Continuing a theme of rewatching old horror films, this one perhaps wouldn’t spring to many people’s minds. Is it old? Well it’s not old old, but 1997 is now nearly 30 years ago, which is scary in itself and right from the get go it dates itself slightly, stating colonies on the moon in 2015 and Mars mining in 2032. We’re going to be set in space in case you’d not realised. In 2040 the Event Horizon research vessel has lost contact somewhere around Neptune. Now 7 years on we join a decent cast floating in space. Weir (Sam Neill) is a doctor, not really the caring medical kind, being sent on a search and rescue mission to find Event Horizon with a crew of rough and ready spacedogs lead by Miller (Laurence Fishburne). It’s a familiar set up, lots of personalities that are clearly going to clash as things start to get brutal and they will get brutal. Before that though, there’s plenty of deep space sci-fi eerieness, compounded by a typically 90s ominous score (stick around for The Prodigy on the end credits). Weir has nightmare visions of his wife and the crew are cranky and downbeat. Brimming with positivity it is not. It rides the narrative well though, once introductions are made, we learn that a signal has been detected from the missing vessel, that it turns out is a secret government ship capable of inter-dimentional space travel… no wonder it’s lost. Granted it’s packed with tropes, but it’s very entertaining, at least to begin with. Weir plays the crew the signal he received, thought to be from Event Horizon, a garbled sounding nightmare of screams and a muffled voice whispering “Save me” in Latin. They’re going to wish they stayed at home. Weir is clearly holding something back and his power struggle with Miller intensifies as they get deeper into space, find Event Horizon and board her without knowing where she may have been for nearly a decade. Wherever it’s been, it wasn’t a friendly place. Some of the FX look dated, but it’s still pretty stylish and on the whole looks really good, well until all hell breaks loose! Things explode, literally, starting a countdown for survival. That’s not the pull here though. It’s the mystery that makes this tick. “I need an explanation” states Miller with that deadpan Fishburne delivery. Man made black holes bending space time, it’s intentionally theoretical, you have to strap in and enjoy the ride. Sean Pertwee as Smith and Jason Isaacs as DJ are both great, but there’s no fluff. Even Richard T. Jones as the comedic Cooper stays perfectly on track, in what’s largely a decent into madness. On release this was pitched on its FX and its sets, a big blockbuster movie and in that regard it fails really, but revisiting it, there’s more to it. Yes it’s gets a bit weird, but it’s a strength if you lean into it. Don’t worry about the cast losing their minds, let yours go with it. It’s a tale of loss, of hope, redemption and viscous psychological punishment with plenty of gore, plenty of style. A simple idea well executed. It’s not much of a horror though and the dialogue is a bit ropey, but it’s a good enough thriller and Sam Neill plays psychotic pretty well. Does it lose its way? Yes a little, but still well worth the revisit.
6/10
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