Event Horizon
I’ve heard a lot of people talk about how much they love this film, particularly on Cadaver Lab and Horror Etc. I’ve heard it from friends of mine.
And I cannot, for the life of me, see why.
I’ll admit that I can see one reason – Event Horizon shapes up to be yet another Alien ripoff for the first half-hour or so, and having it turn into a Hellraiser riff would’ve been fairly new. I just can’t see it inspiring the affection that it does… and here’s why.
Event Horizon gets off to a decent start, and then it completely blows its not-inconsiderable potential. You’ve got a cast that can actually do things – particularly Sam Neill and Lawrence Fishburne. You’ve got the start of a story that’s got real horrific potential – hyperspace (and similar things, like the gravity drive here) are a sci fi staple, and the question of ‘what exists in that dimension’ is something that ought to be explored further.
Unfortunately, all we get in terms of that exploration is “bad things that make people go nuts.” I’ve heard this called a haunted house story in space, and don’t get me wrong – I like haunted house stories. But really, it ought to be a Lovecraftian piece. It shapes up to have the potential to be one, and it flirts with it in the scenes where we find out what happened to the first crew. Honestly, that’s the story I’d have wanted to see – what happened to them while they were between spaces, and what happened after they got out. It would have required a few changes to the end, potentially, but it could have created the sort of impact that the concept behind Event Horizon deserves.
If you actually enjoyed this film, let me know why. I’d really like to figure out what it is that I’m apparently missing.
