Day 355: Event Horizon

Event Horizon

Infinite terror comes with your choice of toppings

Space: The Final Frontier. It's cliché, I know, but when it comes to horror, it's true. Despite us knowing more about space than the ocean, the audience has a general idea of what something from the sea will look like. When it comes to outer space, anything and everything is possible. There are no rules which frees up writers and directors to create the movie they want to make. Sometimes it leads to great results like Alien and sometimes it leads to brain-crushing stupidity like Jason X. Either way, you never know what to expect.

Event Horizon is a 1997 science fiction horror movie starring Lawrence Fishburne (The Matrix, Mission Impossible III) as Captain Miller and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, In The Mouth Of Madness) as Dr. William Weir. In the year 2040, the spaceship Event Horizon disappeared on it's maiden voyage to another star system. Seven years later, a distress signal is received from the Event Horizon. The rescue vessel Lewis and Clark is sent to the rescue the ship which is floating near Neptune. The ship is captained by Miller whose crew includes Lt. Starck (Joely Richardson, The Tudors, Nip/Tuck), pilot Smith (Sean Pertwee, Dog Soldiers, Soldier), engineer Justin (Jack Noseworthy, There's Something About Mary, The Fifth Element), doctor D.J. (Jason Isaacs, The Patriot, Armageddon), medical technician Peters (Kathleen Quinlan, I Never Promised You A Rose Garden, Apollo 13), and rescue technician Cooper (Richard T. Jones, Kiss The Girls, The Wood). The ship's creator, Dr. Weir, joins the mission, revealing that the ship was built to test an experimental form of space travel that generates an artificial black hole. When they enter the ship, they see the remnants of a bloody massacre. As they search for clues as to what happened, the ship's gravity drive starts on it's own, dragging Justin into a portal. When he is released, he is left in a catatonic state. The gravity drive damages the Lewis And Clark, forcing the entire crew onto the Event Horizon. They begin to experience terrifying hallucinations, all surrounding fears and regrets, especially towards lost love ones. Justin wakes from his catatonic state and tries to kill himself, saying that he has seen horrible things inside the portal. Dr. Weir begins to see visions of his wife, who committed suicide, urging him to “join” her. The crew is able to decipher the ship's log, revealing that the crew went insane and horrifically mutilated each other. Miller and DJ believe that the ship's original portal jump led them to another dimension, one of complete chaos and evil. In fact, they believe that the ship has in fact been to Hell. Now, that evil lives on the ship and has taken over Dr. Weir. Weir begins to sadistically murder the crew members while the ship itself causes more hallucinations. Will Miller be able to stop Weir and get back home before it's too late?

And will he join the Ghostbusters?

Writer Philip Eisner (The Mutant Chronicles, Firestarter 2) originally pitched Event Horizon as “The Shining in space” with no actual story planned. Well that may sound like a funny thing to do, Alien was pitched as “Jaws in space” so it's not without merit. It's a pretty apt description of how Event Horizon is laid out, both in story and action. Initially, the audience has an inkling that something bad might happen, but the true horror slowly unfolds, enveloping the characters as well as the audience. The ship has an evil presence, much like the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, coupled with the mental breakdown of one of the main characters. Event Horizon uses the same combination of isolation, depression, and despair to twist characters as well as test the audience. All that being said, Event Horizon isn't on the same level as The Shining. This movie focuses much more on physical action and violence rather than the psychological horror of The Shining. Full of explosions and fight scenes, this movie is made more to frighten you up front rather than terrify within. The hallucinations may make you jump, but they're not on the same level as say, an elevator full of blood rushing towards you. Speaking of blood and gore, this movie has a lot of it. More than lots of slashers, actually. Test audiences and the studio found the original cut to be too gory and scenes were cut, which is a shame. The movie does have religious imagery, like a window shaped like a cross, but it's not overly religious like an exorcism movie would be.

Another major difference is the quality of story. Event Horizon uses an interesting idea and a creative setting to get started, but when it comes down to details and specifics, the movie tends to gloss over them in an effort to get to more visually exciting scenes. It's never entirely clear if the ship actually went to Hell or just a scary dimension. How did the ship create hallucinations? Was the ship alive or did everyone just go nuts? Why are people smoking inside a spaceship? The movie is entertaining enough where you can mostly overlook plot holes, though they may stick with you when the movie is over. The cast is really strong in this movie with everyone playing their part very well. Sam Neill is really good as a villain and should play one more often. Two funny things I noticed while watching the movie. At the beginning, they say that the first colony on the moon started in 2015. Looks like that's not happening. I always get a kick out of things like this in movies that predict something in the not too distant future and get it wrong. I love Escape From New York, but always laugh when they say the year is 1997. Just pick something like 100 years in the future so if you get it wrong, no one will really care by then. The second thing was the crew communicating with each other using what looks like iPads. I think someone should sue Apple for that. Director Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat) captures both the violence and fear well enough to please action fans and horror fans equally. 

