RATINGS: IMDB ―6.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes ― 24%, ME ― 75%
Dr. Weir: [describing how the Event Horizon functions] The ship doesn't really go faster than light; what it does is it creates a dimensional gateway that allows it to jump instantaneously from one point of the universe to another light years away.
The rotational shot of the space station over earth took nearly a third of the film's budget.
Everyone's space suit has a flag showing future political changes on Earth. Characters portrayed by American actors wear a flag of the United States with 55 stars. Characters portrayed by British actors wear a European Union flag with 22 stars, replacing the former Union Jack. Sam Neill's character wears a modified Australian flag, with the Union Jack removed from the top left-hand corner, and the Aboriginal flag in place of the Union Jack.
The space suits worn by the actors weighed 65 pounds (30 kilograms) each. Laurence Fishburne nicknamed his "Doris." Due to the weight, standing upright in them for longer periods could lead to back injury, but sitting down was not possible either due to the backpack. Special "hanging poles" were constructed on the set, so the actors could rest on them between takes.
The script originally described the Gateway machine as a smooth and featureless black orb suspended in midair between large, rotating mechanical arms. It also was said to contain a stable black hole within it at all times (which the ship used as a power source), as opposed to briefly creating a temporary one. Paul Anderson decided to redesign it to involve interlocking circles as a homage to the puzzle box in Hellraiser (1987), which served as an inspiration.
Director Paul W.S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt planned to put together a director's cut for some time, but most of the footage was lost or destroyed after post-production. A few of the surviving scenes, including a scene where Dr. Weir is informed of the re-appearance of the Event Horizon, appear on the Special Collector's Edition DVD, and survived only in videotape form, sometimes without dialog or sound effects. The DVD also includes storyboards of a space walk sequence that was abandoned for budget reasons, and the alternate ending, with commentary by Paul W.S. Anderson. A full VHS copy of the first edit has since resurfaced, but unfortunately, for unknown reasons, has not been released. However, it was recently revealed, in a 2017 interview, that the VHS containing all of this was heavily damaged, and had to be thrown away. Thus, the footage is permanently lost.
Paul W.S. Anderson's initial rough cut submitted to the MPAA received the kiss-of-death NC-17 rating.
Having just done a PG-13 movie, Mortal Kombat (1995), Paul W.S. Anderson was very keen to do something more mature and gruesome. This was why he turned down the chance to direct X-Men (2000).
The scene in which Weir explains how to bend space and time in order to travel huge interstellar distances is paraphrased in Interstellar (2014). Romily uses the exact same demonstration to illustrate the theory - folding a piece of paper and pushing a pen through it while explaining it to Cooper.
Joely Richardson's character was originally written for a man. However, during auditions, director Paul W.S. Anderson had the part read by both men and women. He chose Richardson because of the 'British stage class' that she would bring to the movie, and thought it would be fun to then "douse her with gallons of blood".
The model of the Event Horizon includes a complete "X-Wing" from Star Wars as part of an antenna array. The model is visible on the lower portion of the Event Horizon during the first flyby by the Lewis & Clark.
The shot where Sam Neill stares out of a window which then pulls back to reveal he's on the deck of a spaceship orbiting Earth took the digital special effects house Cinesite 10 weeks to achieve. The shot lasts for 45 seconds.
Paul W.S. Anderson was offered the movie on the strength of the box office success of his previous film, Mortal Kombat (1995). It meant he had to turn down the opportunity to direct X-Men (2000), The X Files (1998) and Alien: Resurrection (1997).
The Event Horizon was named after the theoretical boundary surrounding a black hole, within which gravitational attraction is so great that nothing, not even radiation, can escape because the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light. Technically, it is where the physical universe ends and physical laws no longer apply. So the ship's name is symbolic for its journey beyond the borders of the known universe.
From greenlight to completion, the film took 10 months, an unusually short amount of time for such a complex, special effects driven film.
