Event Horizon
Image From IMDB
Event Horizon (1997)
“Where you’re going you won’t need eyes…” It gets me every time. So much about Event Horizon feels iconic. The ship floating in Neptune. Every single thing Laurence Fishbourne says. The crashouts (as the kids say nowadays… hopefully I'm using that right) Sam Neill’s eyes. The ridiculousness of Cooper flying back. It’s just one of those movie you don’t forget.
I’m not ashamed to say I've probably seen this movie fifty times. It may even be Paul W.S. Anderson’s finest work, which I know some of you might think is a low bar, but I love (most of) his movies. It’s horrific, and creepy, and very sci-fiy, but also has room to be schlocky. The perfect blend.
Event Horizon follows the crew of the Lewis and Clark as they attempt to find out what happened to the experimental science ship the Event Horizon after it reappears back on the radar after a seven year absences. Once there, they slowly begin to realise the ship has been places and seen things no man should see, now they just need to get the fuck out of there before Sam Neill rips their eyes out.
The ship design is fantastic. The stuff around Neptune looks great. I like all the science stuff from the cryochambers to the design of the drive, to the connecting tunnel between the two ships. Everything feels very science fiction, while the movie is very clearly a horror.
It’s morbid, nasty, and damn right cruel… but also highly entertaining and pretty tense at times. The characters are all interesting with everyone playing their part well. Fishbourne is the obvious standout performance, but Sam Neill is great too.
My favourite scene is the initial investigation of the Event Horizon. I’m a sucker for those sort of scenes. The suspense and tension. Blood up the walls, but the crew don’t notice. Everything frozen and floaty. The first time the drive stops spinning and hell is in the air. It’s so atmospheric and terrifying.
It’s just one of those movies I've always got time for. I think I've watched it with just about every one I know at one point or another. No one in my circle of friends seems to dislike the film, and it’s always a talking point. It’s just a damn cool movie, and I'd love to get more sci-fi’s like this one. They occasionally pop up, but none will ever be quite as cruel as Event Horizon.
