Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Event Horizon Blu-ray Movie Review

The Lost Horizon

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson March 18, 2021

After scoring a somewhat unexpected hit with his second feature, a live-action version of the video game Mortal Kombat (1995), British director Paul W.S. Anderson was hired by Paramount to helm Event Horizon, which was one of the studio's biggest summer movies of 1997. (An industry source lists the film's budget at $70 million.) Philip Eisner penned an original screenplay that made an immediate impression on Anderson. “I thought it was a hugely original work and something I hadn't seen done for a long time," The Atlanta Voice quoted the British auteur in an article. "It is a psychological horror film that reminded me of some of my favorite movies like The Exorcist and The Shining, but in a totally unique location: outer space." After principal photography and post-production wrapped, Anderson screened the picture for Paramount executives, who deemed it too gory and gruesome. One exec wanted Anderson to tone it down so it could make a PG-13 rating. Paramount tested the movie three times. The pre-release screenings elicited mixed reactions and Anderson excised some scenes and put in a different ending. "[W]e were just trying to, kind of, get the right balance without tipping the movie also into an NC-17," Anderson observed while commenting on one of the omitted scenes on this disc. In the ending that's purportedly in the original cut, Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) confronts an immolated comrade he was unable to save while evacuating his crew on a previous space mission. Remnants of that scene survive in a recycled deleted scene but the burning victim's identity was changed to a different character. When Event Horizon was done and Paramount put out a 95-minute theatrical cut, the studio didn't assemble a super-aggressive marketing campaign. The movie suffered as it took in a domestic gross of just $26.67 million. At the 2012 Comic-Con, Anderson stated that producer Lloyd Levin had uncovered a 130-minute VHS workprint of Event Horizon, which was supposedly the same version screened at the first test screening. Levin isn't interviewed on any of the new extras produced for this Shout! Factory Collector's Edition but set decorator Crispian Sallis mentions in his interview that he believes Anderson's Director's Cut still exists.

The crew of the U.S.A.C. Lewis & Clark

As it stands, the final release version of Event Horizon is still very solid interstellar sci-fi/horror. The plot entails a secret government mission to find the titular Event Horizon spacecraft, which has disappeared for seven years. Its architect and braintrust is Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill), who suffers recurring nightmares and hallucinations of his late wife. Weir joins a crew of six aboard the Lewis & Clark: navigator Starck (Joey Richardson), engineer Justin (Jack Noseworthy), physician D.J. (Jason Isaacs), pilot Smith (Sean Pertwee), and emergency technicians Cooper (Richard T. Jones) and Peters (Kathleen Quinlan). Eisner's script does a fine job with the exposition and unpacking Weir's scientific lingo. It's in the middle of the narrative where Event Horizon turns hurried, bringing in hallucinatory flashbacks and rapid-fire inserts. Some of the backstories involving Miller and his friend as well as Peters and her son aren't developed or fleshed out enough. The arcs of the secondary characters practically become lost in the film's black hole.

The critical mass was that Event Horizon wasn't all that original. One newspaper ran this headline from a syndicated review by the Gannett News Service's Jack Garner: "Event Horizon is an Alien-Hellraiser-Star Gate clone." The Boston Globe's Jay Carr called it "the worst big­ studio movie of the summer, the big­gest waste of money and special effects." While a majority of the reviews were mediocre, some found freshness in the material. Writing in The Age (AU), film historian and screenwriter Adrian Martin claims that the film gives the Alien formula "new twists and flavors....a tense, proficient and, in particular, gory movie." Though I largely agree with Martin's assessment, I don't appreciate Orbital's music as much as he does. He cites "the thundering techno music accompanying the opening credits." Michael Kamen (Die Hard) wrote a brassy and string-laden symphonic score that I much prefer over the pulsating bass beats that are used as an ostinato over the main titles. Both Kamen and Orbital are credited with composing the score but I could tell whose compositions belong to each. It was probably the studio's choice to incorporate a techno vibe that became increasingly popular in the mid- to late-90s.

Event Horizon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shout! Factory's release of Event Horizon comes with a slipcover and a reprint of the original poster art on the inside. Shout! uses the MPEG-4 AVC encode on a BD-50, which uses 42.16 GB of the disc. The transfer stems from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative. The movie appears in its original exhibition ratio of 2.35:1. In one of his two articles on Event Horizon for American Cinematographer, Ron Magid documents that cinematographer Adrian Biddle (BSC) photographed the entire film on Eastman Kodak's 500 ASA 5279 Vi­sion stock. "The 79 was perfect for Event Horizon, because I get better blacks with it than I do with 5245 or 96," Magid quoted the DP as saying. "The 79 can be very forgiv­ing in the dark. And in anamor­phic, I'd rather go for a bit more f-stop to bring the quality up and get finer grain." Magid stated that he went for sepia brown, flashes of red, and a quasi-green that emitted from uncorrected fluorescents. Magid and his camera crew frequently shot with blue- and green-screen backdrops. In this pre-CGI picture, there were 250-plus effects shots!

