Event Horizon – Blu-ray Review

Event Horizon arrives on Blu-ray looking incredible and still packing a few scares. Despite a few problems, the film will manage to make you think twice before turning out the lights – thanks to its blend of sci-fi with the classic haunted house plot of the horror genre.

Director Paul W.S. Anderson and writer Philip Eisner borrow from several other films (such as Hellraiser and Solaris) to bring a blend of genres and a film that feels a little like a punch to the gut at times. It stars Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson, and Richard T. Jones.

Set in 2047, the plot follows the crew of the Lewis and Clark as they travel to investigate, salvage and possibly rescue the deep space explorer Event Horizon – which disappeared seven years ago during its maiden voyage. The crew is led by Captain Miller (Fishburne) and has the Event Horizon designer Dr. William Weir (Neill) on board for help.When they arrive at the Event Horizon, there is an immediate sense of dread and evil. Fishburne even comments on how the ship is now a tomb. It is clear there is something wrong and that there is a presence in the ship. An accident causes the crew of the Lewis and Clark to have to take up residence in Event Horizon while their ship is repaired, and here is when the film really starts rolling. As they repair their ship, crew members are toyed with by whatever presence is in the Event Horizon. Some go mad, some kill themselves, and some simply want off that ship.Anderson and company slowly start to reveal where the ship has been (often through gory flashbacks or images), and what it is hoping to do with its new crew. Things go from bad to worse as the film rolls on, and the crew is forced to figure out a way to get off the ship alive – even if some of them don’t want to go.Anderson has assembled an ensemble team of actors, but the film really becomes a power play between Fishburne and Neill. The two actors square off for control of the ship, and really help drive some of the human aspects of the film. There isn’t a ton of depth for the characters, but it is interesting to see how Fishburne is haunted by his past mistakes and Neill by the death of his wife. There are also several good scenes with Quinlan being tortured by images of her son – who suffered from a medical condition.

The film moves at a pretty fast pace (which helps you not question the plot and big reveal of where the ship has been), and keeps the tension tight. This is not a film for those who don’t like gore, and Anderson really does a good job using just the right about of gore mixed with classic horror jumps (where a character pops out of the darkness at just the right time). I have always thought the plot gets a little too far fetched towards the end, but it is nothing that ruins the overall enjoyment or creepy feeling of the movie.Although the film looks great on Blu-ray, the special features are a bit of a disappointment. The Blu-ray’s features take you into the movie, but they are the same features from 2006’s Event Horizon (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) DVD release. If you already have the DVD, this version’s special features offer nothing new to add to the reason to upgrade to Blu-ray (other than the theatrical trailer being in HD).The special features are extremely interesting and take you into the making of the film with behind the scenes looks, unseen storyboards and sequences, and lots of interviews. They are very interesting to watch, and help explain some of the story aspects further.Event Horizon is a personal favorite horror film for me (my wife won’t even stay in the house when I watch it), and I was very excited when it arrived on Blu-ray. The upgrade didn’t let me down and the film looks fantastically gory and bloody. I was expecting some grain or other issues, but didn’t really notice any. The film looks and sounds how you would expect from any modern Blu-ray. Although the special features are a bit of a disappointment, it is still worth the upgrade to Blu-ray.