Paul W.S. Anderson had originally hired British band Orbital to compose the music for the film because he had wanted to work with them since working on his second movie, Mortal Kombat (1995), which had featured their music. Paramount executives balked at the idea of hiring unknowns to write music for a big budget film, Anderson then thought of Michael Kamen and the idea of "marrying" their sounds (orchestral and techno) together resulted in the film's final soundtrack.
Philip Eisner wrote the movie after a family tragedy. He had recently entered a multi-picture writing agreement, and in an effort to force himself to get back to work he pitched the idea of "The Shining in space" to the studio, who were very receptive. Unfortunately he had no detailed treatment yet, and the subject matter blended with his emotional state to inspire a prolonged bout of writer's block. The studio executive who had originally brought him on board, now a personal friend, helped keep Eisner on track, and the eventual first draft which was enthusiastically received.
When Doctor Weir opens the blinds in his room during the opening sequence of the film, a whooshing sound effect can be heard. This sound effect is taken from the video game Doom, heard when the player opens a door.
The watch in the spinning tunnel at the start of the film is an Omega Speedmaster, the same watch worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on their moon mission.
Clive Barker consulted on the project during pre-production.
Writer Philip Eisner visited the set while the space suit sequences were being filmed. The suits were so heavy that the actors risked back injuries, prompting Laurence Fishburne to stop between takes, point at Eisner, and shout mock-angrily: "You! You Eisner! You did this to me!".
Some of the lost footage includes a great deal more of the Bosch-influenced Hell sequences and of the orgiastic video log that was found in the Event Horizon. This was shot by both director Paul W.S. Anderson and Vadim Jean, mainly on weekends.
The Event Horizon was modeled on Notre Dame cathedral. Its long corridor resembles a church nave, and its interior is filled with cruciform shapes, columns and vaults. Also, its engines resemble rotated church towers.
This movie was produced entirely within the UK, even the special effects.
Paramount didn't officially greenlight the film until 10 weeks before production was due to begin. This meant that the production design was unnecessarily rushed and was the reason why many leading production designers turned the film down.
The working title was "The Stars My Destination".
In keeping with the naturalistic science fiction tone of the film, the costumes were based on present day flight suits.
Filming occupied seven soundstages at Pinewood Studios outside London. Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (1999) was being filmed on adjacent soundstages.
Paul W.S. Anderson chose not to direct Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) to work on this film.
Andrew Kevin Walker wrote an uncredited draft of the script. Some of it ended up on screen, and one sequence was cut from the theatrical cut, where captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne), upon entering the Event Horizon, finds a ripped-out tooth floating around. Other scenes appear as storyboards on the Special Collector's Edition, when Miller's crew is introduced for the first time on another rescue mission. On the DVD documentaries and commentaries, director Paul W.S. Anderson said he regretted having to delete these scenes, but they didn't help the film's pacing.
Production designer Joseph Bennett had to find a crew in Britain that could build and finish the sets in 4 weeks, before shooting began.
Paramount eschewed the overused special effects houses ILM and DreamWorks in favor of smaller studios to keep costs down. Instead they opted for Mass Illusion Cinesite (Europe) and the Computer Film Company in London.
Post-production was cut from 6 weeks to 4 weeks after Paul W.S. Anderson promised to deliver the film in time for release in August 1997.
The FBFX created costumes of John Mollo's original space suit designs included many practical features such as an integrated filter blower system in the bottom of the portable life support system (backpack) into the helmet to keep the visor clear and the actor cool, thousands of LEDs that pulsated rhythmically to indicate life support functionality (with a secret 'panic mode' switch to quicken the pace when the plot required it!) and industrial magnets embedded in the soles of the boots to add to the realism of scenes featuring active magnetic boots.
The air lock the ship docks at is unlucky number 13 in Roman numerals.
Dr. Weir shares his name with a historical figure, Johann Weyer, also known as Wier or Wierus. He was a Dutch physician, occultist, and demonologist.
Jeremy Irons and Amy Brenneman were originally set to star in the film.
When Peters is following her imaginary son in the core of the ship, the gates she passes are shaped like coffins, foretelling what is about to occur.
