Reel Ginger Movie Fan

Below is a script treatment I wrote for a sequel to Event Horizon, which is one of my favourite movies.

I went along the line similar to the way Aliens was a follow on from Alien. That was my thought process. I submitted it to the Writers Guild of America, but nothing came of it. I am normally super self critical, but I was happy with what I turned out. Alas, nobody else felt the same way I did, and it never went anywhere.

Rather than let it languish in obscurity, I have made the decision to share it for the wider public to read….and critique if the mood strikes you. Enjoy.

Return to the Event Horizon is the sequel to the cult favourite sci-fi / horror ‘Event Horizon’. When the Event Horizon flickers to life after 20yrs its up to a research team to find out why. Seeking the help of the remaining Lewis & Clark crew, they take the ship back to the location it was found, however an evil presence has been waiting, summoning the ship and now it’s plan to unleash the ultimate evil is almost complete. 

The story begins at a top secret research facility / space station. It’s been nearly 20yrs since Cooper, Justin and Lt. Starck were recovered on what remained of the Event Horizon. In the following years things did not get better for them. Starck is still active, albeit at a limited capacity. She was heavily questioned on what transpired aboard the Event Horizon, with her explanation being chalked up to a sever case of ‘cabin fever’. 

Justin having already suffered extensive injuries, was unable to live with what he saw when he was sucked through the black hole on board the Event Horizon. He succeeded in taking his own life, leaving a note saying he couldn’t escape ‘the dark’. 

Cooper, was also heavily interrogated, and didn’t take too kindly to having his sanity called into questioning . 3 years after his rescue on board the Event Horizon he tried to blow it up. The Event Horizon had been kept docked in a secure unit since its recovery. Cooper killed a guard and was foiled in his attempt to destroy the remainder of the ship. He was caught and sentenced to 18yrs in a military prison. 

A new female character called Dr. Faber has been continuing Dr. Weir’s work on the black hole technology. Numerous gravity drive tests have been conducted without incident, and the top brass are ready to try a new attempt to reach Proxima Centauri. They believe enough time has passed since the catastrophic rescue attempt by the Lewis & Clark. All relevant files pertaining to that incident have been filed away or redacted. Those left alive to speak about it are seen as a joke or someone suffering from a serious mental illness. A man by the name of Admiral James Brackett, believes the gravity drive could prove invaluable in exploring new worlds. 

Before Dr. Faber can present her findings or offer an opinion on whether a live voyage would be a good idea, a call is received from the secure location holding the Event Horizon. The ship, which has lain dormant for nearly 20yrs, has suddenly kickstarted to life. The lights are on but there is definitely no one home. Or so it would seem. The on board navigation system has set its course for the location where it last operated its gravity drive. 

Admiral Brackett believes it could offer some explanation to what happened to the rest of the ship. Being that the ship itself is too expensive to scrap or decommission, he orders Dr. Faber to put together a recon team and report back on whatever the ship discovers when it reaches its destination. Dr. Faber believes there to be some element of truth to Cooper and Starck’s stories, so is initially hesitant. She believes it wise to seek Cooper and Starck’s help. Starck refuses, telling them there is no way she will ever set foot on that ship again. Dr. Faber assures her she won’t have to. The recon team will be taking the’ Columbus’, which will be attached to the Event Horizon and serve as a sort of tug boat. It will ferry the crew and the ship to its destination. The ships computers will be linked, so that nobody will have to enter the Event Horizon. Starck still refuses, but is informed it is not a request, but an order. 

Cooper who has been in a military prison and doesn’t have long left on his sentence, is also approached. He is told that he will be required to assist the team also, or will have his sentence extended. Cooper puts up a fight, but eventually relents. What was explained to Starck, is also explained to Cooper. He will also remain on the Columbus. 

The rest of the team are Dr. Faber, Capt. Tom Simmons, Pvt. Sarah Graham, Pvt. Hugh Williams and Pvt. Robert Stander. 

Once everyone is on board the Columbus, they begin the journey. Navigation computer is linked and set and they prep themselves for hyper sleep. 

