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Altered States (1980)

R  102 min  -  Drama | Fantasy | Horror   -  25 December 1980 (USA)
6.7
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Ratings: 6.7/10 from 12,003 users  
Reviews: 110 user | 51 critic

A Harvard scientist conducts experiments on himself with a hallucinatory drug and an isolation chamber that may be causing him to regress genetically.

Director:

Ken Russell

Writers:

Paddy Chayefsky (novel), Paddy Chayefsky
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Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Hurt ...
Blair Brown ...
Bob Balaban ...
Charles Haid ...
Thaao Penghlis ...
Miguel Godreau Miguel Godreau ...
Dori Brenner Dori Brenner ...
Peter Brandon Peter Brandon ...
Charles White-Eagle Charles White-Eagle ...
Drew Barrymore ...
Megan Jeffers Megan Jeffers ...
Jack Murdock Jack Murdock ...
Francis X. McCarthy Francis X. McCarthy ...
Obispo (as Frank McCarthy)
Deborah Baltzell Deborah Baltzell ...
Evan Richards ...
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Storyline

An American researching different states of consciousness with the aid of mind altering drugs and an isolation chamber begins to experience disturbing physical changes in his body that point toward an evolutionary regression. Written by Keith Loh <loh@sfu.ca>  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

When he heard his cry for help it wasn't human See more »

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Estados alterados See more »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$174,650 (USA) (28 December 1980) (3 Screens)

Gross:

$19,853,892 (USA)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Pictures See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby  | 70 mm 6-Track (MegaSound encoding)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the few films to be released theatrically with the "Megasound" sound system format. Megasound was a movie theater sound system created by Warner Bros in the early 1980s. It was used to enhance the premiere engagements of a handful of Warner features. Theaters equipped for Megasound had additional speakers mounted on the left, right and rear walls of the auditorium. Selected soundtrack events with lots of low-frequency content (thuds, crashes, explosions, etc) were directed to these speakers at very high volume, creating a visceral effect intended to thrill the audience. See more »

Goofs

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When the Brujo tells Eccheverria that he'll allow Eddie to participate in the ceremony he walks off. Although in only a matter of seconds he's far enough away that they have to run quite a distance to catch up to him to ask him some further questions, this is consistent with other literary and screen depictions of shamans having "spooky" abilities, sure-footedness and being surprisingly limber for their age. Rather than an error in continuity, this seems to be a dramatic device. See more »

Quotes

[First line]
Arthur Rosenberg: The tank itself was unusual in that it was vertical, and looked like an old boiler.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in "Bad Movie Beatdown: Darkness Falls (#1.5)" (2009) See more »

Soundtracks

Excerpts from "Le Voile d'Orphée"
Composed by Pierre Henry See more »