HorrorScience FictionThriller

Altered States

- A dream is the key that unlocks the mysteries of the waking world.

A research scientist explores the boundaries and frontiers of consciousness. Using sensory deprivation and hallucinogenic mixtures from native American shamans, he explores these altered states of consciousness and finds that memory, time, and perhaps reality itself are states of mind.

Release Date : 1980-12-25

Language :EnglishSpanish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Warner Bros. Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Professor Eddie Jessup

Original Name : William Hurt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Emily Jessup

Original Name : Blair Brown

Gender : Female

Character Name : Arthur Rosenberg

Original Name : Bob Balaban

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mason Parrish

Original Name : Charles Haid

Gender : Male

Character Name : Echeverria

Original Name : Thaao Penghlis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Primal Man

Original Name : Miguel Godreau

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sylvia Rosenberg

Original Name : Dori Brenner

Gender : Female

Character Name : Hobart

Original Name : Peter Brandon

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Brujo

Original Name : Charles White-Eagle

Gender : Male

Character Name : Margaret Jessup

Original Name : Drew Barrymore

Gender : Female

Character Name : Grace Jessup

Original Name : Megan Jeffers

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hector Orteco

Original Name : Jack Murdock

Gender : Male

Character Name : Obispo

Original Name : Francis X. McCarthy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Schizophrenic Patient

Original Name : Deborah Baltzell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Rosenberg

Original Name : Evan Richards

Gender : Male

Character Name : Charlie Thomas

Original Name : Paul Larsson

Gender : Male

Character Name : X-Ray Technician

Original Name : John Larroquette

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Wissenschaft

Original Name : George Gaynes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Endocrinology Fellow

Original Name : Hap Lawrence

Gender : Male

Character Name : Medical Technician

Original Name : John Walter Davis

Gender : Male

Reviews

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2021-06-23

***“Night of the Apeman” mixed with some pretty heady material*** In the late 60s and mid-70s, a psychopathologist (William Hurt) from the New York/New England area honestly seeks ultimate truth and the origins of humanity through dubious experiments with sensory deprivation mixed with drugs, including a potent mixture used in ceremonies by Mexican AmerIndians. This leads to altered states of consciousness and amazing primordial revelations. Blair Brown is on hand as his romantic interest while Bob Balaban and Charles Haid appear as his colleagues, the latter a scientific version of a Pharisee. Directed by Ken Russell, “Altered States” (198o) is a mature sci-fi drama with elements of mystery/horror. It comes across as a meshing of movies like “Wolfen” (1981), “An American Werewolf in London” (1981), Russell’s later “The Lair of the White Worm” (1988) and “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968). One of the fascinating things about the movie is that it shows how a person can reach other realms while in an isolated location through the power of the mind/spirit, albeit in this case with the assistance of drugs. I can relate to a degree. For instance, eleven years ago I was sleeping in bed (during the day) having an intense dream when my wife burst into the room to wake me up. The smoke alarm outside the door was blaring like crazy, but there was no smoke or fire (or heat). The intense energy evoked by my dream obviously set it off because, as soon as I woke, it suddenly stopped. This happened again the next week. What can explain this except the untapped power of the mind and focused energy? Anyway, the apeman sequence is one of the best parts of the movie and recalls those werewolf flicks noted above (of course “Wolfen” isn’t really a werewolf picture). But “Altered States” is so much more than a standard creature feature or nature-runs-amok flick. The apeman make-up is great and the bizarre imaginings are similar to the same in “The Lair of the White Worm.” While I disagree with the evolutionary nonsense (humans didn’t evolve from apes, rolling my eyes), this is a fantasy about finding the truth by Ken Russell and so I don’t expect those kinds of details to be accurate anyway. Blair is winsome in a girl-next-door kind of way and Russell doesn’t fail to capture her beauty (and I’m not tawkin about the top nudity), although that’s there too, if you’re interested. I suggest using the subtitles since a lot of the jargon is pretty technical. It helps the viewer to stay with the story if you can understand what the characters are saying and discussing. The movie runs 1 hour, 42 minutes and was shot in New York City (including the Bronx Zoo); Boston; Sierra Tarahumara, Chihuahua, Mexico (the rock formations); Burbank Studios and a VA hospital in Los Angeles. GRADE: B