They wake up a few hours before they reach the location. The team introduce themselves and begin to ask Starck and Cooper about what happened last time. They tell the team to ask Dr. Faber, who it transpires was the person interviewing them when they returned after being rescued. Dr. Faber tries to rationalise what happened and put the team at ease, telling them there is nothing to worry about, that the ship is not alive. 

Just as the Columbus reaches its destination with the Event Horizon in tow, everything grinds to a halt. Systems shut down and the crew are left in complete darkness momentarily. Power restarts and suddenly the computer says that the gravity drive has been activated. The crew say this can’t be as there is no gravity drive on either ship. Cooper and Starck tell them that the ship doesn’t follow those rules. The computer then says that the gateway will open in 20mins. The crew believe that they need to get on to the Event Horizon and shut the system down from that end. Capt. Simmons, Pvt. Graham and Pvt. Williams suit up and make their way to the Event Horizon, and will go by the call sign Recon 1.

Recon 1 board the Event Horizon. They don’t waste time exploring the ship and head straight for the bridge. Capt. Simmons orders Graham to work on the computer and shut the drive down. The computer tells them that the gravity drive can only be shut down from the terminal that activated it, and that terminal is not on either ship.

Cooper hears this and demands that they return to the Columbus and detach from the Event Horizon. Recon 1 informs him that they wouldn’t make it in time. Cooper tries to detach the Event Horizon via a terminal on the Columbus, but Pvt. Stander pulls a gun and points it at Cooper, warning him to refrain from touching the terminal. Cooper pleads with Stander, telling him that they can’t risk passing through the gateway. Cooper makes a move for the terminal and Stander hits him with the gun. Stander tells him that they don’t have a choice. Stander has his own mission which is that should they pass through the gateway, as he has to retrieve any relevant data from the Event Horizon gravity drive. 

The gateway opens with a thunderous roar, and both ships begin the lurch towards it. Sparks fly and the crew are thrown left to right. The ships pass all the way through and the gateway begins to close. They are all now in the Chaos Realm. The huge apparatus that holds both ships together begins to creak and break loose. The Event Horizon begins to drift towards a canyon, crashing wildly against rocky surfaces, before becoming lodged against the cliff face. The momentum from the Event Horizon sends the Columbus spinning wildly, forcing Starck to try and steady the ship. Starck manages to bring the Columbus back under control and lands it on the opposite side of the canyon to the Event Horizon. 

Recon 1 who are still on board the Event Horizon try to make contact with the Columbus. Starck tells them to try remain calm and stay on the ship, and under no circumstances are they to leave. Recon 1 can’t hear her, as the comms have begun to stutter and crack. Starck however can hear and see what Recon 1 see due to the cameras on their suit helmets. She hears them arguing about what to do. 

Dr. Faber, Cooper, Starck and Stander all suit up and exit the Columbus. Stander tells them not to try anything and that if they want to stay alive then they need to stick together. 

Deep below the canyon, a being called Malphas wanders. He is a being born of evil, a resident of the chaos dimension, and has made the back end of the Event Horizon its centre piece. Malphas is the one that has summoned the ship. He was also the one that sent Dr. Weir back when he was first ejected from the Event Horizon. Malphas tells his followers that the design of the ship and the gravity drive were sent to Weir in dreams, by him. His intention was to have Weir build the ship, take it and bridge the gap between dimensions. This plan never came to fruition as the ship was blown apart and must be complete for it to work. It may have been 20 yrs since Cooper and Starck were rescued, but in the chaos dimension it has only been 7 yrs. Now that the back end of the Event Horizon is almost complete, and the lifeboat section has arrived, Malphas can begin preparing the final stages of his plan. 

Recon 1 decide that they need to make their way back to the Columbus, so they leave the confines of the Event Horizon. As they’re leaving Graham begins to hear a voice on her comms system. She asks Simmons and Williams if they heard it, but they don’t. As Recon 1 exit the Event Horizon they begin to see just what sort of world they have entered. Scores of tortured souls lie strewn on the ground, writhing in agony. 