The hundreds of apparent metal bolts that line the corridors of the Event Horizon are actually power transistors in a TO-3 or similar package. This can be best seen when Miller rests his head against the wall when hearing Corrick's voice.
In the startup of the film there is a black hole in the starry space while important cast is being presented, after focusing the black hole, in a few seconds you got a feeling that a single blue eye is looking at you.
The tool that Miller uses to keep the door seal open when he rescues Starck is a Halligan tool, a tool used by rescue crews. It is an unusual tool to be found in space vessels.
The first person signed to the film was director of photography Adrian Biddle.
Kathleen Quinlan (Peters) and Jack Noseworthy (Justin) have previously appeared in Breakdown (1997), which premiered three months prior to this film.
One of the members of the original Event Horizon crew was British director Gary Sinyor, who directed The Bachelor (1999) starring Chris O'Donnell and Academy Award winner Renée Zellweger.
Laurence Fishburne (Miller) and Richard T. Jones (Cooper) have previously appeared in What's Love Got To Do With It (1993), respectively, as Ike Turner and Ike Turner, Jr.
Some actors of the cast are linked to Sci-Fi and fantasy franchises:
- Sam Neill played Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993) and Jurassic Park III (2001).
- Laurence Fishburne played Morpheus in The Matrix (1999) and sequels.
- Jason Isaacs played Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) and sequels.
Director Cameo ―
Paul W.S. Anderson: During the opening dream sequence, a book floats past the camera, featuring a picture of the director and his name. The director himself jokes about this detail in the DVD commentary saying it's his autobiography, title "Paul Anderson: A Life".
Lt. Starck, Executive Officer: How?
Dr. Weir: [stammering] Well, that's - that's difficult to - it's all math...
Miller: Try us, Doctor.
Dr. Weir: Right. Well, um, using layman's terms... Use a retaining magnetic field to focus a narrow beam of gravitons - these, in turn, fold space-time consistent with Weyl tensor dynamics until the space-time curvature becomes infinitely large, and you produce a singularity. Now, the singularity...
Miller: [interrupting] "Layman's terms"?
Cooper: Well, fuck layman's terms! Do you speak English?
Sam Neill as Dr. Weir, Joely Richardson as Lt. Stark, Laurence Fishburne as Miller and Richard T. Jones as Cooper
Paul W.S. Anderson's initial cut of the film ran to 130 minutes and was quite graphically violent, so much so that both test audiences and the studio balked at the finished product. Paramount ordered him to cut the film by 30 minutes and tone down some of the violence, a decision he now regrets. (The footage was announced recently that it now does not exist).
The rotational shot of the space station over earth took nearly a third of the film's budget.
Everyone's space suit has a flag showing future political changes on Earth. Characters portrayed by American actors wear a flag of the United States with 55 stars. Characters portrayed by British actors wear a European Union flag with 22 stars, replacing the former Union Jack. Sam Neill's character wears a modified Australian flag, with the Union Jack removed from the top left-hand corner, and the Aboriginal flag in place of the Union Jack.
The space suits worn by the actors weighed 65 pounds (30 kilograms) each. Laurence Fishburne nicknamed his "Doris." Due to the weight, standing upright in them for longer periods could lead to back injury, but sitting down was not possible either due to the backpack. Special "hanging poles" were constructed on the set, so the actors could rest on them between takes.
The script originally described the Gateway machine as a smooth and featureless black orb suspended in midair between large, rotating mechanical arms. It also was said to contain a stable black hole within it at all times (which the ship used as a power source), as opposed to briefly creating a temporary one. Paul Anderson decided to redesign it to involve interlocking circles as a homage to the puzzle box in Hellraiser (1987), which served as an inspiration.
