Altered States (1980)
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A scientist's quest to explore altered states of consciousness leads to a terrifying physical and psychological devolution.
The story
In 1967, Edward Jessup, a Columbia University psychopathologist, begins experimenting with sensory deprivation using a flotation tank to study schizophrenia. Over a decade later, now a tenured professor at Harvard Medical School, Edward reunites with his former colleagues and his wife, Emily. Upon hearing about the Hinchi tribe in Mexico, who experience shared hallucinatory states, Edward decides to travel there to participate in their ceremony. During the journey, he is introduced to a sacred potion containing Amanita muscaria and sinicuiche. After consuming the mixture, Edward experiences intense hallucinations and begins a dangerous journey into altered states of consciousness.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1967, Edward Jessup, a Columbia University psychopathologist, begins experimenting with sensory deprivation using a flotation tank. Years later, as a Harvard professor on the brink of divorce from his wife Emily, he travels to Mexico to participate in a Hinchi tribe ceremony. He consumes a potion of Amanita muscaria and sinicuiche, experiencing intense hallucinations. He returns to the U.S. with a sample of the potion for further self-experimentation. When toxic concentrations make the substance dangerous, he returns to the flotation tank, where he begins to experience increasingly drastic visions, including one of early Hominidae. He eventually undergoes actual physical biological devolution, emerging from the tank as a feral caveman before returning to human form. In a final experiment, he transforms into an amorphous mass of conscious, primordial matter. Emily finds him in a swirling maelstrom as he becomes a non-corporeal energy being. As he regresses uncontrollably, Emily grabs his hand and is enveloped by his energy. This stirs his consciousness, allowing him to fight off the transformation and return to human form. The film ends with the two in a nude embrace.
- First release year
- 1980
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ken Russell
- Writers
- Sidney Aaron · screenplay; Paddy Chayefsky · adapted by
- Cast and characters
- William Hurt · Edward Jessup; Blair Brown · Emily; Bob Balaban; Charles Haid
- Genres
- experimental; surrealist; science fiction; horror
- Themes
- consciousness; devolution; hallucination; scientific ethics
- Tone and mood
- surreal; eerie; bizarre; experimental
- Premise and plot tags
- body horror; science fiction; hallucinogens; shapeshifting
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1978 novel by Paddy Chayefsky
- Reception
- The film garnered generally positive reviews from critics, though it received mixed or average reviews on Metacritic.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Score · 53rd · Nominated; Academy Award · Best Sound · 53rd · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film's original director was Arthur Penn.; Ken Russell was the twenty-seventh choice for the director role.; The film's original director was Arthur Penn.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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