You got a little something on...eh, never mind

Event Horizon is an enjoyable science fiction horror movie with a decent amount of scares and some interesting ideas. It's easy to see how the story parallels The Shining, always a good movie to emulate. There is a true sense of isolation and claustrophobia throughout the movie that makes the audience feel what the characters are experiencing. The movie has a lot of blood and gore which may make some people squeamish. The movie uses a large amount of special effects, some good and some clearly from the 1990's. Direct Paul W.S. Anderson does a solid job and the cast manages to make the movie, which could have been silly in the wrong hands, believable and entertaining. There are some issues with the plot as details tend to be rushed or completely ignored, but there's enough going on to keep you entertained. While it didn't do well when it was first released, Event Horizon has gained a cult status among horror and sci-fi fans. It's fun, scary, and different. A winning combination.

8/10

Day 252: Alien

Alien

Scrambled or sunny-side up?

If horror movies have taught us anything (and believe me, they have) it's that aliens are evil creatures bent on world domination and/or human-eating. Sure, some movies want to portray the aliens as benevolent creatures, such as “A.I.” or “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind” but the majority of alien-based movies go straight for horror. A mixture of the unknown and the potential for easy scares is just too hard to pass up. While there have been scary alien-based movies for decades, there is one movie that stands above the rest, not just in terms of scares, but in terms of actual importance.

Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror movie written by Dan O'Bannon (Heavy Metal, Total Recall) and directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator). The movie stars Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters, Galaxy Quest) as Officer Ripley. Ripley works on commercial towing spaceship Nostromo which is towing a refinery filled with ore back to Earth. The seven member crew receives a transmission of unknown origin from a nearby planet. Ordered by their employer, the Nostromo detaches from the refinery and lands on the planet. The landing is rough, damaging the ship and forcing part of the crew to make necessary repairs. Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt, Top Gun, Contact), the navigator Lambert (Veronica Cartwright, The Birds, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers), and Officer Kane (John Hurt, Midnight Express, 1984) explore that planet in hopes of finding the signal's source. They discover the signal is coming from an ancient alien spacecraft. Inside, they find the fossilized remains of a giant alien which appears to have had something break it's ribs from the inside. The Nostromo's computer deciphers part of the signal, revealing it to be some sort of warning. Kane discovers a chamber filled with alien eggs. One egg opens, releases a creature that attaches itself to Kane's face. Ignoring quarantine procedures, science officer Ash (Ian Holm, Lord Of The Rings, The Aviator) brings Kane into his lab to try and remove the alien from his face. Their attempt is unsuccessful when they cut the creature, revealing it's blood to be a highly corrosive acid that eats through multiple levels of the ship. Eventually the creature detaches on it's on, dying in the process. Kane appears to be well, but during a dinner, he experiences sever chest pains and convulsions. A small alien bursts from his chest and escapes into the spaceship. The crew tries to track the alien down, only to discover that it has grown into a giant, vicious monster. One by one the crew is killed by the alien. Ripley discovers that Ash has been ordered to return the alien to their employer, regardless of the crew's safety. Ash attacks Ripley, but she is saved by Lambert and Parker (Yaphet Kotto, The Running Man, Live And Let Die) the ship's engineer. It is revealed that Ash is actually an android put on the ship to retrieve the alien. How will Ripley defeat the alien and reach Earth safely?

Arby's strikes again

Thanks to the numerous sequels, comic books, action figures, and video games, we all know what the full-grown alien looks like. Of course, the original movie hides the alien for a majority of the movie, giving us only a few glimpses throughout the almost 2-hour long movie. We see the head, teeth, giant arms and legs, but rarely do we ever see the entire creature. Much like Steven Spielberg's “Jaws”, Alien gives the audience just enough of a look to scare us, but allows our imagination to carry the fear even further. The spaceship is a good setting for the movie as it creates a sense of both claustrophobia and helplessness. The knowledge that no one can help you is just as terrifying as the alien itself. A lot of the movie's horror comes from that anticipation. I mean, the movie is called “Alien” so you know that you're going to get something, you're just not sure what. The cat-and-mouse game with the alien heightens the suspense and leads to some chilling thrills. In all of it's forms, the alien looks great. It is monstrous with it's giant, phallic-like head, drooling mouth, sharp teeth, and unnaturally long arms and legs. The sets look good as well with a nice juxtaposition between the white, sterile interior ship and the dark, grimy underbelly of the vents and basements. By today's standards, the shots of the spaceship clearly look like models and reminded me of Star Wars, but they served their purpose well enough.

