20 Years Ago to the Day, ‘Event Horizon’ Terrified; 31 Years Ago ‘The Fly’ Shocked and Repulsed

It’s absolutely insane to know that exactly 20 years ago to this day, probably really close to this time, even, I was sitting in a theater preparing to see a poorly promoted sci-fi/horror flick that looked beyond promising. That flick was Event Horizon, and to this day it remains the magnum opus of Paul W.S. Anderson, who has given us plenty of enjoyable flicks, including the first Mortal Kombat, Soldier, Death Race, AVP: Alien vs. Predator and the entire Resident Evil franchise.

That’s right, it was August 15^th, 1997 when Event Horizon premiered on the big screen. It was a pretty abysmal reception – the film opened at number four at the box office, and after just four weeks earned a total tally of $26 million. But it wasn’t a surprise, as the movie really didn’t get the promotion and marketing campaign that it deserved. To be honest, I think both Paramount as well as theaters in general, were afraid of the film. It was rumored to be beyond ghastly, with additional rumors that all kinds of additional, gory footage was so intense it had to be chopped just to get the R-rating. In the end, however, Event Horizon won – it’s now unanimously acknowledged as one of the best space-themed horror films ever made, often ranked only behind the first two Alien pictures.

Event Horizon wasn’t the only amazing film to be released on this day. Precisely 10 years after the debut of Event Horizon, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer was sent straight home, and viewers ate it up. Even without a significant theatrical run, hardcore horror fans quickly gravitated to the quirky but savagely hilarious indie flick and the general opinion is that this is one damn good monster movie that belongs in your collection. I concur.

And now, let’s rewind time just to really blow your mind. Ready? 31 years ago today, David Cronenberg’s disgusting yet genius remake of The Fly flew into our lives. Unlike the other two films on this list, The Fly was a resounding success. It opened at number one at the box office and held that position for two consecutive weeks. The film made $40 million domestically, which, adjusted for inflation, amounts to about $90 million today. It was, is and always will be regarded as one of the finest remakes in existence.