Event Horizon (1997)

Mortification is the word I would use to describe what I'm feeling right now. After reading back through my other entries, I noticed some grammar and spelling errors!! Nooooooooo. See? This is exactly what I mean. I may have scared of the two readers I might have had. Well, that's what I get for relying only on the spell check. Much to my surprise, I actually got in two films last night and "Event Horizon" was one of them. Event Horizon is an old favorite but I haven't seen it since 1997 when I was sixteen years old, or maybe I've seen it more than once but I haven't seen it since the late nineties. I do remember how incredibly creepy this film is but now in 2010 I figured it probably wouldn't have the same effect on me as it did in 1997. The scares might be mediocre at best, I thought. Boy was I wrong.

The film is about a crew on a rescue mission to recover a supposedly lost ship called the Event Horizon. They are accompanied by the ship's creator Dr. Weir played by Sam Neill. Once they find the ship, a skeptical captain, played by Lawrence Fishburne and his crew, find that the ship may be inhabited by some sort of evil force. I'm so glad I got to revisit this film because not only did it creep the hell out of me, it reminded me of how much I loved it. The thing that makes this film creepy as hell is the fact that it relies on images and the unseen to set the haunting mood. Sometimes it's what you don't see that scares you. I think what gets me is that the possibilities of where this ship could've been are endless. They never tell you where the ship has been or what is really inhabiting it so that's what makes it creepy.


Event Horizon is a very atmospheric film and it's very dark and muted. The performances are all believable and perfectly cast I must say. Each actor inhabits their roles in great form. The film is well paced and it still holds up very well after ten plus years. The special effects are pretty good and there was only a few spots where the effects looked fake. Blame it on the times. Between that and "Avatar", special effects have come a long way and are now pretty much flawless. We still need a couple more years to get it right but we are well on our way. I also love the colors in this film, anytime blood splashes on the muted color palette, it's like a work of art almost. I still can't imagine how I managed to get through this film at sixteen years old. However, I've always been a big horror film buff so that explains it. I just can't believe it took me so long to revisit it.


Technically I would say that this film definitely is a great example as far as production design and lighting. The mood and tone of the film are present from the very start and you are taken into space. Those things are very important to any film really, but more important when you're tying to immerse your audience in a particular environment that you're trying to create. The director, Paul W.S. Anderson, does a great shop of creating a claustrophobic and haunting environment that really puts you on the edge of your seat at times. The outer space in this film is a different kind of space. It seems more sinister and more dark than most sci-fi films and that's what makes this film and the situation that the characters are in seem hopeless. At the same time it puts itself up there as one of the best of it's genre. You feel uneasy watching the film because you never know what's going to happen on that damn ship, but there are also random flashes of horror throughout the film that scare the shit out of you and disturb you. If you ever watch it with surround sound, like I did, you will be on that ship! I wonder what the film sounds like with lossless audio. I think I'm probably going to get the blu ray when I can afford it. I'm not going to spoil anything but the one part that really gets my knickers in a bunch is the footage from the Event Horizon's log that the crew discover. Just thinking about it now makes me cringe. It is pure evil and I don't think I've ever seen another scene like it to date. I'm sure they're out there but I haven't seen them.


All in all I would say this film is sci-fi horror at it's best and very much underrated. It still holds up well to me after all these years and if you haven't seen this film yet, you should. However, if you're squeamish or are sensitive to subject matter such as this, DO NOT WATCH. I do recommend this film to any horror fan who has not yet seen this and if you can, watch it with surround sound or if you have a blu ray player, rent it!