Pandorum: The Underrated Spiritual Sequel To Event Horizon

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As a big fan of sci-fi horror, I’ve always loved how Event Horizon eventually found its audience, even though it didn’t do great at first. But honestly, its spiritual successor, Pandorum from 2009, is still seriously overlooked – it deserves way more love! And the story behind Event Horizon is wild; I heard Paramount execs actually fainted during a test screening because it was so graphic, and they ended up cutting a ton of footage!

The most significant cut made to the film Event Horizon was the extremely graphic “blood orgy” scene, which showed the terrifying fate of the ship’s crew. Even without this footage, the movie remains a disturbing and intense sci-fi horror experience. Unfortunately, it didn’t resonate with audiences when it was released in 1997, earning just $26 million at the box office despite costing $60 million to make (according to The Numbers).

Despite initially flopping in theaters, Event Horizon gained a dedicated fanbase thanks to home video releases like VHS and DVD and is now considered a standout big-budget horror film. While a direct sequel seemed unlikely given the original’s box office performance, several key people involved with Event Horizon created a spiritual successor called Pandorum in 2009.

Event Horizon’s Spiritual Successor Pandorum Deserved Way Better In 2009

This suspenseful science fiction film is set on the Elysium, a spaceship acting as a modern-day Noah’s Ark carrying colonists to a new planet similar to Earth. The story centers on crew members Bower, played by Ben Foster, and Payton, played by Dennis Quaid, who wake up from a long sleep to discover the ship has been overrun by cannibalistic monsters.

I have to say, the story in Pandorum really threw me for a loop – it’s full of unexpected turns and has a lot more going on beneath the surface than I initially thought, so I won’t give away any details! What’s interesting is that it was made by the same team behind Event Horizon – Paul WS Anderson directed and Jeremy Bolt produced both films. Even just looking at how Pandorum looks and the ideas it explores, you can definitely see the connection between the two movies.

Pandorum is a dark and unsettling science fiction movie with some really interesting ideas, and features strong performances from Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid. The supporting cast is also good, including Norman Reedus in a role before he became famous on The Walking Dead. Although the editing gets a bit chaotic during action scenes, the film ultimately delivers more than you’d expect from the genre.

It’s disappointing the movie didn’t do well. With a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a worldwide gross of just over $20 million, Pandorum didn’t make a big splash initially. However, over time, it’s gradually gained a following.

While the game wasn’t perfect – it had some rough edges and needed polish – it didn’t deserve to fail so badly at launch. It has a lot in common with the movie Event Horizon in that both were released at unfortunate times and suffered from marketing that didn’t quite capture what they were all about.

Pandorum Shares Many Ties To Event Horizon

Although Pandorum isn’t directly connected as a sequel to Event Horizon, the two films share a similar universe. The ships in both movies, the Event Horizon and the Elysium, have a comparable look and feel, especially when it comes to the design of their cryo pods.

The Event Horizon’s engine failing—the one meant for faster-than-light travel—likely pushed humanity towards building a ship capable of long-duration deep space missions. While produced by the same person, Anderson, both projects explore similar ideas and concepts.

Although Pandorum doesn’t involve any supernatural themes, like a journey to Hell, it shares a similarity with other films in that a central character begins to lose their sanity as the story progresses. Both films also emphasize the frightening scale and loneliness of space, depicting experimental spacecraft undertaking unprecedented missions.

Both Pandorum and Event Horizon feature plenty of graphic violence, but Event Horizon is the more intense of the two. Pandorum, released in 2009, is faster-paced and has a similar feel to Anderson’s Resident Evil, with characters battling vicious monsters.

Pandorum Is The Closest Thing To Event Horizon 2 That Fans Are Going To Get

In 2025, a comic book called Dark Descent was released, providing backstory on the original crew of Event Horizon. A television series adaptation was once planned with Adam Wingard as director, but it has remained stuck in development since 2019.

Although many horror fans love Event Horizon, it remains a cult classic. It hasn’t gotten any sequels or prequels, and likely never will. However, Pandorum is the film that comes closest to being a spiritual successor for those who enjoy Event Horizon.

Both films share similar themes, storylines, and overall atmosphere, making them feel like they belong together. Good psychological horror movies set in space are rare – beyond films like Danny Boyle’s Sunshine – which makes Event Horizon and Pandorum a special pair.

It’s unlikely a sequel to Event Horizon could ever match the original film. The mysteries it presents are more powerful when left unresolved, and the movie is best appreciated as is – perhaps with a restored director’s cut or the recovery of lost footage – rather than being expanded upon.

It would be great if more people discovered the movie Pandorum. It’s a creative and gritty sci-fi horror film with a fantastic performance by Ben Foster, and it really deserves more recognition as one of the best hidden gems in the genre.

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2025-11-13 20:39