The recent retrospectives and fresh insights into Event Horizon that arrived around the time of the movie’s 25th anniversary earlier this year painted Paul W.S. Anderson’s cult classic sci-fi horror in an even more fascinating light than ever before.
Paramount was proving to be an oxymoronic production partner, with the studio being so preoccupied with James Cameron’s Titanic that Anderson was allowed to get away with pretty much whatever he wanted during shooting, only for the top brass to claim that he was in danger of ruining not just their prized Star Trek property, but the entire intergalactic genre by mere association.
Releasing an extremely gory and gruesome R-rated chiller during the height of summer was a strange move at the time, and contributed heavily to Event Horizon earning just $42 million at the box office on a $60 million budget. Longtime fans of the film lament the loss of the footage necessary to cobble together a Director’s Cut, but unless Anderson gets the Zack Snyder treatment, we’ll have to make do with the constant praise getting lavished on the underrated gem from all corners.
It’s arguably the best and most unhinged feature the Resident Evil architect and aficionado of video game adaptations has ever made, but the lion’s share of credit should arguably be bestowed upon the cast. Sam Neill beautifully toes the line between overly hammy and outright sinister, with Laurence Fishburne grounding the proceedings as the stoic hero of the piece.
Event Horizon may not have gotten its due at first, but at least we can sleep soundly knowing that it’ll never let go of its cult reputation.