Random Production Of Event Horizon Was Its Own Level Of Hell (12 items)

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  (#5) The Script Was Confusing To The Cast, And Production Was Grueling And Stressful

  From the cast's perspective, making Event Horizon was especially difficult. For starters, the actors had difficulty following the story. "None of us really understood the script," co-star Joely Richardson said later. "It was something to do with the other dimension or the fourth wall, [but] none of us knew what it was. The script was pretty incomprehensible but there was such a good team of actors that we all signed on regardless."

  Filming a science fiction or horror movie can add an extra degree of difficulty because of the special effects. Event Horizon drew upon elements from both genres, which, combined with an already compressed schedule, made for an especially grueling production. 

  The spacesuits weighed 65 pounds - star Laurence Fishburne nicknamed his "Doris," somewhat affectionately - and required cast members to be suspended on an enormous steel fishing pole. Richardson had to be doused with several gallons of blood for one scene, which ended up on the cutting room floor. 
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  (#12) 'Event Horizon' Is Getting A New Lease On Life As A TV Series

  For fans who fell in love with Event Horizon and its distinct world and tone, Amazon recently announced some good news. In partnership with Paramount TV, the streaming service is planning an upcoming Event Horizon TV series. 

  While the series will return to the world of the film, details about the plot and story haven't been confirmed yet. Original producers Lloyd Levin and Larry Gordon will be returning, and Adam Wingard is set to executive produce. Wingard previously worked on Godzilla vs. King Kong, so his track record with reboots should be encouraging. 
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  (#7) The First Test Audiences Freaked Out Because Of The Gore, Causing The Director To Cut A Significant Chunk Out Of The Film

  Test audiences didn't like Anderson's first cut of the film. After hastily assembling it in just four weeks, it was overly long at 130 minutes and many of the special effects hadn't been completed. 

  But the test audiences' main problem was the extreme gore - especially the so-called "blood orgy" scene. At one point, the crew of the Lewis and Clark discovers a video of the Event Horizon's crew violently dismembering themselves. The scene reportedly caused test audience members to faint. 

  Paramount wanted Event Horizon to be more of a fun summer movie, so the studio ordered Anderson to remove most of the gore. The blood orgy scene remained in the theatrical version, but heavily edited down. 
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  (#4) To Hit The New Deadlines, Paul W.S. Anderson Worked Seven Days A Week, Filming And Editing At The Same Time

  Due to the new deadline, Anderson had only four weeks to film, forcing him to work seven days a week. He was given only six weeks to edit the film, but at the start of editing, he still had two weeks of filming with the second unit, which effectively reduced his editing time to just four weeks. By comparison, a film typically gets 10 weeks of editing time, per Directors Guild guidelines. 

  Anderson also had to contend with adverse weather. Many scenes were originally planned to be filmed on location, but severe conditions caused by El Niño forced the production to rely on sound stages. Anderson later felt that this compromised his film's overall look. 
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  (#3) The Tight Production Schedule Meant Filmmakers Had To Hire An Inexperienced Production Designer

  The role of production designer is particularly important on a science fiction film, because they are responsible for bringing its futuristic world to life. Sci-fi movie production designers often wind up becoming legendary within the film community, like Star Wars' John Barry or Bladerunner's Lawrence Paull. 

  Since Event Horizon was greenlit just 10 weeks before the start of production, most established production designers turned down the job. Instead, Anderson and his producers took a risk and hired newcomer Joseph Bennett. "The reason we hired Joseph is that he was incredibly young and enthusiastic, and what he lacked in experience, I thought he would make up in sheer flair," Anderson said. "He hasn't disappointed."

  Hiring Bennett would end up being one of the few production decisions that went right. His blend of near-future technology and oppressive gothic architecture gave the film a unique look that even contemporary critics appreciated. Bennett's designs remain one of the highest-praised aspects of the film today. 
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  (#11) The Cut Scenes Are Said To Be Lost Forever, So There Can Never Be A Director's Cut

  When Event Horizon's DVD sales were unexpectedly robust, Paramount approached Anderson and asked him to assemble a director's cut. Unfortunately, that proved to be impossible. 

  After the end of production, all unused footage was discarded in a Transylvanian salt mine. When Anderson relocated the footage, it proved too damaged to be usable. 

  Anderson regrets that the footage wasn't better preserved, but the film was made in a much different time. He explained:

  You’ll never see the messed up version because we made Event before the kind of DVD revolution. You know, DVD ushered in this era when you had to have additional footage, deleted scenes, things like that. There was no call for that back when we were just doing VHS cassettes and LaserDiscs. So the material just wasn’t archived very well. 

  In 2012 at Comic-Con, Anderson said that the film's producer, Lloyd Levin, had rediscovered a VHS copy of the 130-minute cut, but has not since followed up. 

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