Event Horizon, 1997. Paul W. S. Anderson.

Event Horizon didn’t have the best start to life, by losing money for Paramount. The budget for the film was around 60 million, and it only managed to bring in 45 million at the box office. So, it was deemed a flop.  However, most of my favourite films did terribly upon release so that means very little to me. I do feel sorry for everyone involved in making the film, and I do love it when a film becomes a cult classic after a disappointing start. Paramount only had themselves to blame for not giving the film enough time to be made, to the director’s dismay. I don’t know much about Paul W. S. Anderson. I remember watching Alien Vs Predator at some point, Resident Evil was never my thing, but I have heard that Death Race is worth a watch. Event Horizon is just one of those films that I have always admired. But, I may have only watched it three times since its release. However, this fourth time was a unique experience in many ways. I am starting to understand the filmmaking process in more detail, and this film is quickly becoming a divisive talking point amongst movie fans. I am aware, there is a lengthy documentary about the making of the film. However, I’m saving that for next time. 

I think I have only just realised this, but I am pretty obsessed with the isolation of space. I know it started with Alien. At a young age, I vividly remember closing the curtains on a hot summer day to help create the environment of the Nostromo, while watching the film. In literature, I loved to read A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaiken in bed on a dark and cold winter night. Something else that raised that intensity was  Journey into Space, 1953. A BBC Radio science fiction program that took its listeners to the stars, before mankind had reached the Moon. I’m not the only person that feels this way. Look at the success of 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Expanse and many other films, television shows and books that are still coming out today. Our fascination with the stars has been constant throughout history, and our curiosity will never stop. However, I suppose I should get back to Event Horizon, and it’s no wonder that I was instantly attracted to this film. I think it is easy to point out that Event Horizon is similar to Alien, but there is more to be found in this film. Remember Hellraiser? I do, and I think I am lucky to have watched it at an early age. There was nothing as gruesome, gory and highly fascinating about Clive Barker’s debut film. Hellraiser feels like a moment when horror changed, and the stories that could be told on screen would never be the same again. Event Horizon reminds me of that film, in all its glorious fashion. However, instead of a mystical puzzle box, something far more realistic and terrifying is used to open the door to hell.

A distress signal was received from the Event Horizon seven years after it went missing. The ship’s designer, William Wier Sam Neill is tasked with bringing the ship back home. On board the rescue vessel, Bill Wier informs Captain Miller Laurence Fishburne and his crew about the project. The Event Horizon was built to fold space and time, to travel from one point of the galaxy to another. In other words, they created a black hole. I think this is where the fear works for this film. Space is still pretty unknown, but at night we can stare at its wonder. For centuries people have gazed upon the stars and searched for heavenly bodies. I think it’s a genius idea for a writer to think about space differently. What if there are regions of space that we should avoid at all costs? Of course, this is all fantasy at this moment in history, but it sure is something future generations may need to discuss. Another film it reminds me of is The Shining, Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece. I love that film and the director. Event Horizon shares the same cryptic moments and even has a river of blood. I said earlier that I had watched this film four times at least, but each time I walked away from it with a different perspective. Just like The Shining, the small moments are delivered in a way that as a viewer, you can decide what is happening on screen. Both films remind me of those story books that help you create your own unique journey, by turning to different pages throughout the narrative.

I feel like I have opened up another can of worms, and fallen down another rabbit hole with this film. First of all, let me say that I think Event Horizon is a great film, a magnum opus as one would say. I will end this review, with what I call the real tragedy of the film, and something I never thought about before. I thought William Wier’s storyline was pretty simple, but I was wrong. He felt like a man determined to see his work with the Event Horizon fulfilled, at any cost. However, I see a different side to his character now. Once the crew are aboard the Event Horizon, the ship’s gravity drive activates, and things will never be the same again. First of all, I’m not sure any portal opened, and the crew were already amongst evil once they entered the region around Neptune. However, it seems that whatever surrounds the Event Horizon is attracted to the people who carry the most pain. Bill was already haunted by the death of his wife before they reached their destination. In fact, aboard the Event Horizon, he says he can’t go through the scenario again, reliving the moment his wife killed herself. During his final hallucination, when his wife asks him to join him, we never see the real Bill again. I think Bill Wier was so distraught with the death of his wife, that he couldn’t process it properly. He was so preoccupied with his work, that he neglected her when she needed him. He believed that if the Event Horizon became a success, it would somehow make amends for his failure. People process loss in many ways and guilt is a difficult emotion to come to terms with. That’s the human condition right there, and it’s pretty heartbreaking when you think about it.

However, I need to watch the documentary now and try to understand the film a bit more closely, because I still have a lot of questions to answer. Why did I originally think this film was directed by the Wachowskis? I get the Laurence Fishburne connection, but everything about Event Horizon reminds me of The Matrix. I also want to look at the lost footage, the beautiful practical effects, the debatable computer-generated imagery and a lot more. I think Event Horizon is ripe for the picking, and I want to learn more about it. Hopefully, this is just the beginning, and I want to go deeper into this movie’s history. I hope you can join me next time, in the vastness of space, once again.

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