‘Whoever sent that message, he sure believed in Hell...’
Sam Neill is an actor who was hard to pin down. He screen-tested for Bond. He was just as comfortable in prestigious Oscar fare like The Piano, as he was in genre films like In the Mouth of Madness or Event Horizon. And yet, despite appearing in loads of weird and challenging work (I haven’t mentioned Possession yet), he will forever be best known for his association with the Jurassic Park franchise. Following the sad news of his death at the age of 78 in July of 2026, it was Event Horizon that I turned to. It remains a dark sci-fi classic…
A crew of astronauts are led on a rescue mission after the titular Event Horizon, a missing spaceship that suddenly reappears near Neptune after being missing for seven years. Neill plays Dr Weir, the designer of Event Horizon. He’s joined on his rescue mission by Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne); D.J. (Jason Isaacs), the ship’s medic; and Smitty (Sean Pertwee), the reluctant pilot.
British filmmaker Paul W. S. Anderson is not exactly what you’d call a prestigious director. He is probably best known for being at the helm of the Resident Evil franchise and for unleashing the excretable Alien vs Predator to the world. While his films may be trashy, there is no denying that he has a certain visual flair and an understanding of pacing that ensures that while they’re never going to win any Oscars, his films are rarely dull. Event Horizon marks the highwater mark of Anderson’s career, the moment in which he was given a script (written by Philip Eisner) that perfectly dovetails his eye for the spectacular.
While some of the acting is spotty (Richard T. Jones appears to be delivering a performance better suited to a different movie entirely), Fishburne and Neill are great, and great together. Both men have a quiet intensity which is electric when combined. Neill has more to do, he essentially plays two characters here, but when things get really wacky in the third act, it is Neill’s committed performance that keeps things on track. There aren’t many prestigious actors who would throw themselves into a performance the way Neill does here, in what is essentially a high concept B-movie.
Event Horizon was a box office flop upon release but it has since been reclaimed as a cult classic. Come for the incredible visuals but stay Neill’s thrilling, demented performance. He’ll be missed.