Director Paul W.S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt planned to put together a director's cut for some time, but most of the footage was lost or destroyed after post-production. A few of the surviving scenes, including a scene where Dr. Weir is informed of the re-appearance of the Event Horizon, appear on the Special Collector's Edition DVD, and survived only in videotape form, sometimes without dialog or sound effects. The DVD also includes storyboards of a space walk sequence that was abandoned for budget reasons, and the alternate ending, with commentary by Paul W.S. Anderson. A full VHS copy of the first edit has since resurfaced, but unfortunately, for unknown reasons, has not been released. However, it was recently revealed, in a 2017 interview, that the VHS containing all of this was heavily damaged, and had to be thrown away. Thus, the footage is permanently lost.
Paul W.S. Anderson's initial rough cut submitted to the MPAA received the kiss-of-death NC-17 rating.
Having just done a PG-13 movie, Mortal Kombat (1995), Paul W.S. Anderson was very keen to do something more mature and gruesome. This was why he turned down the chance to direct X-Men (2000).
The scene in which Weir explains how to bend space and time in order to travel huge interstellar distances is paraphrased in Interstellar (2014). Romily uses the exact same demonstration to illustrate the theory - folding a piece of paper and pushing a pen through it while explaining it to Cooper.
Joely Richardson's character was originally written for a man. However, during auditions, director Paul W.S. Anderson had the part read by both men and women. He chose Richardson because of the 'British stage class' that she would bring to the movie, and thought it would be fun to then "douse her with gallons of blood".
The model of the Event Horizon includes a complete "X-Wing" from Star Wars as part of an antenna array. The model is visible on the lower portion of the Event Horizon during the first flyby by the Lewis & Clark.
The shot where Sam Neill stares out of a window which then pulls back to reveal he's on the deck of a spaceship orbiting Earth took the digital special effects house Cinesite 10 weeks to achieve. The shot lasts for 45 seconds.
Paul W.S. Anderson was offered the movie on the strength of the box office success of his previous film, Mortal Kombat (1995). It meant he had to turn down the opportunity to direct X-Men (2000), The X Files (1998) and Alien: Resurrection (1997).
The Event Horizon was named after the theoretical boundary surrounding a black hole, within which gravitational attraction is so great that nothing, not even radiation, can escape because the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light. Technically, it is where the physical universe ends and physical laws no longer apply. So the ship's name is symbolic for its journey beyond the borders of the known universe.
From greenlight to completion, the film took 10 months, an unusually short amount of time for such a complex, special effects driven film.
Paul W.S. Anderson had originally hired British band Orbital to compose the music for the film because he had wanted to work with them since working on his second movie, Mortal Kombat (1995), which had featured their music. Paramount executives balked at the idea of hiring unknowns to write music for a big budget film, Anderson then thought of Michael Kamen and the idea of "marrying" their sounds (orchestral and techno) together resulted in the film's final soundtrack.
Philip Eisner wrote the movie after a family tragedy. He had recently entered a multi-picture writing agreement, and in an effort to force himself to get back to work he pitched the idea of "The Shining in space" to the studio, who were very receptive. Unfortunately he had no detailed treatment yet, and the subject matter blended with his emotional state to inspire a prolonged bout of writer's block. The studio executive who had originally brought him on board, now a personal friend, helped keep Eisner on track, and the eventual first draft which was enthusiastically received.
When Doctor Weir opens the blinds in his room during the opening sequence of the film, a whooshing sound effect can be heard. This sound effect is taken from the video game Doom, heard when the player opens a door.
The watch in the spinning tunnel at the start of the film is an Omega Speedmaster, the same watch worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on their moon mission.
Clive Barker consulted on the project during pre-production.
Writer Philip Eisner visited the set while the space suit sequences were being filmed. The suits were so heavy that the actors risked back injuries, prompting Laurence Fishburne to stop between takes, point at Eisner, and shout mock-angrily: "You! You Eisner! You did this to me!".
Some of the lost footage includes a great deal more of the Bosch-influenced Hell sequences and of the orgiastic video log that was found in the Event Horizon. This was shot by both director Paul W.S. Anderson and Vadim Jean, mainly on weekends.
