Event Horizon

"Infinite space. Infinite terror."

1997 1h 36m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

🥫

36%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 3,511🥫36%Rotten Tomatoes●35Metacritic★6.6IMDB · 212,612

HorrorScience FictionMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 2047, a group of astronauts are sent to investigate and salvage the starship Event Horizon which disappeared mysteriously seven years before on its maiden voyage. However, it soon becomes evident that something sinister resides in its corridors.

“Infinite space. Infinite terror.”

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Cast

Laurence Fishburne
Miller
Sam Neill
Weir
Kathleen Quinlan
Peters
Joely Richardson
Starck
Richard T. Jones
Cooper
Jack Noseworthy
Justin
Jason Isaacs
D.J.
Sean Pertwee
Smith

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Paul W. S. Anderson
Writers: Philip Eisner, Richard K. Buoen
Languages: English, Latin
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 45% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, shot by Adrian Biddle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Kamen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Martin Hunter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Paul W. S. Anderson directs. Adrian Biddle behind the camera. Michael Kamen scores. Martin Hunter cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Latin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 45% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
329 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.
5International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
6Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, shot by Adrian Biddle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Michael Kamen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Martin Hunter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill and Kathleen Quinlan carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Infinite space. Infinite terror.".
11IMDB entry: tt0119081 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 26 themes, including "space marine", "nightmare", "insanity", "delusion".

The technical file

Cinematography: Adrian Biddle
Original score: Michael Kamen
Editing: Martin Hunter
Production design: Joseph Bennett
Costume design: John Mollo
Makeup / hair: Waldo Mason
VFX supervisor: Richard Yuricich
Sound: Mark Lafbery
Stunt coordinator: Marc Boyle
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $60,000,000
Box office: $26,700,000
Return: 45% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Event Horizon (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes: 36% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 35/100
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 212,612 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations total

Also by

Paul W. S. Anderson

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Matt Golden2013-07-21
In the year 2040, a spacecraft called the Event Horizon was sent out to journey among the stars with an experimental gravity drive that purported to allow faster-than-light travel. On its maiden voyage, however, it vanished. Seven years later, it has returned, orbiting Neptune, and a rescue crew is sent out to investigate, along with the scientist responsible for the ship’s creation. The rescue crew of the Lewis and Clark are a group of no-nonsense blue-collar workers, led by Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne), with Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill) along for his expertise. When they arrive at the Event Horizon, they find the crew long dead. “This ship is a tomb,” judges Captain Miller at one point. The rescue team begins to realize that the ship passed through a black hole created by the gravity drive, but didn’t return alone. The ship with a long-dead crew shows life signs. The rescue team begins to have terrifying visions. The gravity drive begins to spin of its own accord... Something is loose on the ship, and the rescue team has to not only unravel out what happened to the original crew, but also protect themselves from the horrors that returned with the ship. It’s a simple but sturdy setup, standard B-movie stuff. What elevates Event Horizon is its first-class production design and solid atmosphere. Paul W.S. Anderson (Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Alien vs. Predator) is not a name one would generally associate with good film product these days, but here he managed (in spite of himself, one may think given the rest of his output) to present a film steeped in suspense, with strong performances, gorgeous set pieces, and palpable horror. Let’s be honest: there’s nothing new here. The strength of this film lies in how it fits together the pieces it stole from other films. This is very much (and very completely) The Shining by way of Alien, even to the point of lifting the character archetypes directly from Ridley Scott’s 1979 masterpiece. The Event Horizon is the Overlook Hotel, teeming with supernatural power and malice. The film delves into gore in its last third, but it’s not quite proficient enough to have it enhance the scares (which were doing just fine before the blood started flowing so freely). However, the film is even structured like Alien and The Shining, all slow burn and building dread until things begin to go to hell (literally, perhaps). The cast have stock characters but they bring them to life admirably, particularly Neill and Fishburne; among the secondary characters, Kathleen Quinlan, Jack Noseworthy, and Sean Pertwee are particularly memorable. The script by Philip Eisner is derivative but effective, and Anderson was clearly at the peak of his directorial prowess here. Don't misunderstand me to say that the film's lifts from other works make it bad; it's certainly not. Originality is overrated as an attribute, and fairly value-neutral even on the best of days. I'd much rather have a tale well-told than one that does weird things simply for the sake of doing weird things (French sci-fi/fantasy directors, I'm looking at you. Yes, you, Jeunet), though the greatest films find a way to combine both sturdy storytelling and originality in the medium. In total, Event Horizon is a very effective sci-fi horror film, breaking no new ground but doing what it does very well. A minor classic of the sci-fi horror genre.
John Chard2019-10-02
★ 7/10
You know nothing. Hell is only a word. The reality is much, much worse. Event Horizon is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and written by Philip Eisner. It stars Sam Neil, Laurence Fishburne, Joely Richardson, Kathleen Quinlan, Richard T. Jones, Sean Pertwee, Jason Isaacs and Jack Noseworthy. Music is by Michael Kamen and orbital and cinematography is by Adrian Biddle. 2047 and a group of astronauts are sent to investigate the 'Event Horizon' which disappeared mysteriously 7 years ago. It has returned minus its crew and now the crew of the 'Lewis and Clark' become exposed to horrifying secrets of the ghost ship... It is what it is, a haunted house chiller set on a space ship. It's derivative within the genre but it does the genre staples with no little amount of quality. The tone is set from the opening credits being accompanied by a ferociously foreboding musical score, and from there the pic delivers a "who is going to get killed and in what order" process - and why? Just what is the mystery at the core of it all?. A great cast has been assembled, which lifts it above its "B" movie roots, so with some thoughtful ideas within the narrative, it's easy to buy into the characterisations. Naturally the blood will flow, devilishly so, but the makers here put a different slant on the sci-fi/horror assailant thread. Of course it gets a bit by the numbers come the final quarter, arguably a bit hokey in fact, but it's very effective and perfect for a lights off viewing experience. Smart production design helps keeps up the chilly feel to proceedings, whilst the bleak tonal flows that director Anderson goes for really draws the engaged observer in. It's neither ground breaking or a top line film of its type, but holding up on repeat viewings it proves to be a sturdy and unsettling space based chiller. 7/10
Repo Jack2020-10-28
★ 8/10
A fantastic "horror in space" thriller led by an excellent assemble cast (Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neil, Kathy Quinlann). Do we really want to know what can be found at the edge (event horizon) of a black hole?