4K UHD, Blu-ray Release: Altered States

By
Laurence
– October 29, 2025Find Others: Blu-ray, Movie, New Release, NewsGet More: , , ,

4K UHD, Blu-ray Release Date: Available now
Price: 4K UHD/Blu-ray $34.99, Blu-ray $29.66
Studio: Criterion

The ultimate cinematic head trip of the 1980s, not to mention British renegade Ken Russell’s (Women in Love, Tommy) first Hollywood film—adapted by the legendary screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky (The Hospital) from his own novel (he ultimately had his name removed from the film!)—1980’s Altered States 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, The Big Chill) 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. His wife (Blair Brown, Continental Divide) might be the only one who can save him…

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.

SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restoration, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • Alternate 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • New audio commentary featuring film historian Samm Deighan
  • Archival interviews with director Ken Russell and actor William Hurt
  • New interview with special-visual-effects designer Bran Ferren
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by film critic Jessica Kiang
Buy or Rent Altered States

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About Laurence

Founder and editor Laurence Lerman saw Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest when he was 13 years old and that’s all it took. He has been writing about film and video for more than a quarter of a century for magazines, anthologies, websites and most recently, Video Business magazine, where he served as the Reviews Editor for 15 years.