Summary
A 27-year-oldhorror sci-fi moviewas extensively cut short before its theatrical release, leaving it with almost none of its best scenes. To make things even worse, its deleted footage was later destroyed, leaving no trace of the director’s initial vision for the film. After being filmed and compiled together into a final cut, most movies are often trimmed before their release for several reasons. While some of these reasons are practical, others are driven more by early audience reactions, budgetary constraints, and market demands.
Primarily belonging to the latter category, a 1997 movie was significantly altered before it reached audiences. Extended scenes and director’s cuts are usually the saving grace for such films that undergo heavy editing and narrative restructuring. Unfortunately, this film’s footage was long damaged before its deleted scenes could see the light of day.
6 Event Horizon Movie Theories The TV Show Can Confirm
A new Event Horizon series is coming to Amazon Prime, and the new horror TV show can finally confirm some big Event Horizon movie theories.
The Scenes Were So Terrifying They Made The Test Audience Sick
Event Horizon’s theatrical cut is incredibly terrifying, which explains why the film’s popularity has only grown from strength to strength since its initial release. However, the movie’s original cut reportedly had some even more horrific scenes. As John Isaacs (who plays D.J. in the film) revealed (viaYahoo! Movies), the film occasional flashes of some grim deleted moments, but none of them are easy to comprehend because they barely appear for a few fleeting seconds. The actor also added that director Paul W. S. Anderson’s “best mate” kept revisiting their soundstage, saying, “You will not believe what I saw this morning.”
Reports also suggest that Clive Barker, notably known for his work in theHellraiserseries, was also involved withEvent Horizonduring pre-production.
Although most details surrounding the deleted footage from the film are still shrouded in mystery, many scenes in it were part of the sequence where the central spaceship’s crew experiences the dark depths of hell. Isaacs, too, confirmed that he does not know much about the film’s explicit deleted bits but recalls the filming of one scene in which his character’s body was hung naked and gutted from neck to the navel. The scene was apparently so disturbing thattest audiences could not help but get sick while watching it. Funnily, Isaacs wanted to take the latex model used for the scene home but was not allowed to.
Reports also suggest that Clive Barker, notably known for his work in theHellraiserseries, was also involved withEvent Horizonduring pre-production. He curated some of the most explicit body horror moments from the movie, many of which likely did not make it to the final cut. Upon closer inspection, one might even notice Barker’s touch inEvent Horizon, especially during moments when the film portrays nightmarish visuals of hell.
Event Horizon Was More Than 130 Minutes Long, And Heavily Cut By Producers
30 Minutes Worth Of Footage Was Deleted From The Final Cut
WhileEvent Horizon’s final cut was only around 96 minutes long, the film had at least 30 minutes of extra footage cut by producers. Isaacs disclosed that the cut footage included scenes that were “definitely illegal to do now, probably illegal to do then.“Event Horizon’s premiere was reportedly rushed because Paramount wanted a summer blockbuster in 1997. To director Anderson’s dismay, before the film hit the theaters on 04 July 2025,many of its scenes that were too gory and sexually explicit were removed.
Considering how many director’s cuts of recent films, likeZack Snyder’s Justice League, have performed incredibly well among audiences,Event Horizoncould have enjoyed a similar level of success decades after its release.
Over the years, afterEvent Horizongarnered a cult following, and audiences learned about the film’s deleted footage, many started demanding its director’s cut. Considering how many director’s cuts of recent films, likeZack Snyder’s Justice League, have performed incredibly well among audiences,Event Horizoncould have enjoyed a similar level of success decades after its release. Unfortunately, sinceEvent Horizonpremiered in the late ’90s, its deleted footage cannot be released for one primary reason.
Event Horizon’s Two Alternate Endings Explained (& Why They Weren’t Used)
Event Horizon ends on a slightly ambiguous note, but here are the other two endings that were considered for the cult 1997 sci-fi horror movie.
The Deleted Footage Was Lost, Found, And Then Destroyed In A Transylvanian Salt Mine
Event Horizon’s Director’s Cut Will Never See The Light Of Day
As director Paul W. S. Anderson confirmed (viaEW),Event Horizoncame out during the VHS era, right before DVDs took over. Since VHS left no room for deleted footage, the studio had no reason to keep all the additional deleted scenes. Therefore, as reports suggest, the unused footage was sent to a Transylvanian salt mine for storage because salt mines offer the ideal conditions for film preservation. Unfortunately, Anderson could still not get his hands onEvent Horizon’s deleted scenes becausethe stored footage had deteriorated and become unusable.
AnEvent HorizonTV show is reportedly in the works on Amazon.
Event Horizon
Paul W. S. Anderson steps further into the world of sci-fi horror with Event Horizon, a movie set in the future following a crew of Astronauts attempting to locate a missing ship known as the Event Horizon. When the crew finds the ship floating near Neptune, the distress signal relayed is haunting, followed by the discovery what awaits the rescue team isn’t the crew of the missing ship but something far more sinister.
