Event Horizon
outcome Horizonhas emerge in recent age as a cult classic ; audience have grown to appreciate the picture show ’s adventuresome mix of hellish revulsion and hard skill - fiction , which change by reversal off critic upon its initial discharge . One of the most famous part of the moving-picture show involved the function of the Latin phrase " libera te tutemet X inferis,“meaning " save yourself from perdition . " It ’s utilise as an ominous warning to whoever sought out the doom gang of the titular spaceship , theEvent Horizon , and enunciates the religious subject and imagination that the film has become especially observe for .
Latin is a popular selection of repugnance filmmakers to add a dosage of boding to their tales of infernal possession . From Reagan ’s minatory growl inThe Exorcistto the iconic " Ave Satani " theme fromThe Omen , the ancient speech of the Catholic Church has been used in horror movies so many meter that it has become anexorcism movie figure of speech . However , Event Horizonoccupies a unique space in civilisation as one of the only pic to combine this type of satanic subgenre with cosmic horror . The use of Latin is one of the countless ways in which conductor Paul W. S. Anderson helps to bridge over the break between these two types of terror .
Related : Event Horizon ’s cancel ( & Missing ) Footage Explained
There are multiple representative of religious imagery and acknowledgment throughout the film . The outside of theEvent Horizonship itself is model after the Notre - Dame , while the midland architecture mime a church . There are long , wide corridor with curving , column - same walls that make the ship ’s walkways feel like a nave , and the main control elbow room where the crew ’s log is found is like an altar complete with a ambo in the middle . Perhaps the most explicit patch of dictated design is the way ’s shabu windowpane in the material body of a cross , resembling both a crucifix and the stain - glass of a Gothic duomo .
The Meaning Behind Event Horizon’s Latin Quote
The Latin is thus a way of furthering this symbolisation , letting the audience recognize that the purity of the ship has been corrupted by an evil , outside entity . The maitre d’hotel of theEvent Horizonsigns off his logs with a Latin phrase , but none are as ominous as the one he give tongue to amidst the rack screeching on the transcription discovered by the main characters . At first , the message is interpreted as " Libera te me , " a statement to anyone pick up the distress signal to " save me , " which spurs the crew of the saving ship to look into further . However , the revelation of the full phrase reveals that the crew is in deathly risk , amping up the tension by suggest that the ship open aportal in infinite to a sin proportion .
The phrasal idiom could have actually been shortened to " Libera te ex inferis , " which can be translate the same agency the full phrase in the picture is . However , the " tutemet " do as an forceful password to accentuate the " yourself " part of the sentence . It makes the line sound more dramatic , even if it is slightly surplus , and let for the disarray at the get-go of the discovery . Without the addition of the surplus word , the translator would not have made the error that finally leads to a crucial part of the picture ’s building of little terror and suspense .
The sentence structure of the message prove the detail that Anderson and screenwriter Philip Eisner were committed to while work onEvent Horizon . At first criticized for its schlock and woolly-headed mystery , repugnance fans have grow a groovy appreciation to the film ’s inventive blend of genres . Placing supernatural elements in a sci - fi pose makesEvent Horizonunique , and the Latin transmission is one of the most scarey moment of level-headed intention in the movie .
Next : Everything We Know About the Event Horizon TV Series
