Best Horror Scenes: Altered States (1980)

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Remember when you were a kid and you saw one of those shampoo commercials where the lady’s boobs were just offscreen? Or you found a racy photo in one of your mom’s Cosmopolitans? Or that one tiny photo of Jan Michael Vincent in the nude in the back of a Playboy? Or that ad with Burt Reynolds in just the top half of a football jersey? That first source of adolescent fantasy that sets the stage for your future adult fantasies? Mine was William Hurt in Altered States. The first time I remember going, “Heeeeyyy… who is thaaat??” Also the movie was pretty neat.

The effects are still largely pretty fantastic. Dated, yes, but not in a way that makes it seem cheap, which is saying a lot considering Ken Russell’s history of subpar visual stunts (ahem… The Lair of the White Worm). I still found myself often thinking, “I wonder how they did that??”

This is William Hurt’s first film (and Drew Barrymore’s!), but he’s a good as he’s ever been, even working with material that could very easily have gone super pretentious and esoteric. And Bob Balaban! I know him mostly for his many appearances in Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries, but he’s great here as a young scientist.

So while the film is definitely very of its time, it’s still an enjoyable (and incredibly psychedelic) watch. Even better, it would make for a perfect film to play in the background at a party, or as a double feature with The Holy Mountain (1973).

View all scenes at besthorrorscenes.com

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“Best Horror Scenes” is a collection of scenes I feel are some of the most affecting in horror. Some may be simple black cat scares, others may be more subdued or nuanced. Many come from films that aren't necessarily "horror" but have elements or threads of horror, and all have the same general effect: unease, dread, fear, shock, disgust.

If you have recommendations for scenes to include please feel free to suggest via comments or by contacting me!

* Obvious footnote: Clips may contain spoilers!

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