Review of Altered States (1980) by Eric H — 31 Dec 2011

An extremely well done, trippy, and dare I say terrifying horror film. Well, I don't know if it falls into the horror genre completely. Its sort of hard to catagorize. Regardless of what section its filed in, it has a whole lot to offer in the way of creepiness and effectiveness.

To start with, the synopsis is great. A professor looking for ultimate truth within the layers of the human subconcious begins experimenting with sensory deprivation and an undiscovered and dangerously powerful hallucinogen. A really interesting and scientificly analyzed story grabs you from the get go, and doesn't let up. The interplay between scientific rational and religous overtones serve the story extremely well. I would wager that David Cronenberg is a huge fan of this film looking at his later work such as 'The Fly'.

I will say that it starts to unravel a little bit in the 3rd act and offers up some strange moments. Almost tries to upstage itself at points. I found this unneccisary, because the first 2/3's of the movie are terrifically tense and unnerving.

The thing that allows this film to be so good are its visuals. A number of amazing dream/drug induced hallucination/sensory deprivation scenes are just stunning, and at times seriously disturbing. Besides that, just the look and feel of the film is different. Creative cinematography and use of angles make even the more casual scenes feel edgy.

Of course, no matter how good your visuals and storyline are, you won't have a good movie without some good writing and acting performances. Fortunately, it is here in spades. This is a seriously character driven film. In his first major role, William Hurt may be at his finest. He creates a seriously complicated character and really goes all in. A fine supporting cast including Brown, Penghlis and Haid are all very good as well. The script is excellent. Really gets into some deep topics and certainly makes you think. Not a movie to pop on and half watch.

Overall, this is an excellent movie with alot going on. The only real negative I can think of is that the last 1/2 hour gets a little out of control, but that is certainly not a derailing problem. Some amazing imagery takes a great story and acting to another level. An extremely underrated and little talked about classic.