The Shout! transfer nicely accents the hues that Magid sought. As you'll notice in these screen captures, colors are much richer and clearer than they appear on Paramount's 2008 transfer. The Shout! is also smoother in motion. The Paramount transfer (and Warner's reissue of it) has some black dirt and tiny white specks that Shout! has expunged. The older transfer is also softer. I do like the thick texture and grain on the Paramount more so than on the Shout!, which isn't as apparent. It should be noted that Paramount likely reused the same master from its 2006 DVD and it contains some video noise. It also isn't as vivid or film-like as the Shout!. My video score for the Shout! is 4.25/5.00. Shout! encodes the feature at a mean video bitrate of 29996 kbps while the Paramount/Warner discs average 36313 kbps.

Screenshots 1-15, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 = Shout! Factory 2021 Collector's Edition BD-50
Screenshots 17, 19, 21, 23, 25 = Paramount 2008 Standard BD-50

Shout! provides a dozen scene selections for the film. The Paramount/Warner BDs have seventeen.

Event Horizon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout! supplies a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (2803 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo downsampled mix (1757 kbps, 24-bit). By comparison, the English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround on the Paramount/Warner discs average 4092 kbps (24-bit). Spoken words are crisp although I had to turn up the volume to fully hear one of pilot Smith's murmurings. The opening credits deliver a thunderous rumble with bass throttling my home theater room. The flying objects in the air receive good f/x on the SL. The surround channels are also active for the jump scares and explosions.

Event Horizon is a film that Anderson intended to be loud. This is confirmed by critics who saw the picture at either press screenings or with a regular audience. For example, The Associated Press' Bob Thomas noted that "periodi­cally, [Anderson] offers a huge sound effect, just to make sure he has your atten­tion. The film has a higher decibel count than a heavy metal concert." Longtime Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan described the Dolby Digital 5.1 as "over-amplified sound." Owen McNally of the Hartford Courant was put off by the Kaman/Oribital score: "The dreadful soundtrack blares trium­phantly in corny fortissimo odes to chaos and mediocre special effects."

Optional English SDH are available for the main feature only.

Event Horizon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Shout! has carried over all bonus materials contained on Paramount's two-disc Special Collector's Edition SD release. Those were also included on Paramount's 2008 BD as well as the Warner/Paramount reissue editions. All have subtitles (English, English HoH, French, Portuguese, and Spanish) on the extras. Shout! has added eleven new interviews that were conducted during the Covid pandemic. A majority were recorded through a mediated screen, although a few appeared to be filmed in person (likely in the UK).

