''The Acid House'' is a 1998 Scottish film adaptation of

Irvine Welsh Irvine Welsh (born 27 September 1958) is a Scottish novelist, playwright and short story writer. His 1993 novel '' Trainspotting'' was made into a film of the same name. He has also written plays and screenplays, and directed several short fil ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

collection ''

The Acid House ''The Acid House'' is a 1994 book by Irvine Welsh Irvine Welsh (born 27 September 1958) is a Scottish novelist, playwright and short story writer. His 1993 novel '' Trainspotting'' was made into a film of the same name. He has also written ...

'' directed by Paul McGuigan. Welsh himself wrote the screenplay, and appears as a minor character in the film.

Plot

The film dramatises three stories from the book: * "The Granton Star Cause": A comedy, in which Boab (

Stephen McCole Stephen McCole is a Scottish actor. He is best known for starring in the dark comedy series ''High Times'',Paul English"High Times duo Stephen and Paul McCole find fame in unlikely places" '' The Daily Record'', 28 June 2008. Retrieved 1 June 20 ...

) is having a rotten day. His parents throw him out so they can indulge in sado-masochism and he is sacked from his job, dumped by his girlfriend, and dropped from his football team. It has elements of

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

's ''

The Metamorphosis ''Metamorphosis'' (german: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himsel ...

''. One of the characters is a pitiless, profane God who transforms him into a fly as punishment for wasting his life. Named after an Edinburgh housing district, "The Granton Star Cause" was filmed on location in

Muirhouse Muirhouse is a housing estate in the north of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Location The housing estate of Muirhouse (Pennywell and Muirhouse) is bounded by Muirhouse Parkway to the North, Pennywell Road to the East, Ferry Road to the So ...

and Pilton, including Ferry Road Drive. * "A Soft Touch":

Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd (born 9 August 1973) is a Scottish actor and television director. Before playing the role of Dr. Owen Hunt in '' Grey's Anatomy'', for which he is widely known, McKidd appeared as Tommy Mackenzie in Danny Boyle's '' Trainspotting' ...

plays Johnny, a man who is cuckolded by Larry (Garry McCormack), the ruthless upstairs neighbour who steals his electricity and his wife (

Michelle Gomez Michelle Gomez (born 23 November 1966) is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her roles in the comedy series ''The Book Group'' (2002–2003), ''Green Wing'' (2004–2007), and '' Bad Education'' (2012–2013). She went on to appear ...

). Filmed on location in Niddrie. * "The Acid House": An acid trip and a bolt of

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

result in amiable schemie Coco Brice (

Ewen Bremner Ewen Bremner (born 23 January 1972) is a Scottish character actor. His roles have included Julien in ''Julien Donkey-Boy'' and Daniel "Spud" Murphy in '' Trainspotting'' and its 2017 sequel '' T2 Trainspotting''. Early life Bremner was born i ...

) exchanging bodies with the baby of a middle-class couple (

Martin Clunes Alexander Martin Clunes Order of the British Empire, OBE Deputy Lieutenant, DL (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, comedian, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV (TV network), IT ...

and

Jemma Redgrave Jemima Rebecca Redgrave (born 14 January 1965), known as Jemma Redgrave, is a fourth-generation British actress of the Redgrave family. She played the title character in four series of '' Bramwell'', and has a recurring role in '' Doctor Who'' a ...

). All three sections are independent, but are linked by setting and the reappearance of incidental characters, in particular

Maurice Roëves John Maurice Roëves (; 19 March 1937 – 14 July 2020) was a British actor. He appeared in over 120 film and television roles, in both the United Kingdom and the United States. His breakthrough performance was as Stephen Dedalus in the 1967 ...

who appears variously as an inebriated wedding guest, a figure in a dream, and a pub patron. All three of his parts symbolise a human manifestation of God. The film offended elements of the UK tabloid press with a depiction of a cynical, jaded, foul-mouthed God. In some English-speaking countries such as Canada and the United States it has been screened with subtitles because of the Scots vernacular and heavy

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

accents.

Cast

;"The Granton Star Cause" *

–

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

– Boab * Garry Sweeney – Kev * Jenny McCrindle – Evelyn * Simon Weir – Tambo * Iain Andrew – Grant *

– Parkie * Pat Stanton – Barman * Alex Howden – Boab Snr * Annie Louise Ross – Doreen (as Ann Louise Ross) * Dennis O'Connor – PC Cochrane * John Gardner – Sgt. Morrison * William Blair – Workmate * Gary McCormack – Workmate * Malcolm Shields – Workmate * Stewart Preston – Rafferty *Callum Stewart - boy playing football ;"A Soft Touch" *

– Drunk *

– Johnny *

– Catriona *

Tam Dean Burn Tam Dean Burn (born 1958 in Leith, Scotland) is a Scottish actor who has played a wide range of roles on stage and screen. On television this includes multiple roles on long-running detective series ''Taggart'', youth sci-fi thriller '' Life For ...

– Alec * Scott Imrie – Pool Player * Niall Greig Fulton – Alan * Cas Harkins – Skanko * Morgan Simpson – Chantal, Baby * Marnie Kidd – Chantal, Toddler *

Alison Peebles Alison Peebles (born 1953) is a Scottish actress, director, and writer in theatre, film, and television. She is a co-founder of Communicado, a Scottish theatre company. Early life Peebles trained as a Painter at Edinburgh College of Art. Career ...

– Mother * Joanne Riley – New Girl * Katie Echlin – Wendy * William 'Giggs' McGuigan – Pub Singer * William Blair – Deck * Gary McCormack – Larry ;"The Acid House" *

– Priest *

– Colin 'Coco' Bryce *

– Rory *

– Jenny * Arlene Cockburn – Kirsty *

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

– Emma * Doug Eadie – Coco's Father * Andrea McKenna – Coco's Mother * Cas Harkins – Skanko * Billy McElhaney – Felix the Paramedic * Ricky Callan – Tam the Driver *

Barbara Rafferty Barbara Rafferty (born 15 January 1950 in Clydebank), is a Scottish actress. Credited as Barbara Ann Brown in her early acting career. She is known for her roles as Ella Cotter in the long-running BBC Two sitcom '' Rab C Nesbitt'', then firs ...

– Dr. Callaghan *

Stephen Docherty Stephen Docherty (born 18 February 1976) is a Scottish former football player and coach. He previously played in the Scottish Football League for Partick Thistle and Clydebank. He also played for both Airdrieonians and their re-inacarnation Aird ...

– Nurse Boyd * Ronnie McCann – Andy

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Acid House, The 1998 films 1990s black comedy films 1990s fantasy comedy-drama films Body swapping in films British black comedy films British fantasy comedy-drama films 1990s English-language films English-language Scottish films Films about babies Films about dysfunctional families Films about sexuality Films based on short fiction Films directed by Paul McGuigan Films set in Edinburgh Film4 Productions films Films shot in Edinburgh Films about God Films with screenplays by Irvine Welsh Scots-language films 1998 directorial debut films 1998 comedy films 1990s British films