever feels off. The subwoofer is put to good use with some kinetic set pieces, but it feels like it could dig a bit deeper. The brawls, screams, thuds and other sounds are given some weight within the mix. The soundtrack comes through with force without overwhelming the other more subtle elements. This track does a pretty solid job of bringing this one to life.
Special Features
Paramount has provided Event Horizon with a sleek new SteelBook that is truly lovely in person. The case comes with a removable clear slipcase with an animated depiction of zombie hands (for some reason) clawing at an iris. The back of the slipcase has the Event Horizon emanating from the iris. The artwork underneath is the same iris with Weir clawing at his eyes in the middle of it.. The interior sports a still photo of the room with the black hole drive. Photos of the SteelBook can be found at the end of this review.
- Audio Commentary: Director Paul W.S. Anderson and Producer Jeremy Bolt provide an informative track recorded in 2006 which delves into the development of the film, the crafting of the ship, the visual effects in the film, their experiences with the performers, early cuts of the film, the marketing on behalf of Paramount and more. These two do not try to paint a perfect picture of the film and give some information fans will love to hear.
- The Making of Event Horizon: A five-part making-of documentary totaling 1 hour and 43 minutes from 2006 is provided here which tackles the development of the film from script to screen, the casting of the film, the production of the film and the most challenging scenes, the special effects in the film, the initial audience reaction to the film and subsequent release and more essential bits that make for an invaluable look at the creation of this film.
- The Point of No Return – The Filming of Event Horizon: A four-part look at the production of the film totaling 8 minutes that explores the revolving tunnel, some of the wire work in the film, unused scenes and more.
- Secrets: Three unfinished deleted scenes totaling 10 minutes are included here depicting a briefing, an extended medical bay scene and an extended burning man confrontation that shakes up the ending of the film. All scenes are included here with optional director commentary that help give context to alternate versions of the film.
- The Unseen Event Horizon: Anderson takes you through some conceptual art for the film which depicts unfilmed scenes including a rescue scene. Some of the disturbing artwork on display here would have been really interesting to be seen brought to life.
- Theatrical Trailer: A two-and-a-half minute trailer which gives you a decent look at the film, but does showcase some of the difficulties Paramount had with marketing the film.
- Video Trailer: A nearly two-minute trailer for the home video release of the film which is not too terribly different from the theatrical trailer.
Final Thoughts
Event Horizon is far from a perfect movie, but it has a lot of particular elements that make it a great amount of fun. The film establishes a pretty creepy atmosphere and the performers and rock solid in their characters, especially Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne. The movie would most likely have an even stronger legacy if it had not been rushed and toned down as much as it was, but the film we got is good for what it is. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray which offers a dazzling A/V presentation and its original legacy special features, but it is missing some interviews exclusive to the Scream Factory Blu-Ray release. Even still, this release should be perfect for all but the most avid fans who need each and every last special feature – in that case, get both! Highly Recommended
Event Horizon will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook and Digital on August 9, 2022.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.