Altered States is a American science fiction horror film directed by Ken Russell , and adapted by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky from his novel of the same name. The novel and the film are based in part on John C. Lilly 's sensory deprivation research conducted in isolation tanks under the influence of psychoactive drugs like mescaline , ketamine , and LSD. The film features elements of both psychological horror and body horror. Chayefsky withdrew from the project after disputes with Russell and took his name off the credits, substituting "Sidney Aaron", his actual first and middle names.
It marked the film debut of Hurt and Drew Barrymore in a small role. The film score was composed by John Corigliano and conducted by Christopher Keene. Warner Bros. The film garnered generally positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for Best Original Score and Best Sound at the 53rd Academy Awards. In , Edward Jessup is a Columbia University psychopathologist studying schizophrenia.
He begins to think that "our other states of consciousness are as real as our waking states. At a faculty party, he meets fellow "whiz kid," and his future wife, Emily. Over a decade later, Edward is a tenured professor at Harvard Medical School.
He and Emily have two daughters, and are on the brink of divorce, when they reunite β for the first time in seven years β with the couple who had first introduced them. When Edward hears about the Hinchi tribe, whose members experience shared hallucinatory states , he decides to travel to Mexico in order to participate in their ceremony.
During the climb up into the Hinchi hill country a plateau covered in spectacular mushroom-shaped ventifacts Edward is told by his guide, Eduardo Echeverria, that the Hinchi use in their ceremonies a potion containing the sacred mushroom Amanita muscaria and the shrub sinicuiche , which they are collecting for next year's ceremonies. An indigenous elder "the brujo " is seen with a root in his hand, which he asks Edward to hold, before cutting Edward's hand in order to add some drops of blood to the mixture he is preparing.