The Event Horizon was modeled on Notre Dame cathedral. Its long corridor resembles a church nave, and its interior is filled with cruciform shapes, columns and vaults. Also, its engines resemble rotated church towers.
This movie was produced entirely within the UK, even the special effects.
Paramount didn't officially greenlight the film until 10 weeks before production was due to begin. This meant that the production design was unnecessarily rushed and was the reason why many leading production designers turned the film down.
The working title was "The Stars My Destination".
In keeping with the naturalistic science fiction tone of the film, the costumes were based on present day flight suits.
Filming occupied seven soundstages at Pinewood Studios outside London. Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (1999) was being filmed on adjacent soundstages.
Paul W.S. Anderson chose not to direct Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) to work on this film.
Andrew Kevin Walker wrote an uncredited draft of the script. Some of it ended up on screen, and one sequence was cut from the theatrical cut, where captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne), upon entering the Event Horizon, finds a ripped-out tooth floating around. Other scenes appear as storyboards on the Special Collector's Edition, when Miller's crew is introduced for the first time on another rescue mission. On the DVD documentaries and commentaries, director Paul W.S. Anderson said he regretted having to delete these scenes, but they didn't help the film's pacing.
Production designer Joseph Bennett had to find a crew in Britain that could build and finish the sets in 4 weeks, before shooting began.
Paramount eschewed the overused special effects houses ILM and DreamWorks in favor of smaller studios to keep costs down. Instead they opted for Mass Illusion Cinesite (Europe) and the Computer Film Company in London.
Post-production was cut from 6 weeks to 4 weeks after Paul W.S. Anderson promised to deliver the film in time for release in August 1997.
The FBFX created costumes of John Mollo's original space suit designs included many practical features such as an integrated filter blower system in the bottom of the portable life support system (backpack) into the helmet to keep the visor clear and the actor cool, thousands of LEDs that pulsated rhythmically to indicate life support functionality (with a secret 'panic mode' switch to quicken the pace when the plot required it!) and industrial magnets embedded in the soles of the boots to add to the realism of scenes featuring active magnetic boots.
The air lock the ship docks at is unlucky number 13 in Roman numerals.
Dr. Weir shares his name with a historical figure, Johann Weyer, also known as Wier or Wierus. He was a Dutch physician, occultist, and demonologist.
Jeremy Irons and Amy Brenneman were originally set to star in the film.
When Peters is following her imaginary son in the core of the ship, the gates she passes are shaped like coffins, foretelling what is about to occur.
The hundreds of apparent metal bolts that line the corridors of the Event Horizon are actually power transistors in a TO-3 or similar package. This can be best seen when Miller rests his head against the wall when hearing Corrick's voice.
In the startup of the film there is a black hole in the starry space while important cast is being presented, after focusing the black hole, in a few seconds you got a feeling that a single blue eye is looking at you.
The tool that Miller uses to keep the door seal open when he rescues Starck is a Halligan tool, a tool used by rescue crews. It is an unusual tool to be found in space vessels.
The first person signed to the film was director of photography Adrian Biddle.
Kathleen Quinlan (Peters) and Jack Noseworthy (Justin) have previously appeared in Breakdown (1997), which premiered three months prior to this film.
One of the members of the original Event Horizon crew was British director Gary Sinyor, who directed The Bachelor (1999) starring Chris O'Donnell and Academy Award winner Renée Zellweger.
Laurence Fishburne (Miller) and Richard T. Jones (Cooper) have previously appeared in What's Love Got To Do With It (1993), respectively, as Ike Turner and Ike Turner, Jr.
Some actors of the cast are linked to Sci-Fi and fantasy franchises:
- Sam Neill played Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993) and Jurassic Park III (2001).
- Laurence Fishburne played Morpheus in The Matrix (1999) and sequels.
- Jason Isaacs played Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) and sequels.
Director Cameo ―
Paul W.S. Anderson: During the opening dream sequence, a book floats past the camera, featuring a picture of the director and his name. The director himself jokes about this detail in the DVD commentary saying it's his autobiography, title "Paul Anderson: A Life".
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