Very good, but could have been great

Rating: 9/10 (3 December 2006)

If there is one thing a horror film should be that's disturbing. That's why Hellraiser was so successful 1) because it portrayed hell as something very close to humans and 2) because it used pain as something that many people could get pleasure from. Hence "Angels to some, demons to others". Event horizon does have it's share of disturbance but could have been a lot more.
Firstly it would not have hurt if the studio had spent some more money on the film, so that the introduction sequence where the crew saves some miners from a fire could have been shot. Paul Anderson said that he incorporated some material from that sequence into the film, and it is true e.g. Miller saving his friend when he opens the pressure door and gets released into space without a suit, but an additional introduction sequence would have been better.
Indeed many scenes were cut from the film in order to tighten the pace but don't you think they went too far? I read about the plot before having watched the actual film, and I logically expected to see a sequence where the event horizon disappears and then get something like "Seven years later". However we are just told what happened, and you immediately get the idea that this picture was made for a moderate budget. Also a scene was filmed where Dr Weirr (Sam Neil), gets briefed about the Event Horizon's reappearance and convinces the man in charge to let him go with the rescue team. Now why was that cut out? It's probably part of the big studios wisdom, or stupidity if you ask me, which is "Do not make the film too long". This particular sequence, I believe, is of primary importance and gives us a longer introduction. The release version, I am sorry to say, kinda drops us into a story it wants to get on with and finish ASAP. I was surprised when I first saw it, no way I expected it to be that fast.
Unfortunately there's more like the above. Extended visions of hell and an orgy between the Event Horizon's original crew were also eliminated. Why? Because they seemed to be too freaky. Maybe the studio was not actually aware that this is a)a horror film and b)about hell. What did they expect to see in it? Kids with dolls?. Hellraiser is very bloody, why didn't it get chopped up?
It's not that I don't like the film, god I've given it 9/10, but it's so painful seeing something that could have been a lot more, get turned into a just good horror movie when it could have gotten a Hellraiser like status.
9/10 for it's good story, the black hole idea,the good performances and it's perception of hell.
Finally, Mr Anderson I hope that it won't take you much longer to release the director's cut you promised us.