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 works 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
This new Blu-Ray from Scream Factory rescues Event Horizon from a pretty rough HD transfer with a stunning new 4K scan of the original camera negative in an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The film has a very pleasing grain structure that preserves the filmic look of the picture, showcasing subtle details in the inventive production design in each segment of the ship. The practical effects of the various terrors hold up well under the scrutiny of high definition. 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. Skin tones look natural, even with the varied color temperature throughout the film. Colors pop off the screen nicely, especially in the reds and greens, not to mention the orange of the fire. Black levels hold up pretty well with some admirable depth to the image. The damage has all but been eradicated with this new transfer. Scream Factory has done a great service for fans of the film with this impressive new master.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that opens up this world in a pretty interesting way sonically. Each scene employs distinct sounds that creep through the surrounds to provide some excellent ambient details. All of the various sounds in the mix seem accurately placed so that nothing ever feels off. Dialogue sounds perfectly clear without sound effects or the score trouncing on important information. The brawls, screams, thuds and other sounds stemming from kinetic sequences are given the appropriate weight within the mix. This is a pretty loud, in-your-face film that feels like a sonic assault – in a good way. The subwoofer is given a fairly intense workout with various bombastic set pieces. The soundtrack comes through forcefully without trodding over the other more subtle elements. This is a well-done, balanced mix.
Special Features
- 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.
- Reflecting On Hell: A new 10-minute interview with director Paul W.S. Anderson in which he discusses his journey to the film, the behind-the-scenes challenges, the artistic influences to the production design, his regrets in cutting certain scenes from the film, Paramount’s preoccupation with Titanic, his opinion of the film’s legacy and more.
- Haunted Galleon: A new 9-minute interview with writer Philip Eisner in which he discusses his headspace when developing the script, his pitch of “The Shining in space”, working with Paul W.S. Anderson, the moment of awe he experienced when first seeing the production design in person, the details of a scene they had to lose and more fascinating anecdotes.
- Organized Chaos: A new 8-minute interview with Actress Kathleen Quinlan in which she discusses her appreciation for being able to play a strong female character, her experiences working on set at Pinewood Studios, the physicality of the role, performing some of her own stunts and more.
- Compassion In Space: A new nearly 9-minute interview with Actor Jack Noseworthy in which he discusses working with Anderson, channeling personal loss in his performance, his memories of working with the makeup team and more. This remote interview has a few buffering issues, but you can still make out everything he is saying.
- The Doomed Captain: A new 3-minute interview with Actor Peter Marinker in which he discusses his initial reaction upon receiving the script, the uncertainty over his filming days, his appreciation for the film and more.
- Space Cathedral: A new nearly 6-minute interview with Production Designer Joseph Bennett in which he discusses the tight turnaround time for pre-production, striving to make something “amazing” rather than slavishly realistic, using fighter jet pods as inspiration the sleep pods, the spiky sphere and more.
- Something New: A new nearly 8-minute interview with Set Decorator Crispian Sallis in which he discusses working with Joseph Bennett, decorating the two ships, the importance of lighting and movement, the level of detail he put into the setting, finding weird props for the characters and more.
- Taking Care Of It: A new 3-minute interview with Production Manager Dusty Symonds in which he discusses the hectic production schedule, Sam Neil trying to act under heavy makeup, the importance of modelmaker Daniel Bennett and more.
- Reinforcements: A new 4-minute interview with Second Unit Director Robin Vidgeon in which he discusses taking over his own crew, isolating the problems with the second unit, filming sequences on the spaceship and more.
- Almost Real: A new 3-minute interview with Location Manager Derek Harrington in which he discusses getting a call from production supervisor Malcolm Christopher, finding the proper interior spaces that would be as spacious as they need and more.
- Screams From The Cosmos: A new nearly 7-minute interview with Sound Designer Campbell Askew in which he discusses the blank canvas that was creating the sound design of the film, his approach to finding the right sounds, re-voicing that had to be done after filming and more.
- 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. Scream Factory has pulled out all of the stops with a brand new Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray sporting a top notch A/V presentation and more special features than you could ever dream up. For fans of the film, you could not ask for better. Recommended
Event Horizon is currently available to purchase on Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Scream Factory 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.
