Event Horizon’s Prequel Shouldn’t Have Added A Monster

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The comic book prequel to Event Horizon recently introduced a monstrous, slimy creature to pursue its characters – a surprising addition considering the original film’s style. Event Horizon is well-known for its extensive deleted scenes, which included disturbing and graphic content that was removed after initial test screenings received negative feedback.

Despite fans hoping lost scenes might surface one day, the movie remains genuinely frightening as it is. However, Event Horizon wasn’t a success when it was first released in 1997; critics weren’t impressed, and it earned less money worldwide than it cost to make—under $60 million (according to Box Office Mojo).

The film has gained a dedicated following over the years thanks to its intensely creepy mood, disturbing violence, and strong performances from actors like Sam Neill and Jason Isaacs. Though a sequel never materialized, a comic book prequel called Event Horizon: Dark Descent recently emerged, revealing the fate of the spaceship’s first crew – and it wasn’t a happy one.

Event Horizon’s Prequel Shouldn’t Have Included A Monster

The first two issues of Dark Descent established the characters, revealed the terrifying alternate dimension where the story takes place, and introduced the demon Paimon. The third issue upped the stakes as Paimon began directly attacking the crew, unleashing a monstrous entity resembling a deadly cancer.

The creature then begins chasing the frightened crew. Like in the movie The Thing, it absorbs people into its own body, and you can see the victims pleading for help while it hunts for more.

Event Horizon: Dark Descent excels at gruesome body horror, consistently delivering shocking visuals. However, the original Event Horizon film relied more on psychological horror, creating a sense that the spaceship itself was the true antagonist.

The film messes with the rescuers’ heads, causing them to experience terrifying hallucinations of their worst memories. This approach, reminiscent of classic horror films like The Haunting and The Shining, sets it apart from typical action-packed monster movies.

Despite being a terrible disease, cancer feels out of place in the unsettling world of Event Horizon. The same could be said for Paimon, though thankfully this demon hasn’t become a killer – at least not yet.

Event Horizon’s Original Script Featured Aliens As The Villains

Philip Eisner, the writer of Event Horizon, has said that the “chaos dimension” from Warhammer 40K was a key influence on the film’s story, although director Anderson ultimately made significant changes. The original script, written by Eisner, featured alien creatures living inside the ship, and these creatures were the source of all the horrific events.

Anderson made these cuts for two main reasons. First, he didn’t want his film to compete with Alien. Second, he believed leaving the horror unseen would be far more frightening. The spaceship itself is the primary villain, slowly picking off the stranded crew members one by one.

Paul W.S. Anderson has directed many monster movies, including four Resident Evil films and Alien vs. Predator. He certainly could have focused on the creature aspects of Event Horizon. However, the film’s lasting appeal comes from its use of a deep, unsettling fear of things we can’t understand – a feeling similar to the stories of H.P. Lovecraft.

The ending of Event Horizon wouldn’t be better with Laurence Fishburne fleeing from slimy creatures. And while Dark Descent is certainly unsettling, it’s a letdown that it visually represents the characters’ inner fears instead of leaving them to the imagination.

Introducing A Monster Cheapens Event Horizon’s Horror

Because Event Horizon: Dark Descent has less time than the original movie to develop its characters, the first few issues quickly provide a lot of background information to get the story started. To speed things up and create a clear danger, the comic introduces a monster.

The disturbing imagery of this creature is unsettling, and the idea of being consumed by it is truly frightening. However, just like a monster wouldn’t fit within the atmosphere of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, a creature simply doesn’t align with the overall tone of Event Horizon.

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The story shifts into something resembling a campy, low-budget movie, and while it’s still enjoyable as a comic, this change weakens the horror elements. The monster’s appearance isn’t random—it’s connected to a crew member’s illness—but the intended meaning feels overly obvious and unsubtle.

It seems Dark Descent is preparing for the intense scene where the crew falls apart, which might mean we won’t see the alien creature again. While it could be a good monster for a different story, it just doesn’t quite fit within the plot of Event Horizon.

While a prequel wasn’t necessarily needed, the comic Dark Descent successfully expands on the story behind the movie Event Horizon. And with a sequel called Inferno on the way, fans can expect even more thrilling and terrifying adventures in this universe.

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2025-12-22 00:39