Gimme some sugar, baby

The decision to make a female the lead character and hero was an important one as it was uncommon at the time. Though Sigourney Weaver was not a well-known movie actress at the time, she is strong and forceful throughout the entire movie. Even when she is shown in her underwear to convey vulnerability, she is still in control. Ian Holm is quite enjoyable as the cold, calculating Ash. The reveal that Ash was an android was quite unexpected, almost a little too much for my liking. It makes sense in terms of the story, I just would have liked a little more foreshadowing. The rest of the cast is just as good, playing their parts very well. It should be noted that the cast skews a bit older than your typical horror/thriller, especially at the time. This adds an air of credibility to the characters and their actions. They're not just stupid teenagers going into the abandoned house, they're highly-trained professionals in a dangerous situation they have no control over. The violence and action is pretty consistent in the movie, though some patience is required in the beginning.

Does this make my hair look big?

Alien is a fun and scary thrill ride that has influenced countless horror and sci-fi movies. The pacing and suspense really make the movie what it is, helped along by good special effects. Even a simple strobe light, when placed on the alien, creates a far more terrifying experience than one would expect. Sigourney Weaver is great as Ripley and Ian Holm is just as good as Ash. While later movies focused on the aliens themselves, the original teased the audience with the creature, giving us just enough to let our imaginations run wild. Ridley Scott combines both horror and sci-fi genres well and is able to capture both the action and fear that make the movie entertaining. If you've never seen any of the Alien franchise, start with the original and you won't be disappointed.

8.5/10

Day 198: Apollo 18

Apollo 18

In space, no one can hear your cliche

Space: the final frontier. Outer space is an effective backdrop for horror movies because it is the epitome of the unknown. Despite all of humanity's work and technology, we have only gone to Earth's moon a limited number of times. Economic problems across the world have put a halt to space travel, cutting off our exploration and leaving so many questions unanswered. It is the unknown that makes horror movies in space work. The mind runs wild with thoughts of aliens, monsters, and “other” things that may be out there. The world is dangerous, but at least we have an idea of what may happen. Outer space is completely different. So many things can go wrong and no one will be able to save you.

Apollo 18 is a 2011 science fiction horror movie starring Warren Christie (October Road, Alphas) as Lunar Module Pilot Captain Ben Anderson and Lloyd Owens (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Innocent) as Commander Nate Walker. In December 1974, the canceled Apollo 18 mission to the moon is reinstated as a top secret mission by the Department of Defense. Ben, Nate, and Command Module Pilot Lieutenant Colonel John Grey are launched to the moon in order to place machines that will detect Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles being launched by the USSR. Ben and Nate land on the moon via their lunar module while John stays in orbit on the Freedom module. They plant the detectors along with the American flag while picking up moon rock samples. Ben notes that they feel strange and when they return to the module, they hear strange chittering sounds on their radio. During further exploration, they find footprints not belonging to either one of them. They follow the footprints to a Soviet module and discover a dead Cosmonaut inside. They contact mission control in Houston and ask if they knew that the Soviets had reached the moon. Houston gives them the run-around and tells them to continue their mission. The next day, they discover that the flag they planted has gone missing. As they prepare to leave, their module shakes violently, and their launch is aborted. Outside, Nate claims to feel something in his helmet and panics. Ben retrieves him and brings him back in the module. They discover that something has embedded itself inside Nate's body and Ben cuts out what appears to be a moon rock. Nate soon becomes sick and Ben is unable to make contact with Freedom or Houston due to interference and strange sounds over the radio. How will they be able to get home and what is the real reason they were sent to the moon?

Ahh! It's that stupid Call Me Maybe song!

Apollo 18 is a slow-build horror movie, taking it's time to set the stage and not rushing into action. If you're looking for exploding heads and evisceration, you are going to be sadly disappointed. You don't need to be bashed over the head with violence and jump-at-you-from-the-dark moments. The movie focuses more on atmosphere and hints of danger to instill fear in the audience instead of blood and gore. Apollo 18 falls into the “found footage” category, but unlike movies like Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project, the found footage doesn't feel like a gimmick to get cheap scares. It lends a level of authenticity to the story, since the footage has a retro quality and the dialogue is full of technical jargon. They could have been making it all up, but it sounded right, which is good enough. It didn't occur to me right away, but there is no music in the movie. This adds to the authenticity and lets the mind run wild throughout the movie instead of when music typically cues up.