High up on the ravine walls there are mutilated bodies, with hooks and spikes entering and exiting their various orifices. Williams trips and falls, smashing the protective visor on his helmet. He begins to panic, however to his surprise the atmosphere contains oxygen. He relays the info to Simmons and Graham who remove their helmets. As they do, the stench of decay hits them. So strong is it, that Williams vomits. In the distance blood curdling screams ring out. Williams looks in the direction of the screams and notices a group of people in the distance who begin to move in their direction. 

Recon 1 turn to run back towards the Event Horizon, but another group have already begun to congregate there also. The figures are almost naked, save for various bits of torn fabric covering their modesty. Some strangely have no sex, but scarred flesh instead. They also have horrible deep cuts running all over their bodies, taking on various shapes and designs. Recon 1 run towards the side of the ravine and begin to slide down, further into the canyon. Behind them the crowd emit a guttural scream. 

From the other side of the canyons Cooper hears the scream. Cooper, Stander, Dr. Faber and Starck agree that they need to find Recon 1 before looking for the gravity drive data. They begin to walk towards the Event Horizon, but to get near it they need to find a way to cross the canyon. The suits have small boosters, but can only be used sparingly, and not for long distances. 

As Recon 1 descend further and further into the valley, Malphas watches on from afar. His followers make their way aboard the Event Horizon and make efforts to start her up and bring her to where the back end of the ship is.

The back end of the Event Horizon looks a lot different than it used to. Crudely drawn symbols and blood cake the outside of the ship. Inside there are mutilated bodies hanging from the ceilings. The gravity drive still remains, and still functions. A shrouded figure walks into the gravity drive chamber. They carry a large blade, and have blood and dirt all over their clothing. As their shroud billows a name badge can be seen on their chest. The name says ‘Miller’. 

Miller hears a group coming through the tunnel leading to the gravity drive, he runs up the side of the chamber and opens a hatch before retreating inside. 

Cooper and the others make their way back to the Columbus to grab some weapons. They also take a small buggy out from the cargo hold and begin to travel parallel to the canyon. As they drive along they see a large structure, almost resembling a cathedral. They decide to investigate inside. They decamp from the vehicle and begin to enter the building. Inside is a monument to evil. Various people are suspended by chains and barbed wire. Some are alive, but most are not. Moans and chants echo throughout the building. The group come to a number of large corridors surrounding a worship chamber. They split up into pairs and manoeuvre around the top of the chamber. Cooper and Starck go one way, Stander and Faber go the other. 

Inside the chamber a large procession has gathered. A robed figure stands on an altar speaking to the small crowd, it’s Malphas. As the speech progresses, Malphas spots Cooper and Starck. Pointing to them, he draws the attention of the crowd who run to a stairs leading up to the corridor. Stander and Faber see the whole thing unfold. Faber motions to fire on the crowd, but Stander smashes his gun against her head and runs off down the corridor. 

As the crowd ascend the stairs, Cooper and Starck open fire. They keep shooting but realise there is no exit behind them. Starck steps onto the waist high wall overlooking the chamber and reaches for a long curtain, slowly descending into the chamber below. Cooper continues to fire, waiting for Starck to get down. Starck shouts up to Cooper that she’s down, and begins to open fire on the crowd gathered at the foot of the stairs. Cooper begins to climb down the curtain, about half way down the curtain snaps, sending Cooper falling onto the ground below. Cooper gets up, and shouts to Starck to get moving. They run out of the entrance to the cathedral, noticing that the buggy is gone, and start to run further on along the canyon ridge. 

Dr. Faber starts to stir after being knocked out. When she comes to, she notices a figure standing over her, it’s one of the cultists. As the cultist makes an attempt to grab her, a blade pierces through their neck, before they slump to the ground. Miller wipes his blade and offers a hand to Faber, telling her to follow him. 

Malphas exits the cathedral and tells his followers to congregate at the gravity drive. As he gives the instruction he turns to see the front end of the Event Horizon slowly coast above the canyon, in the direction of where the gravity drive is being stored. 