• Audio Commentary with Director Paul W.S. Anderson and Producer Jeremy Bolt - this commentary track was recorded for Paramount's second DVD release in 2006. Anderson and Bolt were recorded together. They discuss their impressions of the actors' performances, some of the visual effects, early cuts of the film and how they played with preview audiences, Paramount's marketing campaign, and more. Though the track has a few gaps here and there, it provides a pretty enlightening look at the film. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Reflecting on Hell – An Interview with Director Paul W.S. Anderson (10:06, 1080p) - Anderson looks back at the scripts and films he was offered around the time he learned about Event Horizon. He summarizes filming at Pinewood Studios, the sets that were built, and painterly influences. He also fills in gaps from previous extras with additional details about the three cuts and test screenings. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Ghost Galleon – An Interview with Writer Philip Eisner (9:00, 1080p) - Eisner says he pitched "The Shining in space" to Paramount's producers. Eisner recounts the scaffolding he saw inside Pinewood, the spaceship, "The Lucky Strike" scene that was storyboarded but apparently never filmed, his original conception of the Heaven/Hell environ he envisioned, and the big ball. Audio is low. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Organized Chaos – An Interview with Actress Kathleen Quinlan (7:51, 1080p) - recorded in her home kitchen, Quinlan explains how proud she is to be part of a lineage of strong female heroines. She also talks about working with Anderson and Fishburne. Quinlan delighted in working on the sound stages at Pinewood and explains the stunts that she performed. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Compassion in Space – An Interview with Actor Jack Noseworthy (8:33, 1080p) - the piece begins with this disclaimer: "This interview contains technical anomalies related to remote interview circumstances out of control of the producers. We appreciate your understanding." Noseworthy shares losing a family member before filming started that affected him and informed his onscreen persona. He speaks fondly of Anderson and working often with the makeup team. There's some buffering and Noseworthy's voice modulates but I could make out all the words. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW The Doomed Captain – An Interview with Actor Peter Marinker (2:55, 1080p) - Marinker recalls receiving Eisner's script and his reaction. He also explains the importance that his short scene played in the plot as well as the "amazing set." In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Space Cathedral – An Interview with Production Designer Joseph Bennett (5:32, 1080p) - Bennett remembers the tight thirteen-week schedule the crew had in pre-production. He explains how his team molded the sleep pods and the big sphere. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Something New – An Interview with Set Decorator Crispian Sallis (7:31, 1080p) - Sallis is interviewed in his multimedia library. He speaks about working for Joseph Bennett and how they designed the Lewis and Clark vessel as well as the Event Horizon spacecraft. Sallis explains how he did the source lights. The interview's highlight is Sallis's description of the gravity drive Neil's character goes into and the green circuit boards he crawls through. Sallis describes how Bennett and him welded the motherboard to the panels and ducts. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Taking Care of It – An Interview with Production Manager Dusty Symonds (3:21, 1080p) - Symonds goes into the role modelmaker Daniel Bennett played on the set, the hectic production schedule, and Sam Neil's performance with heavy makeup. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Reinforcements – An Interview with Second Unit Director Robin Vidgeon (3:52, 1080p) - Vidgeon remembers receiving a call from unit production manager Dusty Symonds and forming his own mini-crew. He shares some production tales and directing one of the scenes aboard the spaceship. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Almost Real – An Interview with Location Manager Derek Harrington (2:57, 1080p) - Harrington recalls getting a call from then-production supervisor Malcolm Christopher and finding appropriate locations to model the sets after. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Screams from the Cosmos – An Interview with Sound Designer Campbell Askew (6:37, 1080p) - Askew recorded a lot of new sounds especially for the spaceship. He also went on to the foley stage to generate the metallic sounds. He remembers the re-voicing that had to be done after scenes were shot at Pinewood. In English, not subtitled.

• The Making of EVENT HORIZON A 5-Part Documentary (1:03:00 total, 480i) - The five featurettes, which were first part of Paramount's 2006 SCE, include Into the Jaws of Darkness (14:57), The Body of the Beast (22:48), Liberate Tutame Ex Inferis (19:55), The Scale to Hell (18:42), and The Womb of Fear (26:36). There's a "Play All" option.

• The Point of No Return – A 4-Part Look at the Filming of EVENT HORIZON with Narration by Paul W.S. Anderson (8:12 total, 480i) - another set of leftovers from the 2006 release. The four featurettes include The Revolving Corridor, The Crew Gathers, Shooting Wire Work, and The Dark Inside. There's also a "Play All" option for this package.

• Secrets – Deleted and Extended Scenes with Director's Commentary (10:02, 480i) - three deleted/extended scenes: "Deleted Briefing Scene" (2:49), "Extended Medical Bay Scene" (0:53), and "Extended Burning Man Confrontation" (6:20). They're presented in letterboxed 2.35:1 and full screen. Only the briefing scene can be heard with its original audio. All three can be played with Anderson's commentary.

• The Unseen Event Horizon – The Un-filmed Rescue Scene and Conceptual Art with Director's Commentary (6:50, 1080p) - Anderson gives his remarks for "The Un-filmed Rescue Scene" (2:57) and "Conceptual Art" (3:53) for the "Lucky Strike" scene.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:29, 1080p) - Paramount's official trailer presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Fortunately, this clean print is in very good to excellent condition.

• Video Trailer (1:48, 480i) - Paramount's home video trailer for Event Horizon displayed in 1.33:1.

Event Horizon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Event Horizon has held up and even improved for me upon repeated viewings. Shout! Factory's 4K restoration is very good, although grain lovers may be partial to the granularity on Paramount's 2008 transfer. I also covet the copious set of subtitles that Paramount/Warner have for their extras. I would have liked Shout! to maximize the bitrates on the image and two lossless sound tracks and place all the supplements on a second disc. While the authoring and compression leave something to be desired on the video, I thought the DTS-HD MA 5.1 delivered a propulsive aural experience that exceeded the Dolby TrueHD mix on the Paramount. Shout! licensed all the extras on the prior DVDs and BDs and recorded eleven recent interviews that, while relatively brief, add some additional material and context. The top interviews are with Anderson and Sallis. I missed seeing a compiled set of still galleries, which have become a specialty of this label. This may not be the definitive package of Event Horizon since the 130-minute cut stored on videocassette (for the first preview screening) is ostensibly in producer Lloyd Levin's possession. Still, this Colllector's Edition earns a STRONG RECOMMENDATION.