Altered States: The Criterion Collection

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The ultimate cinematic head trip of the 1980s, British renegade Ken Russell's first Hollywood film-adapted by the legendary screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky from his own novel-is part hallucinogenic freak-out, part gonzo creature feature, part transcendent love story, all played at a fever pitch.

When researcher Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) begins using himself as a test subject for his mind-expanding psychological experiments, it sends him on an increasingly dangerous, substance-fueled odyssey from humankind's primordial past to the outer limits of consciousness.

It's all visualized by Russell in a psychedelic supernova of out-there imagery that encompasses everything from the pagan to the cosmic sublime, culminating in a brain-wave-blasting battle between the mind and the heart.

With a new 4K digital restoration, Altered States is given the Criterion treatment and released on dual format 4K UHD and Blu-ray 27th October 2025 from Spirit Entertainment.