Miller takes Dr. Faber back to where he has been hiding since crashing through the gateway. He tells Dr. Faber that after passing through the gateway Weir was thrown against the wall of the gravity drive chamber and impaled and Miller was knocked unconscious. When he came to, he realised that it wasn’t a nightmare that he was having, that he’d really ended up in a place he could only describe as Hell. Dr. Faber asks Miller how he has survived 20 yrs. Miller tells her that it hasn’t been that long, that time is different in this dimension. Miller asks Faber how they got here and why they even came. Faber explains what happened when they towed the Event Horizon back to where it was found. Faber tells Miller that one of her crew was given a mission to retrieve any data from the gravity drive. Miller says that its impossible. There is no data left to salvage from the gravity drive. Most of it was damaged in the crash. Miller tells Dr. Faber what he believes is going on. He says that Malphas has been building and repairing the gravity drive. But that there is something else powering the drive, something evil. 

Miller explains to Faber that Malphas had been telling his followers that the time has come to bridge the gap between the two worlds. That is what Malphas wanted the Event Horizon for. To create a permanent portal between the two worlds and let evil consume the universe. 

Recon 1, consisting of Simmons, Graham and Williams manage to reach a path leading down to the canyon floor. In the distance Williams can see a settlement with the back of the Event Horizon. At the same time the front section of the Event Horizon comes into view slowly landing at the edge of the settlement. Simmons’ comms system stutters to life. He manages to get through to Starck, telling her they are along the canyon floor. Starck says that they need to destroy the Event Horizon, but to do so they need explosives from the Columbus. Simmons tells Starck that they are too far from the Columbus, plus they have already run into trouble and need to take shelter somewhere. Starck mentions that the buggy they had is gone and that Stander is nowhere to be seen. She tells Simmons that Stander was given his own mission and they they are all considered expendable. 

Starck and Cooper make their way back to the Columbus to find explosives they can use to destroy the Event Horizon. 

As Simmons, Graham and Williams walk towards the Event Horizon in the distance, Williams loses his footing and falls into a deep pit. As he falls he grabs onto a spike protruding from the wall. Too far away to reach the hand of Simmons, he tells him and Graham to go on without him, that he will follow behind when he can. As Simmons and Graham jog towards the Event Horizon, Williams loses his grip on the spike and falls further into the pit, landing on a pile of dismembered corpses. 

Stander drives towards the Event Horizon. As he does he sees Simmons and Graham running in the same direction. He pulls along side Simmons and Graham, telling them to get on the buggy. 

Williams, still in the pit, hears something moving under the pile of bodies. Two hands shoot up and grab Williams around his legs. He kicks free and begins to scramble for the wall. The thing that grabbed him comes twitching through the bodies, moving in a stop motion fashion. It lunges towards Williams who attempts to shoot it. When his gun doesn’t fire, he strikes the creature, sending it flying back. Williams then attempts to jump up,  trying to grab a spike. 

Just out of reach, he uses the booster on his back to give him a burst of height. As he boosts up, the creature below follows. It moves spider like up the wall, still twitching uncontrollably. Williams boosts again, as he does the creature grabs him by the feet, pulling him down. The spike Williams is holding onto begins to loosen, eventually coming free from the wall. As Williams falls again he drives the spike through the eye of the creature that grabbed him, shoving it all the way through until it exits the back of its head. Williams then writes free of the creatures grasp and makes his way back up the wall. 

Miller has been explaining to Faber how he has survived so long. He tells her he has had to eat the flesh of the things these beings keep as cattle. They have their own world here, their own rules. Miller tells Dr. Faber that he wants to return home with them. Dr. Faber says that they need to find the others before leaving. 

Stander stops the buggy near to where the crowd are gathering around the Event Horizon. As everyone gets off the buggy, Stander shoots Simmons and Graham in the legs, as he needs a distraction to get inside the Event Horizon. Stander runs off, however the noise from the shots has attracted the attention of the crowd gathering at the Event Horizon. The crowd begin to walk towards Simmons and Graham, who try to hobble away, but don’t get far. 

Stander finds a hatch leading into the Event Horizon and makes his way to the gravity drive. As he shuffles through the ducts, he hears noises echoing around him. Someone has followed him into the ducts. Stander begins to panic and starts to scramble around the ducts, however it’s like a maze and he keeps going around in circles. The noise stops and Stander breathes a sigh of relief. As Stander begins to move again the person that was inside the ducts pops out in front of him and begins to claw at Stander’s face, gouging out one of his eyes. Stander screams and punches the cultist in the face, before shooting him in the chest. Through sheer luck, Stander finds the exit leading from the ducts into the gravity chamber. 

