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Liberate Tutemet Ex Inferis: The Exquisite Horrors of Event Horizon
When it comes to sci-fi/horror, the majority of people tend to cite one of two films as their favorite: Alien or Aliens. Now, don’t get me wrong, those films are indeed awesome and I love them, but the sci-fi/horror blend nearest to my heart is and will probably always be Paul W.S. Anderson’s Event Horizon.
Today, August 15th, is the twentieth anniversary of the Event Horizon’s harrowing trip into a dimension of pure chaos, and with that in mind, I thought I’d take a look at five of the coolest things about the film.
Warning, visual aids will be included, so if you’re at work, you should probably Liberate Tutemet Ex Inferis before your boss shows up. Also, I’m about to gush about Event Horizon in great detail, so if you haven’t seen it, be warned, there are spoilers afoot.
#5 – The Cast
Beyond the story itself, one of the things that initially drew me to Event Horizon was the cast, which is absolutely packed full of people that I (and I’m guessing many of you might) recognize. Heading up the crew are of course Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne, certified genre icons that should need no introduction.
Outside of Neill and Fishburne, there’s Kathleen Quinlan, who I’ll always most associate with Twilight Zone: The Movie’s remake of It’s a Good Life. She also starred in the underrated 1985 virus outbreak flick Warning Sign, and played Tom Hanks’ wife in Apollo 13.
I knew Joely Richardson at the time from Disney’s 1996 remake of 101 Dalmatians, but she went on to greater fame in FX’s Nip/Tuck. Richard T. Jones had already appeared on multiple TV shows prior to Event Horizon, but my favorite role of his ended up being James Ellison on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Jack Noseworthy would go on to play metal-head Randy in 1999’s hilarious Idle Hands, while Jason Isaacs is now of course best known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series. He also starred in the brilliant but canceled NBC drama Awake.
Finally, Sean Pertwee would cement his horror credentials with Neil Marshall’s Dog Soldiers, and now plays Alfred on Gotham. Wow, now that’s a talented group.
#4 – The Production Design
While everything from the opening space station set onward looks terrific, the Event Horizon itself is truly a marvel of production design. The film had a pretty big – for the time – $60 million budget, and it showed in every frame.
Every single room and corridor of the Event Horizon looks menacing and evil in a different way, and every piece of architecture looks “off” to some degree as well. The crown jewel of the ship is easily the core, which houses Dr. Weir’s (Neill) gravity drive device that inadvertently takes the crew to hell.
From the long, sharp spikes all around the room to just how ridiculously tall it is, everything is a sight to behold. Most impressive is the drive itself, which spins rings within rings continuously in a way almost resembling the sliding movements of Hellraiser’s Lament Configuration box,
#3 – The Gory Kills
When most people think of Event Horizon, the first thing to probably come to mind are the fast-cut hell scenes, which depict the fate of the Event Horizon’s original crew. That’ll get it’s own focus below, but for this section, I wanted to highlight some of the horrors that befall the main cast.
Probably the most downright mean of the bunch is the ship using visions of Peters’ (Quinlan) kid to first torment her, then ultimately lead her to a splattery death by huge fall in the core. There is also what happens to Weir, who is first shown a re-enactment of his wife’s suicide, then made to remove his own eyes.
Poor Justin (Noseworthy), the “baby” of the crew damn near gets his insides liquefied after being possessed into exiting the airlock without a suit, only to be saved at the last minute by Capt. Miller (Fishburne). Smitty (Pertwee) actually gets it the nicest(?) of those who die, simply getting blown the hell up by a bomb.
The award for the most sickening death though goes to resident doctor D.J. (Isaacs), who has a little impromptu surgery performed on him by a now fully evil and superpowered Weir. I have a very strong stomach, but even I get unnerved by how D.J.’s mutilated body is left on display.
#2 – Bringing Hell to Space is an Awesome Concept
All horror fans have specific sub-genres that tend to really float their boat, whether it be demon possession flicks or slasher movies. Me, one of my great horror loves is movies that either go to and depict hell, or bring hell to Earth. In some ways, Event Horizon does both those things, and does them well.
Full disclosure, I’m not a religious man, and don’t believe in hell. That said, the concept of a dimension where evil is in complete control and only chaos and torture await fascinates the hell out of me (pun intended) for whatever reason. Event Horizon turning this idea into a sci-fi conceit is genius, and one of the reasons I love the film so much.
In fact, were it not for the existence of Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Event Horizon would probably be my favorite hell-based horror film of all-time. Sadly, Dr. Weir isn’t a terrifying clown juggling his own eyes, so he loses out by a smidge.
For anyone who’d like to see something similar to Event Horizon but on a smaller scale, check out the obscure 1990 low-budget sci-fi/horror flick The Dark Side of the Moon. The two plots are very similar, but considering how few people have seen Dark, I’m pretty positive Event Horizon wasn’t simply ripping it off.
#1 – Save Yourself from Hell
Okay, you knew this was coming. There’s a reason the hell sequences depicting the torture and murder of the original Event Horizon crew – and the potential fate of Miller’s crew – are so legendary, and that’s because they contain some of the most fucked up imagery ever seen in a big-budget Hollywood genre film.
Sadly, as anyone familiar with the movie knows, Anderson’s original cut was much longer, and included much more detailed looks at the hell scenes. I’ve included both the version that appears in the film, and some of the deleted bits included on the DVD release below, for your viewing pleasure.
And with those lovely images, I bid you adieu for today. I hope you enjoyed accompanying me on this trip down memory lane. Now, before you continue with your day, remember, where you’re going, you won’t need eyes to see.
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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage
It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.
Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:
“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”
Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.
FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024
Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).
No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.
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Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix
The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.
If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.
Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.
Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.
Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.
Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.
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BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway
BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.
Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.
The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).
Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”
The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.
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