Event Horizon (1997)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Paul W.S. Anderson

Writer (WGA):

Philip Eisner (written by)

Release Date:

15 August 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Infinite Space - Infinite Terror

Plot:

A rescue crew investigates a spaceship that disappeared into a black hole and has now returned...with someone or something new on-board.

Plot Keywords:

Black Hole | Gore | Cryogenics | Outer Space | Threatened With Knife

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Laurence Fishburne	...	Captain Miller
Sam Neill	...	Dr. William Weir
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Peters, Med Tech
Joely Richardson	...	Lt. Starck
Richard T. Jones	...	Cooper
Jack Noseworthy	...	Justin
Jason Isaacs	...	D.J.
Sean Pertwee	...	Smith
Peter Marinker	...	Captain John Kilpack
Holley Chant	...	Claire
Barclay Wright	...	Denny Peters
Noah Huntley	...	Burning Man / Edward Corrick
Robert Jezek	...	Rescue 1 Technician

Also Known As:

The Stars My Destination (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, language and some nudity.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | USA:R (certificate #34953) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (1998) | Finland:K-18 (1997) | France:-12 | Sweden:15 (video rating) | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Germany:16 | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Golar Productions

Trivia:

Everyone's space suit has their country's flag. During production, Australia was considering changing its flag. Sam Neill's character is Australian, and his spacesuit's flag has the Aboriginal flag in place of the Union Jack.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Lewis and Clarke crew enters stasis on the way to Neptune, made necessary because of the "30 Gs of acceleration" they will endure for the trip. When they arrive at Neptune, however, there are coffee cups and other debris on the tabletop, loose chairs, etc., in the same position as they were before the trip. This is not consistent with sudden and severe acceleration.

Quotes:

Claire, Weir's Woman: I have such wonderful, wonderful things... to show you...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Movin' Out (Brian's Song) (#6.2)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Funky Shit

A criminally under rated horror masterpiece

Unfairly dismissed as a combination of Alien and Hellraiser, Event Horizon is one of those films that should be ranked among the classics of it's genre yet has somehow fallen by the wayside to be revered by movie geeks and horror aficionados but ultimately ignored by the mainstream. What's especially surprising is that this excellent film came from the directing skills of Paul W Anderson who was also responsible for such tragic misfires as Resident Evil and Alien Versus Predator and shows that there is more to Hollywood's Generic Director For Hire than first imagined.

Set in the year 2047 the story concerns the sudden reappearance of a prototype spaceship (the Event Horizon of the title) which vanished on it's maiden voyage seven years previously. A salvage ship called The Lewis And Clark is sent out to investigate and brings along Dr William Weir (Sam Neil), a physics expert originally responsible for the ship's creation. They dock with the Horizon but find no signs of life and as they set about making repairs, the crew begin to experience hallucinations and sense that they are not alone...

So far so very familiar but this is far, far more than a rip off disguising itself as a 'homage.' For one thing there is no predatory alien hunter on the loose and instead the horror is far more psychological. Not that there isn't a fair amount of violence and gore but the gradual sense of unease that builds up to it is crafted more on the crew's growing sense of anxiety and paranoia. Plus, there is no definitive explanation given for what they are experiencing. Just what are these Ghosts from their pasts doing on this ship? And what exists on the other side of the black hole? Another dimension where mankind was never meant to go or as the movie itself suggests but doesn't confirm, the very depths of hell itself? Couple this with the excellent set design - the ship is modelled on the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris - and the pulse-pounding moments in the latter half when the chaos sets in and you have one tremendously enjoyable horror film. Best watched alone at night with all the lights off where you can properly get swept up in it's claustrophobic atmosphere, you'll never need eyes to see again.