As Stander gets to his feet he hears a voice behind him. Malphas walks into the gravity chamber with some of his cultists who grab Stander. Malphas laughs at Stander, and the fact that he thought he could retrieve anything from the Event Horizon. Malphas then tells his followers to let go of Stander. When they do Stander suddenly begins to levitate, seemingly through Malphas’ will. Malphas explains to Stander what is about to happen, then the skin begins to split from Stander’s forehead, slowly working down until it reaches his groin. The skin then gets ripped off Stander’s body. He is still alive, albeit barely. Malphas then makes strands of barbed wire manifest out of the walls. Each strand circles one of Stander’s limbs, before tightening. The strands then get pulled, ripping off Stander’s head and limbs, letting his torso fall to the floor. 

Malphas summons his followers, telling them they have more visitors outside. They all leave and make their way to where the captured Simmons and Graham are being held. 

Starck and Cooper board the Columbus. They decide to start the ship and bring it closer to the Event Horizon. As they begin to take off, they see Dr. Faber run towards the ship with someone else. They power down the ship and meet Faber near the ships entrance with their guns drawn. They ask the person with Faber to remove their shroud, who do so, revealing themselves to be Capt Miller. Starck and Cooper are shocked to see Miller alive. Miller says he will explain everything later, but right now they need to destroy the Event Horizon and get back home. 

Williams emerges from the pit. He looks around, but the area is empty. He can faintly see the Event Horizon in the distance, and begins to make his way towards it. As he’s walking he sees the Columbus fly overhead and land close by. He makes is way over and makes contact with Starck, Cooper, Faber and Miller. Williams explains what happened and that Simmons and Graham made their way towards the Event Horizon. They all decide to go get Simmons and Graham, then get the hell back home. As they exit the Columbus, Williams stops at the entrance. He tells the others that wanting to get home is good, but to do so they’ll need to activate the gravity drive on board the Event Horizon, as it’s the only way to open a gateway home. Cooper says that after they do, they need to set charges and blow the Event Horizon up, to stop it being used again. 

Simmons and Graham have been tied up against posts, and have been stripped down to their underwear. Some of the cultists stand by them, licking their faces and teasing their skin with bladed instruments. Malphas exits the Event Horizon and approaches Simmons. He asks Simmons where the rest of his crew are, but Simmons refuses to answer. Malphas laughs, then reaches inside Simmons’ mouth, pulls on his tongue and slices it off. Malphas explains that he’ll find the rest of the crew and that they shall all suffer the same fate. Simmons is then untied and dragged onto an altar. An apparatus used for executions is brought near the altar. Two cultists begin to turn a winch, which starts to move a huge spike towards Simmons’ mouth. Another cultist holds open Simmons’ mouth as the spike begins to enter. The spike starts to get forced down Simmons’ throat as blood begins to spew forth. The spike works its way right down Simmons’ insides before exiting the base of his back. 

Graham, who is still tied up, begins to plead with Malphas. Malphas approaches Graham and places his hands on the side of her head. He then slowly forces his fingers under the flesh. Malphas then ushers his followers to drag Graham to the altar. Just as they do, gunfire begins to ring out. Cooper, Starck and Miller come running towards the group shooting at the cultists, who drop Graham to the floor. Malphas walks back towards the Event Horizon and into the back end of the ship. Miller helps Graham to her feet and gives her a gun. Cooper tells Graham that Williams has snuck on board the lifeboat section of the Event Horizon to set some explosive charges, and that they need to do the same for the back end. 

Williams enters the bridge of the Event Horizon and begins to set the charges. As he’s doing so, a figure lunges onto his back and throws him through the air. The figure steps into the light and Williams can see its Stander, although he has been crudely stitched together with sections of his skin pinned to his body. Williams reaches for his gun, but Stander kicks it out of his hand. Williams turns his comms unit on and tells Cooper that he is gonna have to set the charges off early. In the background Cooper can hear Stander’s voice. He tells Williams to hold fire, that he’s on his way. Williams tells him not to bother, but to worry about getting home. 

