Blu-ray Review: Event Horizon (1997)

"Hell in space."

(aka Do You See?)

Release Date: August 15th, 1997.

Country: USA.

Rating: R.

Written by: Philip Eisner.

Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson.

Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, and Sean Pertwee.



It's always amazed me how much critics hated this movie, and how audiences didn't respond to it at all, when it was released back in 1997. Now, a lot of critics are stodgy old bores who can never seem to truly enjoy a movie unless it's set in 14th Century England, so I don't tend to give a shit what they say about most Genre flicks, but Event Horizon is not anywhere near the piece of shit that they all made it out to be. In fact, it's one of the coolest Horror flicks to come out of the 90's, and one hell of a good time.



So screw them. 

Space, 2040: The Event Horizon, a deep exploration starship, disappears on its maiden mission to Proxima Centauri. Where did it go, you ask? Hell, but we'll get to that later.

AH, THERE SHE IS.

Space, 2047: The rescue ship Lewis and Clark is sent to Neptune to answer a distress signal, which unbeknownst to them is coming from the Event Horizon, which has suddenly reappeared out of nowhere after 7 years. The ship's creator, Dr. Weir is on board, and he's determined to find out what happened to his baby and bring her home.

DR. WEIR IS AN ASSHOLE, BY THE WAY.

When the crew of the Lewis and Clark boards the Event Horizon to get her back on-line and get some answers, it comes alive, and all hell breaks loose, literally. Like we said above, the ship went to hell (or a really hellish alternate dimension) when it disappeared, and it brought something back with it. Do you see?



Hell on Earth in space ensues.

OH YES, WE SEE.

Event Horizon is one of those movies that we loved when we first saw it in theaters back in 1997, while it seemed to be hated by everyone else. Now, that's not because we're so enlightened that we "got" what a great movie it was, and everyone else was missing the boat, but because it just spoke to us in all the right ways. And because we got it and they didn't, because "they" have shitty taste, and we don't.



Yes, it's a bit melodramatic and over-the-top in the acting department at times, and it's not very scientifically accurate, but it was a bloody, exciting ride that sucked us in and made us hungry for more.



It's packed full of bloody & gory scenes and disturbing imagery; it's got a likable cast, most of whom meet their ends in nasty ways; it's suitably creepy; the ship looks fantastic, as do the glimpses of Hell that we get; and it just doesn't ever let up on any of those things. It's a disturbing Haunted House story set in space. What's not to love about that?

PLUS, LARRY FISHBURNE. HOW AWESOME IS HE?

Did we mention that Dr. Weir was an asshole?

KILL HIM!

This movie was cut pretty heavily when it first came out due to test audiences complaining that it was too gory and violent, which makes no sense, because it's a frigging Horror movie, but I digress...



Point is that somewhere out there (supposedly) is a bunch of footage that would make for a pretty gnarly Unrated Cut, but due to the fact that the studio didn't give a shit about this movie after its poor reception, we'll probably never see it assembled into anything watchable. That's a damn shame.

WAS IT RAPE? WE MAY NEVER KNOW...

Even though a lot of it is shown in quick flashes, there's plenty of blood & gore throughout this one to keep most Gorehounds happy.

I MEAN, THAT'S A LOT OF BLOOD.

There's some nudity in this one, but it's not of the sexy variety.

POOR GIRL DIED HALF-NAKED.

Event Horizon looks pretty damned good in this 2:35:1, 1080p/AVC transfer. The special effects look a bit dated in parts, but overall this is a gorgeously shot movie with some great VFX that really shine in crisp detail on this disc. The Dolby TruHD 5.1 audio track complements the visuals perfectly, making it even more of an immersive experience than it already was.



Special Features:

• Audio Commentary with Paul W.S. Anderson


• The Making of Event Horizon (SD, 103 minutes)


• The Point of No Return (SD, 8 minutes)


• Deleted/Extended Scenes (SD, 10 minutes)


• The Unseen (SD, 7 minutes)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2 minutes)

Overall, for under $10, this is an excellent catalogue title that should be a part of any Horror Fan's collection.

POOR BABY BIRD...

Simply put, Event Horizon is one of the best Horror movies of the 90's, and one of our favorite fright flicks set in space. It's eerie, disturbing, gory, and all kinds of exciting, and even though it's attained a bit of a cult status over the years, it's still severely underrated.



If you have yet to take a ride through space and Hell with the Event Horizon, you should rectify that omission now.



