Paul W.S. Anderson’s haunted house in space movie still ranks as his best, even though it has its faults. It’s a film that takes elements from Alien, The Haunting and The Exorcist (to name just a few) and blends them together into something that at least feels fresh even if it doesn’t really have an original bone in its body.
A rescue mission to recover the experimental spaceship Event Horizon is sent to the outer edge of the solar system, the ships crew augmented by Dr William Weir, the inventor of the Event Horizon’s revolutionary interstellar drive. It’s not long before the rescue team discover that all is not right onboard the derelict ship and they begin to wonder where it’s been for the last seven years and, more importantly, what has come back with it.
Anderson does a good job of generating a creepy atmosphere aboard the ship and he’s helped by some superb production design that gives the film a unique look. The visual effects are also top notch and still stand up today, showing the value of model work over CGI.
The cast are mostly excellent with only Joely Richardson feeling out of place, she just seems a little to polished when compared to the grittiness of the rest of the crew. Laurence Fishburne as Captain Miller gets the film’s funniest moment (“We’re leaving”) but it’s Sam Neil, once again descending into madness a’ la In the Mouth of Madness, who walks off with the film. Whether explaining interstellar space travel or gouging his own eyes out, he’s never less than convincing.
When I first saw the film I though it too short and several viewings later that feeling remains. There were rumours of a gorier cut of the film but what it really needs is room to breath, to put flesh on the characters that would allow the viewer to care more about them. The films nonstop pace just doesn’t allow the actors enough to work with and the film ends up being a rollercoaster ride when it could have been so much more.
Anderson is a much maligned director but there are far worse filmmakers out there and with Event Horizon he made an effective blend of horror and science fiction. Yes, it could have been better but it’s an entertaining 90 minutes that‘s anything but dull.
Horror and Western film buff, Marvel comic geek, music lover and occasional gamer. 