In the post-Star Wars world of the late 1970s, filmmakers furiously scrambled to capitalize on the massive popularity of George Lucas’ groundbreaking epic. Among the studios eagerly boarding the space opera bandwagon was Disney, and in 1979, it released The Black Hole. At the time the most expensive film produced by the media giant, and the first to receive a PG rating, the sci-fi adventure was met with a mixed reception but has since developed a cult following.
The Black Hole marked a conscious effort by Disney to appeal to more mature audiences with darker material and state-of-the-art visual effects, proving ambitious in moving the studio beyond its trademark family-friendly fare. A genre mashup of sorts, the film is equal parts escapist fantasy, amusement park thrill ride, and science-fiction horror, with the latter element delivering a level of intensity that likely caught younger, impressionable viewers off guard. Imbued with a creeping sense of dread, startling moments of violence, and striking imagery that’s the stuff of nightmares, The Black Hole certainly succeeded in giving Disney fans something decidedly bold, edgy, and unique.
What Is ‘The Black Hole’ About?
With an original screenplay by Richard Landau, Bob Barbash, and Gerry Day, The Black Hole follows the crew of the USS Palomino, a ship returning to Earth after an exploratory mission into deep space. The crew of five (Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, Ernest Borgnine, and Anthony Perkins) and their robotic sidekick, V.I.N.CENT. (voiced by Roddy McDowall), stumble upon the USS Cygnus, a spaceship that mysteriously disappeared years before and is now approaching a black hole. Deciding to investigate, the Palomino’s crew discovers Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell), his horde of cloaked humanoid “drones,” and Maximilian, a menacing brute of a robot.
From the get to, things aren’t all they seem on board the Cygnus. After his ship malfunctioned and broke down decades prior, Reinhardt claims to have sent his crew back to Earth and created his current crew of drones maintaining the Cygnus. Arrogant and grandiose with his claims to genius, Reinhardt emits mad scientist vibes in announcing intentions to travel into the black hole, and aside from the enamored Dr. Durant (Perkins), Palomino’s crew is suspicious. After making a shocking discovery that leads to an abrupt and violent death, all hell breaks loose on the Cygnus as Palomino’s crew fights to survive and escape not only the ship’s suddenly hostile environment but the black hole itself.
‘The Black Hole’ Represented a Tonal Departure For Disney
Responding to the big-budget, high-concept sci-fi era ushered in by Star Wars, the team behind The Black Hole had aspirations to delve into more edgy material from the beginning. Though the film is not without its share of youth-oriented elements (robots V.I.N.CENT and BO.B. are cartoonish in design), its thematic undertones regarding the dark side of religiosity, sinister ambition, and the subservience of one’s fellow man were decidedly more adult-oriented than what Disney was known for at the time. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, director Gary Nelson said of the studio’s decision, “We deliberately went after the PG rating, just to get away from the G rating. At first, we didn’t know exactly what would make it PG. So we decided that we would say that it was ‘too intense for younger audiences.’”
The Black Hole’s blending of genre aesthetics was also an unusual move by Disney, with the film tonally shifting among senses of wonder, dread, excitement, and sheer terror, oftentimes from one scene to the next. The awesome nature of space exploration gives the narrative its initial pulse, but soon after boarding the Cygnus, as red flags continually stack up, that feeling of awe quickly gives way to the unshakable anticipation of threat and imminent danger. The film’s deliberate pacing lends to its suspense, gradually peeling away at the benevolent illusion Reinhardt’s crafted for Palomino’s crew. Once our heroes get a peek behind the proverbial curtain, learning the true nature of what transpired on the scientist’s ship over the last several years, The Black Hole kicks into high gear for a final act full of action and cosmic spectacle. Considering that Disney was hoping to hook some more mature audiences with the film, one can surmise that younger viewers would find such an experience to be jarring at best, and at worst, tonally disorienting and overwhelming.
‘The Black Hole’ Is a Haunted House Thrill Ride in Space
Much like one of the most iconic attractions in Disney’s amusement parks, The Black Hole treats viewers to the cinematic equivalent of a haunted house. Upon discovering the Cygnus and reflecting on its mysterious history, the Palomino’s crew knowingly enters into a potentially dangerous and frightful environment. Initially leaving much to the imagination, the ship’s impressive yet largely vacant interior suggests something amiss, with Reinhardt’s eccentric and theatrical persona doing little to quell one’s concerns. Acting as a seemingly benevolent host while concealing a sinister truth, Reinhardt stands in for the haunted house’s archetypal butler, leading his vulnerable guests through a labyrinth of ultimately chilling reveals (Durant’s discovery of what lies beneath the humanoid drones’ cloaks provides quite a shock).
The Black Hole is also experientially reminiscent of Disney theme parks’ dark rides. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that upon entering the Cygnus, the Palomino’s crew literally board a vessel on a track that guides them through the craft’s interior. Later, as the narrative gives way to thrills and visual treats, viewers hurtle through a series of action set pieces. Going up against armed robots and dodging meteoric fireballs, Holland (Forster), Pizer (Bottoms), and McCrae (Mimieux) fight their way through multiple realms of the Cygnus as it breaks apart. They escape after jettisoning from the ship, barreling (once again on a track) into the black hole and emerging in a heavenly, cathedral-like dimension of space and time. But the religious iconography isn’t limited to a world of angels. An injured Reinhardt, somehow alive after being ejected into space, merges with Maximilian as they travel through the black hole, leading to one of the darkest and most bizarre spectacles in any live-action Disney film. They emerge into an utterly hellish landscape, overlooking a desolate world of billowing flames and an army of cloaked humanoid figures. It’s a truly disturbing display that’s likely been the source of nightmares for younger viewers across generations.
Hollywood Almost Remade ‘The Black Hole’
Despite a mediocre box office performance and mixed reviews, The Black Hole has amassed a cult following among fans, so much so that Disney was considering a remake several years back. Fresh off the success of Tron: Legacy, Joseph Kosinski was tapped to direct the film with a script by Dune co-writer Jon Spaihts. But as of 2016, the film has officially stalled, and Spaihts fondly revealed, “I loved that script. It sits uneasily in Disney’s world as a dark epic, and Disney is in a very colorful place. They already have multiple big space epics going, so I don’t know how or whether it’ll find its way to light of day, but I sure wrote a heck of a movie and was thrilled to do it.” Kosinski has also said of the doomed remake, “I still feel like that movie is one of the most unique that Disney’s ever made, the original I mean. It’s wild. So there is a great story to be told about that journey. I just, at this point, I haven’t figured out what that would be for me yet.”