Event Horizon: Why Sam Neill’s Uniform Symbol Is Actually Important
The gory sci-fi horror Event Horizon is one of Sam Neill’s best-loved films, but few viewers noticed an Easter egg in the actor’s costume.
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The gory sci-fi horror Event Horizon is one of Sam Neill’s best-loved films, but few viewers noticed an important Easter egg in the actor’s costume on first viewing. Released in 1997, Event Horizon was a sci-fi horror that took Alien’s “haunted house in space” premise literally as it followed Sam Neill, Laurence Fishburne, and a disposable crew aboard the titular lost vessel which might or might not turn out to be a portal to Hell. With a legendary amount of deleted scenes and missing footage, it’s fair to say Event Horizon is infamous amongst horror aficionados.
One thing that wasn’t cut from the finished film was a fun, subtle Easter egg from Jurassic Park star Sam Neill’s costume. It’s a touch that the actor himself opted to include, as the film’s production went out of their way to create new flags for each crew member’s uniforms. The British characters wear a United Europe flag, which has aged pretty hilariously post-Brexit. But it was Neill’s flag, which the actor recently discussed in a viral tweet, that has aged perfectly.
When director Paul WS Anderson asked the film’s actors to choose flags they felt would be accurate for Event Horizon’s futuristic setting, Neill changed the Union flag on his uniform to an Aboriginal flag. This signifies that the actor thought, in the movie’s future of 2047, Australia would have progressed past being represented by a divisive symbol of oppression. It’s a nice touch to show Neill’s support for a future where Australia is returned to its native peoples. Few actors have used their platform to raise awareness of the Aboriginal struggle for recognition in Australia, and Neill’s support is a touching display of his hope that the country ends up on the right side of history.
Admittedly, not everyone is a fan of Anderson’s work. There are even some sci-fi horror fans who dislike 2004’s Alien Vs Predator, which is arguably the best Predator sequel. As divisive a figure as he may be, even those who don’t like Anderson’s work can agree that the decision to give Event Horizon’s stars free rein on their costume choices has aged exceptionally well. The choice allowed Neill to show solidarity with Australia’s indigenous population, a group that has been persistently and brutally mistreated in the country, and whose persecution continues to this day. With the United Europe flag, the film even threw in an unintentional laugh at Britain in the process.
The movie’s production may have been an intense struggle for all involved, with Event Horizon’s original Blood Orgy cut being all but unwatchable, but it’s good to see that the filmmakers kept this little touch in the finished film. It’s one which Neill is evidently proud of his part in, as the actor took to Twitter to say he’d happily make the same choice again if he had the chance today. Meanwhile, the film’s United Europe flag may not have aged as gracefully, but it remains an interesting and fairly funny snapshot of a very different era in recent history. Mostly though, these costume Easter eggs are as good an excuse as any to revisit Event Horizon and give the sci-fi horror movie, which perfectly combines elements of Alien and The Shining, another shot.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/event-horizon-movie-sam-neill-uniform-easter-egg/