Truly terrifying, but still entertaining...

Rating: 7/10 (24 December 1998)

Event Horizon starts out with much promise: in 2040, a deep space research vessel, the Event Horizon, is sent out on its maiden voyage and was believed to be destroyed. However, in 2047, it returns and is found in a decaying orbit around Neptune. A search and rescue ship, the Lewis and Clark, is sent out to investigate the Event Horizon's mysterious return. On board the Lewis and Clark, as well as the rest of the crew, is Sam Neill, the scientist who designed the Event Horizon. He explains to the crew what the Event Horizon was designed to do: travel faster than light. When they finally board the Event Horizon, they find nothing but the body of one crew member, and what appears to be the partial remains of the other six. From there, the film goes slowly downhill.
If Anderson's only goal with this film is to make the audience jump out of their seats, then it's a masterpiece. However, there is very little suspense. It's a film where you're not wondering who dies next, but, rather, how that particular person will die. There is only one scene in the film that creates true suspense. It involves one of the crew being trapped in an airlock. To make matters worse, you don't really care about any of these people whose lives are in danger. The simplest of backgrounds are given to a few of the characters: Neill's dead wife; Quinlan's son. One thing they left out, though: before Neill cuts Pertwee open you can see a rather large scar on his chest. I wonder if an explanation was originally scripted.
Out of the two previously mentioned backgrounds comes the source for the film's most terrifying scenes: the scene in the green tunnel; Quinlan's son appearing in Medical. With the best scenes now described I can get on with the films main strength: terror. Very few films can give you such a feeling of dread. It's a very psychological film(not in plot, but in atmosphere) that's bound to disturb even the most desensitized of Horror fans. The images you see are only a part of it; the lesser part. The psychological aspect is much too intense for words. It must be experienced. Event Horizon doesn't just contain those feelings of dread and terror, it leaves them with you long after the credits have finished rolling.
The special effects are incredible. The model ships are so good that it's almost a shame to see them destroyed. The destruction of the Lewis and Clark is one of the most realistic and believable scenes in the film. The interior of the Event Horizon is also great. It's the most important contributor to the atmosphere. Actually, it's the only contributor. It allows Anderson to use all his tricks to make the audience jump in the setting they would work the best. This way he doesn't have to do quite as much work. That said, he's given his film a remarkable visual style.
After all of its faults I must say that I found it to be very entertaining. I would strongly recommend seeing this while it is still in the theaters, but beware: it doesn't leave much to the imagination. You get to see bits and pieces of what happened to the crew of the Event Horizon, in very brief, but graphic, images. Also, you get to see what happens to the crew of the Lewis and Clark in not so brief, but just as graphic, images.