Event Horizon-
Special Collector's Edition
(Paramount Region 1 NTSC 2-Disc DVD)
(1997)
review by Head Cheeze

Man, I’ve been running this site for close to four years now and even I forget what is (or isn’t) in our reviews archive. Sometimes, like in the case of the Hellraiser franchise or one of the many Friday the 13th sequels, one just assumes that a film has been covered. Sometimes a movie is just so obvious that none of the several writers on this particular site think twice about reviewing it because, heck, someone else had to have done it by now, right?

Wrong.

Event Horizon, the 1997 cult phenomenon that merged hardcore sci-fi with gory existentialist horror, has somehow managed to avoid the critical radar here at Horrorview, but perhaps that’s for the best as, with the release of Paramount’s Special Collector’s Edition DVD of the film, we’re looking pretty damned topical.

While not the much-rumored director’s cut of the film, this two-disc set offers up just about all of the deleted and extended bits that would have made up that cut, so those of you with a gift for recall and a solid imagination can create your own director’s cut in your noggin if need be. Personally, I think the existing cut works fine.

For those of you who haven’t yet seen the film, the Event Horizon is an experimental spaceship designed to zip through space in the blink of an eye, thanks to an engine that allows it to “fold space”. However, something went wrong (doesn’t it always?) and the Event Horizon disappeared.

Until now.

The ship’s designer, the tortured Dr. Weir (Neil), receives word that, after seven years, his creation has reappeared, and is assigned to a salvage operation aboard the rescue ship Lewis & Clark. The crew of the Clark, led by Miller (Fishburne), is understandably frightened when they encounter the behemoth that is the Event Horizon, but that’s nothing compared to what they’ll encounter aboard the derelict craft.

I’ve always enjoyed this film, likening it to a combination of the classic Solaris (no, not the remake) and something from the mind of Clive Barker. While director Anderson borrows bits from his favorite flicks, he does so with the intentions of a hardcore aficionado of the genre, and offers up enough of his own original material to make Event Horizon a film others will surely borrow from in the years to come.

Sure the film has its shortcomings; stilted dialogue, occasionally flawed and aged CGI work, but the presence of actors like Fishburne and Neil really class things up nicely, and Anderson’s obvious love for the material shines through in every scene.

This new DVD from Paramount is an Event Horizon fan’s dream come true (save for the whole “director’s cut” thing, of course). In addition to a feature length commentary, this two-disc set features a feature-length making of documentary (in five parts) that covers Event Horizon from inception to completion. There’s also several other featurettes offering up glimpses of that notorious deleted/alternate footage, concept art, trailers, and even a segment discussing an unfilmed alternate ending.

While I can hear the groans of hardcore fans who have been waiting on an uncut version of this film, all I can say is tough noogies. This isn’t exactly what you may have been waiting for, but it’s damned close, and the making-of feature is well worth the purchase alone.