It will grow on you

Rating: 7/10 (9 November 2008)

Like BLADE RUNNER and THE THING, EVENT HORIZON will grow on you with repeated viewings. It is impossible to absorb every little detail that occurs in this sci-fi horror classic based on a single viewing. Sam Neil and Larry Fishburne head out to take a look at a manned spacecraft that disappeared years before and has suddenly reappeared in space. Everyone on board is dead and the ship appears to be possessed (whichit is). The body count among the rescue crew quickly begins to mount. The movie is basically a haunted house in space, and it can be scary as hell. It also can get pretty silly, as it does in the second half when it borrows a little too liberally from HELLRAISER. Director Paul (RESIDENT EVIL) Anderson does a terrific job with the massive sets and eerie lighting and quirky characters, but the script ultimately fails him. Best bet: watch it once all the way through, then watch only the first half on second viewing. If you insist on watching the whole thing a second time, from the point at which medical technician Kathleen Qunilan meets her grisly fate, keep one eye closed for the rest of the film. But man oh man, that first half is a real humdinger.