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Event Horizon

a Sam Neill mini-season

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson, 1997, Uk/USA, 96 min, Cert: 18

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Thu 6 August // 20:00

Tickets: £5

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The year is 2047. Seven years after vanishing during an experimental faster-than-light voyage, the starship Event Horizon suddenly reappears near Neptune. A rescue crew led by Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) is dispatched to investigate, accompanied by the ship’s creator, Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill). What they find is far worse than a derelict spacecraft: the Event Horizon has returned changed, carrying something unspeakable back with it.

Blending haunted-house terror with cosmic sci-fi, Paul W.S. Anderson’s cult classic remains one of the most unsettling studio horror films of the 1990s. At its dark heart is a superbly unhinged performance from Sam Neill, who takes Dr. Weir from grieving visionary to something far more nightmarish. Long before horror audiences rediscovered the film as a masterpiece of cosmic dread, Neill’s committed, tragic and increasingly terrifying turn ensured Event Horizon would linger in viewers’ nightmares.

Keep an eye out for a small but fascinating piece of Sam Neill lore: the Australian flag patch on Weir’s uniform was altered at his request, replacing the Union Jack with the Aboriginal flag to reflect how he imagined Australia's flag might look by the film’s futuristic setting of 2047.

A descent into madness, grief and the abyss, Event Horizon is essential big-screen viewing and a perfect showcase for the remarkable talents of Sam Neill.