Event Horizon

Science-fiction horror for a Throwback Thursday.

There is nothing I like more than a good Sci-Fi horror movie. To this day, the Aliens series is by far one of my favorites. But it could be said that many horror films have some element of science fiction, zombies created by a virus, futuristic and apocalyptic worlds where cannibals run rampant are a few examples. But often many don't actually take place in space or on another planet. Event Horizon is one of those that I haven't seen in a long time, but I can recall almost every little detail. It is a sign of a good film, especially for a horror film. One of Paul W.S. Anderson's (Resident Evil franchise) first feature length films (aside from Mortal Kombat), and it doesn't let you down on suspense or gore.

The "core" or engine of the ship

The Event Horizon is revealed to be a ship capable of folding space, like creating a wormhole, to travel to worlds yet unexplored. On its first test, it disappeared without a trace and after being lost for seven years it has reappeared. A team is unknowingly sent, with the scientist who created the Event Horizon, to recover it and its crew. When they arrive at the ship and go aboard they quickly find that there are no survivors among the crew. In fact one of the crew members is found to be a "corpsicle" as one of the characters calls it. Corpsicle. Ha. Anyway, stuff goes down when the core is reactivated and our team find themselves trapped on a terrifying ship. There is a solid cast in the film as well, with Laurence Fishburne as the captain and Sam Neill as the scientist. The effects are hauntingly disturbing and pretty well done and the set is very aesthetically appealing as well.

Inside the ship

A few notes about some scenes. Originally the doctor, played by Jason Isaacs, identified the transmission they had received as "liberate me" or save me in Latin. However, when s*** starts going down he reexamines it and realizes it is actually "Liberate tutame ex inferis," save yourself from Hell. I'm not a Latin expert and looking at discussions online, it is apparently incorrect. But for setting the mood of the movie, it works. Did the Event Horizon travel beyond into a sort of Hell for those seven years? Or did the ship itself become something else?

A scene of Hellish gore

Another one I somehow convinced Joey to watch with me, and he had this to say about it, "Not quite as good as I remember it, but it's got a nice slow build." He gives it 3.5 skulls and I give it 4.5. Maybe I am rating it so highly because I have such a fondness for it as a part of the formative years in my life for horror movies, but I don't care! It is still a solid horror film in my book, but the transition to the electronic music at the credits is a little laughable.

My rating:

Joey's rating: