Sci-Fi/Horror is a nice little sub-genre that captures fear in a much more refined environment. The environment that man has created. Sometimes when you grow tired of the same old zombies, werewolves, serial killers and ghost stories you wanna switch things up...in space. Why not? I mean...space is one of those places that man hasn't yet conquered. So, there's plenty of opportunities to scare the hell out of you in an environment that is already dark and mysterious.
Event Horizon is scary. Not scary in the...Oh My God There's an Alien Eating My Face (!) scary...but, it does something different. It takes the haunted house genre up to that final frontier.
It is my favorite Paul W.S. Anderson film before he went off to do more of the popcorn fare that he's known for (the Resident Evil films, Death Race, etc.) and it is also my favorite Lawrence Fishburne movie.
The premise is simple. It is 2047 and a team of astronauts are sent to investigate a starship that has mysteriously returned after a 7 year absence. Led by Captain Miller (Fishburne), the crew of the "Lewis and Clark" soon discover the real terror behind the disappearance of the "Event Horizon". Each member of the crew begin to meet their worst fears until the darkness that drove the crew of the "Event Horizon" to madness takes hold.
The film is the kind of over-the-top restraint that creates such a genuinely creepy atmosphere and sets everything up for the true scare. The film even implies that the dimension that the crew of the "Event Horizon" accidentally lept into is actually Hell. Pretty damn awesome. The acting is seamless and the direction is near perfect. You wouldn't think that you were watching something from the future director of The Three Musketeers in 3D (true story).
Goddamn it, Paul...why didn't you do more of these films instead of settling for the easy paycheck?! Such imagination and a great example of direction made this a film that has stood the test of time and easily makes Event Horizon a gem in anyone's film resume. Will anyone remember Resident Evil: Apocalypse or Alien vs. Predator? No. But, this film is a classic. A gold standard amongst the many films within its sub-genre. Truly scary stuff.
Sam Neil is great, too. I wish he did this kind of stuff in the almost great Daybreakers.
Sci-Fi/Horror at its best!
9.8 out of 10
Recommendation: If you don't already own this on DVD...then, you need to get in your car now and make that step in your life. Or...you can just catch it on the REELZ channel this weekend.
Thanks for reading,
Thanks for reading,
bryan.
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