A big reason why I enjoyed Apollo 18 is because I really like the concept. No one has gone to the moon in my lifetime and the movie gives a reason why. It's a fun little conspiracy theory that doesn't require the audience to wear tinfoil hats and scream about the Trilateral Commission teaming up with the Illuminati and the Girl Scouts of America. The movie is built upon a simple question and let's the audience's imagination run wild. The acting is very good and adds legitimacy to the story. The movie is directed by Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego, who does a good job using various surveillance shots to set the scenes and hand-held cameras to capture emotion and action. The movie uses some effects, but doesn't overdue it. I would have liked a little more definitive shots of the creatures and some more action. 

In Soviet Russia, Moon goes to you!

Apollo 18 is a fun science fiction horror movie that focuses on more traditional horror than many of today's blood and guts horror films. The concept is good and comes to life thanks to solid acting and directing. Normally, I am wary of “found footage” movies because they use the gimmick too much and forget to have a good story. The Blair Witch Project is a good example of this. Thankfully, Apollo 18 uses found footage to it's advantage, giving the movie a vintage feel and forgoing music for storytelling. It's a shame to see so many negative reviews for the movie because I think it's very entertaining. Leave your preconceived notions of horror at the door and see Apollo 18 for yourself.

8/10

Day 163: Pandorum

Pandorum

Space: The Final Frontaaaaahhhh!!!

Science fiction and horror go very well together. Sci-fi allows horror to go into strange and different places, creating new rules, and allowing for different fears. Some people (read: nerds) prefer to have their sci-fi straight, with no horror or other genres encroaching on their dilithium crystals or borgs. While it's not always necessary, I think even a little bit of horror can make a sci-fi movie that much better. Just look at Alien, The Fly, or Event Horizon. I don't think I have reviewed a movie yet that was so steeped in sci-fi, so what better time then now?

Pandorum is a 2009 science fiction/horror/thriller starring Ben Foster (30 Days of Night, 3:10 to Yuma) as Corporal Bower and Dennis Quaid (Far From Heaven. G.I. Joe) as Lieutenant Payton. In the future, Earth's population has skyrocketed in the billions, using up most of Earth's resources. A 60,000 passenger spaceship named Elysium is created to transport people, resources, and other life forms to colonize Tanis, a planet similar to Earth. Bower wakes up from his hypersleep to a dark, seemingly empty ship. He suffers from amnesia, but is able to recall who he is and why he is there. Lt. Payton also wakes from hypersleep with amnesia. The three-man flight crew they were supposed to relieve is nowhere to be found and, under Payton's direction, Bower begins to explore the ship. He asks Payton about the symptoms of Pandorum, a psychological condition similar to cabin fever. He worries that he may have Pandoum, but keeps it to himself. As he gets further in the ship, Bower encounters strange humanoid creatures. They are super fast and strong, hunting humans on the ship. He is chased by the Hunters and encounters two survivors, a Vietnamese agriculture worker named Manh and a German genetic engineer named Nadia (Antje Traue, Man of Steel). The travel deeper into the ship, heading towards the reactor, which Bower plans to restart in order to gain control. At the same time, Payton discovers another surviving crew member named Corporal Gallo. Gallo is aggressive and confrontational, informing Payton that he killed his previous crew because they were suffering from Pandorum. Bower and his group encounter another survivor named Leland, who tells them of the message sent to the Elysium telling of Earth's destruction and the crew member suffering from Pandorum. That crew member released some of the passengers who had mutated and evolved thanks to an enzyme in their feeding tubes. Now those passengers roam the ship, hunting and eating people. Will Bower and his group be able to get to the reactor and gain control of the ship and how is Gallo connected to Payton?

They still have handheld flashlights in the future?