Miller grabs Cooper by the arm. He tells him that they have to concentrate on the mission and activate the gravity drive. 

Williams is badly beaten as Stander is far too strong. Stander tells Williams not to fight it. Williams then picks up the detonator and presses the button. The lifeboat section of the Event Horizon explodes in a massive ball of flames. Malphas witnesses this, ushering his followers to kill the rest of the crew. Miller tells Starck and Dr. Faber to take Graham back to the Columbus and get it started. Cooper and Miller then make their way to the gravity drive to confront Malphas and activate the portal. 

Miller tells Cooper to begin setting the charges, and that he’ll tackle Malphas. 

Cooper makes his way slowly around the ship setting multiple charges. At the same time, Miller begins to walk the corridor leading to the gravity drive chamber. Multiple cultists try and stop Miller, but he dispatches them with ease. When Miller enters the gravity chamber there is nobody there. Not wasting time wondering if it’s a trap, Miller activates the gravity drive from the monitor inside the chamber. A countdown for 30 minutes begins. Miller then smashes the monitor with his gun. Suddenly he hears someone laughing, and Malphas appears. He thanks Miller for activating the drive, that pretty soon his world and Miller’s will merge. Miller laughs, telling Malphas he won’t live to see it. 

Miller begins to shoot at Malphas, who ducks behind the spinning gravity drive. Miller tries to shoot at Malphas again, but his gun is empty. He then motions for Malphas to approach him. Malphas runs towards Miller and strikes him hard, sending Miller flying against the wall. Miller continues to take a beating from Malphas, trying hard to stop him. Miller swings his blade, shoving it straight into the gut of Malphas, who stumbles back. Miller then pulls the blade out and shoves it under the chin of Malphas and up through his head. Miller contacts Cooper over the radio and tells him to stop what he’s doing and contact the Columbus, they need to leave. Cooper places the last charge and radios the Columbus to come and pick them up near the Event Horizon. 

The Columbus lands and opens its doors waiting for Miller and Cooper to get on. Cooper runs towards the ship, turning to see Miller just exiting the back end of the Event Horizon. As Miller begins to walk off the ship, a blade pierces through his gut, lifting him off the ground. Malphas smiles whilst looking at Cooper. Cooper, shocked at what’s happening to Miller raises his hand with the detonator and smiles at Malphas. Just then it dawns on Malphas what is going to happen. Cooper enters the ship and tells Starck to take off. 

Up in the sky the gateway back to our universe opens. 

Malphas begins to scramble around the ship looking for the explosives, as the Columbus takes off. The Columbus begins to pass through the portal. Malphas has found some of the explosives, but not all of them. As he reaches for another hidden explosive, Cooper presses the detonator, blowing the rest of the Event Horizon up. As the explosion reaches the gravity drive and destroys it, the Columbus passes through the portal just as it closes. 

Everyone on board the Columbus begins to celebrate making it through the portal. As they do Graham walks slowly up behind Dr. Faber and stabs her in the back. Dr. Faber begins to scramble for someone to help her. Graham, who has become possessed, tries to attack Cooper, as she does Starck runs up behind her, but Graham turns and slashes Starck on the palm of her hand. Cooper then grabs a wrench and smashes it onto the back of Graham’s head. As Starck tends to Dr. Faber, Cooper drags Graham into the airlock, leaves her there and locks it behind him.

When Graham comes to she has seemingly returned to normal. Cooper stands at the airlock door and tells her he can’t risk letting her out. Graham tries to activate the air lock door to re enter the ship, but Cooper has locked the panel. Graham begins to cry, and approaches the door again. As she does she begins to change, her skin begin to peel and bleed. She tells Cooper that the whole crew are going to burn. Cooper then hits the panel and opens the outer airlock door, watching Graham get sucked out into space. 

Cooper returns to the bridge and sets a course for the research station. Starck, Cooper and an injured Dr. Faber then get into the hyper sleep capsules and sleep for the journey home. 

The end.