A-



Event Horizon is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.

Along with its Demons, the Event Horizon was also populated with a few Angels.

TV Review: Stranger Things (Season 1)

"The worst thing about this show is that it was over way too quick."

(aka John Carpenter's E.T.)

Release Date: July 15th.

Country: USA.

Rating: NR.

Written by: Matt and Ross Duffer.

Directed by: Matt and Ross Duffer.

Starring: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Matthew Modine, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, and Charlie Heaton.



Stranger Things is a love letter to the 80's. We grew up in the 80's, so the Dungeons & Dragons gaming sessions, the infectious pop music, the rotary phones, and TV antennas felt like a snapshot of our past to us.



In a way, we were the kids in this show. We were way cooler (obviously), but we played D&D, rode our bikes all over the place, and were totally afraid to talk to girls. Alright, fine. Maybe we were awkward too, but we're cool now. We think.



Even though we're going to keep things as vague as possible, mild spoilers do follow.

Hawkins, Indiana, 1983: After a particularly harrowing all-day session of Dungeons & Dragons in which Demogorgon lays waste to the entire party when one of the players rolls a shitty 7 (all you needed was a 13!), four middle school friends call it a night and part ways. One of them, Will, never makes it home.

"HAVE FUN NOT MAKING IT HOME."

Will's mother, Joyce, is frantic the next morning when she realizes her kid never made it home, and heads off to report him missing to the local Chief of Police, Hopper. He, along with everyone else, thinks that Joyce is crazy, because she kind of is, and so they aren't sure whether to believe her or not.

I WONDER IF SHE HAS CALL-WAITING?

Will's friends are worried, and since no one else is making any progress finding him, they decide to take matters into their own hands, and search the woods for him. What they find instead is a little girl in a hospital gown with a shaved head, and a penchant for remaining silent, named Eleven.



And that's all we're saying.

YEAH, THINGS GET STRANGE.

From the get-go, Stranger Things did not feel perfect to us. The story felt all too safe and familiar; the acting was cheesy at times (calm down, Winona!); and even the cast felt odd at first, as most of the kids weren't your cookie-cutter, good-looking Disney types (which was a really good thing, btw); but man did it ever pull us into its world and keep us engaged through its entire 8 Episode run.



Stranger Things is a show that is deeply rooted in the 80's, and not just because it takes place then; it feels like E.T. and The Goonies meets The Monster Squad, with a bit of old-school John Carpenter flair thrown in to make it darker. It also had obvious nods to Alien, and it reminded us of Silent Hill more than once, so really, it's a bunch of things thrown into one big, 80's-centric pot that made us nostalgia in a big way.



Had "Steven Spielberg and John Carpenter Presents" popped up during the opening credits, it wouldn't have shocked us at all.

US, CIRCA 1983.

As nostalgic and comfy as the word of Stranger Things feels, there's a steady stream of darkness and danger that runs through it, which makes it much more than some kid-friendly throwback. The monster is real (and creepy as hell); Eleven is dangerous, and we're never sure just who she's going to take her anger out on; and the proverbial "men in black" are a real threat who kill indiscriminately to cover their tracks and get back what is theirs.



It's all very dire, and as sweet as it can be, it's all very serious.



It was also over far too quick, and it left us hanging on a few plot points that have us really hoping that Netflix gives it a Season 2. Seriously, the waffles!

IS THAT A OUIJA BOARD PAINTED ON THE WALL?

Violence aplenty in this one, but the gore factor is low.

WINONA WENT DARK IN THIS ONE...

There's a bit of sex, but nothing gratuitous at all.

THE PANGS OF FIRST LOVE ARE APLENTY THOUGH.

One of the coolest things about Stranger Things is how it uses 80's music to accent its story. It's like an awesome mix-tape. Our faves were:



Should I Stay or Should I Go (The Clash)

Africa (TOTO)

I Melt With You (Modern English)

Waiting For a Girl Like You (Foreigner)

Sunglasses at Night (Corey Hart)

*GOONIES THEME SONG INTENSIFIES*

Sentimental, intense, nostalgic and creepy, Stranger Things took us by total surprise. It's one of the best things that we've seen all Summer, and we can't wait to see the story continue in Season 2. There's going to be a Season 2, right?



If you have Netflix, stream this bad boy asap.



A



Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix now.

From the I we saw her in Lucas, Winona Ryder was one of my biggest crushes as a kid. She's still beautiful today.