One of the scariest

Rating: 10/10 (15 June 2005)

Don't let the critiques slamming this movie, convince you not to watch Event Horizon. That would be a mistake. Read on, and I'll explain this complicated and disturbing film. There is a hint of a spoiler within my comments, but not enough to effect the film viewing for you. I am a professional artist and writer, with a knack for sci-fi, I try to give some room for imagination. Films that are not perfectly produced can still be extremely entertaining, if you get over the rough edges. Now, in Event Horizon there is cliché dialog and visual elements that could have been more finished. Get over that, and you'll watch one of the most disturbing films ever. Could the film have been made better? Yes. Is the film gripping, believable and frightening? Very much so. Another review on this site suggested the story theme was not that original. I'm sorry, that's dead wrong. It's absolutely unique and frankly I found the concept of Hell, that the movie suggests rather realistically disturbing. In this day and age, when tens of thousands of people are reporting near death experiences and scientists are slowly confirming the existence of other quantum dimensions; there could actually be something very horrible that we are not aware of. I'm not a religious person, but obviously consciousness is forever, atoms just bounce around and fade out eventually. Emotions and experience are massless and carry on in the universe forever. Thoughtful entities in the universe, over an infinite amount of time, will eventually congregate together. Natural physics. Now, if the soul is massless and indestructible, where do all the dark beings go? huh. think about that. Wherever they are "left" to congregate would be a very disturbing place indeed. Interestingly, the internet is full of accounts of individuals in medical trauma, having NDEs reporting unimaginable realms outside of space-time, with various levels of benevolence and malevolence. And this is exactly what scared the wits out of me watching the movie. Not so much for the fantastic special effects, the gore and the effects are just enough to enter your psyche and wreak havoc. A good example is "The Exorcist". Quite a simple concept really. If someone told you a little girl is tied to a bed the whole movie and talking, occasionally feeling nauseas; you would laugh if someone said you'd be tempted to leave the theater in fear. Think, it's not the prop or actors, it's the concept of demons that wiggles under your membranes. Event Horizon is the same concept, and I applaud the writer and Director. If you watch the special features on the DVD, you will hear the Actors describe how the movie set was disturbing and physically draining to work in. The movie has a vibe. Another bone I have to pick with people is their entertainment systems. You simply can not have a sensory experience watching a sci-fi film on a small wimpy TV screen with tin can speakers. There is a threshold for effectiveness. You don't wake up in the morning and drink a teaspoon of coffee and say "ahh, I feel better now". It takes a full cup. Period. So you can not drink a good sci-fi film via a tiny TV. It takes a minimum of 40 inches in wide format. You also need stereo with speakers that are at least 6 inches in diameter and can produce good deep bass. With a nice screen you will melt into the scenery, it will surround you. The sounds will crawl up your back and get under your skin. Not everyone can afford a 58inch HDTV projection TV with surround sound, I realize. Just be aware the gear goes hand in hand with the experience. Be fair to your senses and taste. I'm convinced that 70 percent of the time, negative movie experiences are due to a lack of proper gear.