Ken Russell’s Altered States, adapted by Paddy Chayefsky from his own novel, is a textbook example of how a tug of war between writer and director can work in the film’s favor. Chayefsky had it written into his contract that not one word of his script could be altered without his express consent. Until, that is, original director Arthur Penn left the project and the film eventually rebounded to Russell, whose approach to the material could be described as that of—to quote a phrase directed at the film’s protagonist—“an unmitigated madman,” but in a good way.
The resultant dust-up led Chayefsky to withdraw from the project and use his real first and middle names, Sidney Aaron, for his screen credit. Rather than this brouhaha yielding a film maudit, Altered States cannily combines the literateness of Chayefsky’s script and the bravura (and sometimes literally mind-blowing) visuals for which Russell had developed a reputation with films like The Devils and Tommy. Far from being merely a work for hire, Altered States taps into many of the overarching concerns within Russell’s body of work: the social and personal constraints of genius, the pleasures and pains of religious mania, the power of love evinced as eros and agape.
After spending some time in a sensory deprivation tank, psychology professor Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) becomes convinced that the titular altered states of consciousness are as real and as important as so-called normal states. His research eventually takes him to Mexico and an intense experience with a hallucinogenic mushroom, in what is probably the single greatest depiction of a drug trip ever committed to celluloid. But, as Altered States is at bottom a Victorian morality play, a tale of mad (not to mention weird) science, overuse of the concoction and the tank eventually turn Dr. Jessup into a rather unusual sort of Mr. Hyde, envisioned as an early hominid that soon escapes the lab and runs spectacularly amok.
Eddie’s support network—essentially the collective superego to his increasingly unhinged id—comprises his wife, Emily (Blair Brown), and a pair of fellow researchers, Arthur Rosenberg (Bol Balaban) and Mason Parrish (Charles Haid). Emily, though explicitly described as Eddie’s intellectual equal, is mostly on hand to provide the redemptive power of love for the film’s gonzo effects-laden finale. It’s Mason who gets to deliver most of the admonitory “tampering with God’s domain” type speeches, which Haid clearly relishes.
Prone as a child to religious visions, Eddie experiences a full-blown freakout under the influence of his research, involving imagery straight out of the Bible—of a serpent, a crucified Christ, and a seven-eyed goat. These images presage similar ones in Russell’s Lair of the White Worm, which in that film convey the battle between pagan and Christian for the human soul. In Altered States, they seem limited to Eddie’s private mythology of guilt and suffering.
Once the results of Eddie’s tampering with Mother Nature start manifesting themselves in his very flesh, Altered States shifts gears from Victorian gothic to the realm of body horror. Like Jekyll in Stevenson’s tale, Eddie progressively devolves, though Eddie goes much further through the realm of the subhuman finally into inhuman quantum soup. Speaking practically, makeup artist Dick Smith’s work with expanding latex bladders sits comfortably alongside similar effects that were garnering much attention around the same time, especially in werewolf movies like The Howling and An American Werewolf in London. What all of these films have in common is that set out to explore the limits of the human and the costs of transgressing them.
Image/Sound
Criterion offers Altered States in a stunning new 4K restoration presented in both 2160p UHD and 1080p HD that ably conveys Jordan Cronenweth’s multifaceted cinematography. The Dolby Vision HDR really brings out the colors and the fine details of the film’s costume and set design, while black levels are deep and accurate. Audio comes in two Master Audio options: native stereo and an alternate surround mix. The latter really opens up the film’s busy soundscapes and does full justice to John Corigliano’s effectively dissonant score.
Extras
All of the supplements can be found on the Blu-ray disc. The big extra here is a very thorough and listenable commentary track from film historian Samm Deighan, who delves into writer Paddy Chayefsky’s career, the relationship between his novel and the finished film, the complicated nature of the film’s production history, the place of Altered States in Ken Russell’s body of work, as well as its connections to other science fiction and horror films of the period.
Also included is a half-hour episode of The Paul Ryan Show wherein the host genially interrogates Russell concerning his early years, eating hallucinogen mushrooms beside Shelly Winters’s pool, and his tendentious relationship with Chayefsky. In a short piece taped at a 92Y interview with historian and author Annette Insdorf, actor William Hurt talks about his infatuation with Chayevsky’s work and the role of rehearsal in the filmmaking process.
In a newly filmed interview, visual effects maven Bran Ferren discusses his early career doing lights and stage effects for bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer before getting very technical about his contributions to Altered States. The enclosed booklet contains an essay from film critic Jessica Kiang that provides an in-depth examination of the film’s production history.
Overall
Radical in more ways than one, Ken Russell’s Altered States explores the limits of the human within a narrative that ultimately embraces the salvific value of marital love.
Score:
Cast: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban, Charles Haid, Thaao Penghlis, Miguel Godreau, Dori Brenner, Peter Brandon, Charles White Eagle, Drew Barrymore, Megan Jeffers, Jack Murdock, Frank McCarthy, Deborah Baltzell, John Larroquette, George Gaynes Director: Ken Russell Screenwriter: Sidney Aaron Distributor: The Criterion Collection Running Time: 103 min Rating: R Year: 1980 Release Date: October 21, 2025 Buy: Video
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