This year (2022) marks the 25th anniversary of the release of one of the greatest gems of cinematic cosmic horror. 'Event Horizon', a film by Paul W.S. Anderson that in the key of science fiction took us into space to live an unforgettable nightmare.
The film, which has earned its cult status, is brimming with virtues in its tight running time, but there is something that doesn't quite convince Sam Neill, the actor who starred in the 1997 film alongside Laurence Fishburne; and this problem has to do precisely with the length and pace of the story.
This film was released in 1997, and Sam Neill is still surprised by the esteem in which it is held to this day, among the works he accumulates in his extensive filmography. He told SyFy Wire in an interview:
“It’s funny how often that film comes up of all the films I’ve made. And it’s not that it did particularly well,” he admitted. “But people seem to have seen it and it just sort of sears itself into their imagination or something.”
However, Sam Neill considers that the film was too short, specifically "half an hour too short", and is unhappy about it.
“It’s a matter of grit to me that it’s not longer, was cut like it was on speed, or fast forward.”
As a staunch defender of 'Event Horizon', I accept that the film's narrative feels too rushed in some of its passages, and inquisitive glances should be directed at Paramount, from where they demanded that the maximum length of the feature film should not exceed 90 minutes after being horrified by what they saw.
Unfortunately, the chances of seeing an unabridged version of this savage delight are practically nil, as the discarded footage was stored in a salt mine, becoming damaged enough that it can't even be restored. We can only dream of a director's cut that would do justice to what is also a landmark of nineties horror cinema.
Source: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/sam-neill-wishes-event-horizon-was-longer/