This movie has a lot of fun and creative ideas that fit well within the science fiction genre. Unfortunately, the execution of said ideas is a different story. Far too many things are crammed into this movie with not enough time given to any of them. The movie is called Pandorum, and what my rundown may lead you to believe, there are good chunks of this movie where the syndrome is never mentioned. If you want to make a movie about people going nuts in space, then go for it. That actually sounds like it could be a crazy and terrifying movie that could be a lot of fun to watch. Instead, they include the Hunters, which look like a cross between Voldemort, the Na'vi, and Plavalaguna from The Fifth Element. If you want the movie to be about them, then have it be about them. I mean there's gaping plot holes as to why they exist, like why isn't everyone a mutant hunter or why no one bothered to check if the feeding tubes would turn them into murderous freaks. Combine that with Payton's side story with Gallo and your head is swimming trying to keep track of everything that's going on. It's too much and too confusing.

While not a true horror movie, there are some instances of fear and a few startling moments. If the movie had more focus, it could have actually been scary. The scenes and grim and dark sometimes making it difficult to discern what exactly is happening. Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid both put on good performances despite the story and some iffy direction. The supporting roles are good as well, though I would have liked a little more development with some of the characters. There's even a brief 2 minute scene with Norman Reedus. The action is pretty good, but just when things start getting interesting, the story shifts to something else. The movie also goes for a big shocking twist ending that actually wasn't that bad, but could have been executed better.

My bloody valentine

Pandorum is a movie filled with potential, but never reaches it. There is too much going on and the hour and 40 minute run time feels much, much longer. If they had chosen to stick with one idea and seen it all the way through, I think Pandorum would have been far scarier and more entertaining. The action is good and there's a few hints of fear, but not a whole lot of horror going on. The acting is good, particularly Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid. This movie is an example of how too good ideas lead to a disappointing end product.

5/10

Day 110: Killer Klowns From Outer Space

Killer Klowns From Outer Space

Harlem Globetrotters ain't got nothing on us

I specifically remember being a little boy and seeing parts of Killer Klowns From Outer Space. It was usually after watching Saturday morning WWF wrestling and American Gladiators. For whatever reason, FOX showed KKFOS multiple times on Saturday afternoons. I also specifically remember being scared of the movie. I wasn't scared of clowns or anything like that, I guess I just was scared of giant monsters killing people. Looking back, it seems pretty silly to be afraid of such a silly movie, but I can still see why it would scare a little kid. Its also easy to see why it has become a cult classic.

Killer Klowns From Outer Space is a 1988 horror/comedy starring Grant Cramer (New Year's Evil, Hardbodies) as Mike Tobacco. A small town is invaded by aliens that look like demented, nightmarish clowns. Their clothes and faces all look like they belong on real clowns, but they are much larger and far more terrifying. Their spaceship looks just like a big top circus and lands in a farmer's field. He goes to investigate with his dog and they are both wrapped up in a cocoon that looks like pink cotton candy. Mike and his girlfriend also investigate the circus tent and discover that its really a spaceship and the clowns are aliens. They try to explain what happened to local police, but the crotchety old police chief doesn't believe them. The clowns terrorize people in town through various and hilarious means; popcorn guns, riding invisible motorcycles, shadow puppets, and balloon animals. They gather up the bodies in cotton candy cocoons. Mike and his friends decide to take the fight to the clowns. Armed with their ice cream truck and a young police officer, the group head into the spaceship. Will they be able to defeat the clowns and save the world?

Limp Bizkit: The Later Years

Everything about this movie is 80's. The concept is crazy, the execution is over the top, and the acting is silly. It even has it's own theme song by The Dickies. All that being said, it's a fun movie. It never takes itself too seriously, almost to a fault. The movie tends to focus more on how many ways the clowns can kill people. And man are there some fun kills throughout the movie. When you watch a movie called Killer Klowns From Outer Space, you know you're not going for a cerebral horror thriller. The story is coherent enough and gets the audience from point A to point B and that's all that's really needed.

The clowns are the true stars of the movie. They look great especially when you know that the budget for the movie was pretty small. Their faces are particularly twisted and horrific looking as if they came a twisted fever dream from a mental patient. The set design for their spaceship is pretty cheap, but they make do with what they have. The Chiodo Brothers, who wrote, produced, and directed the film have stated that they are planning a sequel for 2013. I'm not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, it would be fun to revisit the evil clowns, but on the other, it might cheapen a beloved cult classic. I suppose if they can make toys based on the movie, a sequel can't cheapen the legacy much more. 

Dr. Klown, DDS

I can safely say that I am no longer scared of Killer Klowns From Outer Space. If you suffer from Coulrophobia (fear of clowns), though, you'll probably be terrified. If you don't, you'll have a great time laughing along and at the movie. The clowns look fantastic, their outfits are fun, and the story is easy to follow. You know exactly what you're going to get with Killer Klowns From Outer Space and there's nothing wrong with that.

7.5/10