''Altered'' is a 2006 American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by Eduardo Sánchez and written by Jamie Nash. It was Sánchez's first solo effort as director, following his co-directing of ''

The Blair Witch Project ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American psychological horror film written, directed, and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. One of the most successful independent films of all time, it is a " found footage" pseudo-docume ...

'' in 1999. The plot is an inversion of the standard alien abduction formula, as four men abduct an alien, planning to wreak revenge on the invading species. In its early stages, the film was titled ''Probed'', and was intended as a comic homage to the work of

Sam Raimi Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the first three films in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present) and the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the super ...

and

Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production company, production and film distributor, distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz (producer), Michael Herz in 1974. They are the longest running independent film ...

Plot

''Altered'' is the story of four men who seek revenge on aliens, who abducted them and murdered one of their friends many years ago. As is explained via dialogue throughout the film, fifteen years before the events shown in the film, a group of five friends living in a remote American town were captured and experimented on by aliens while on a hunting trip. Only four of the friends returned alive. The main character (Wyatt) has since distanced himself from his childhood friends and is shown to have decided to live with the past, albeit in apparent constant

paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety, suspicion, or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of co ...

. Two of the remaining three characters, however, have been obsessed by revenge and have persuaded the remaining character that this is the correct course of action to take. The story opens with the tracking and subsequent capture of a lone alien—the consequences of which Wyatt and the three friends soon become deeply involved in.

Cast

* Paul McCarthy-Boyington as Cody *

Brad William Henke Brad William Henke (April 10, 1966 – November 29, 2022) was an American actor and professional football player in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League (AFL). He was best known for his role as Corrections Officer Desi Pi ...

as Duke * Michael C. Williams as Otis * Adam Kaufman as Wyatt * Catherine Mangan as Hope *

James Gammon James Richard Gammon (April 20, 1940 – July 16, 2010) was an American actor, known for playing grizzled "good ol' boy" types in numerous films and television series. Gammon portrayed Lou Brown, the manager of fictionalized versions of the Cleve ...

as Sheriff Tom Herderson *

Joe Unger Joseph Unger (born May 25, 1949) is an American actor who has starred in many films and on television. He is best known for his role in Wes Craven's 1984 horror hit film ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' as Sgt. Garcia, and as one of Leatherface's ...

as Mr. Towne

Reception

Critical reception for ''Altered'' was mixed; ''Cinema Crazed'' gave the film a positive review, praising the "good old fashioned special effects mixed with wicked gore", while ''Reel Film'' was more ambivalent, suggesting that the film was "a little too talky for its own good, utpractically a horror masterpiece when compared to some of its straight-to-video brethren." Roger Moore at the Orlando Sentinel was underwhelmed, reflecting that "too many of the arguments are whispered, too many settings are missing the horrific atmosphere the movie requires," and to Scott Weinberg at ''DVD Talk'' the film was "kind of a mixed bag: half chintzy and raw, half interesting and semi-creepy."

References

External links

* * {{Eduardo Sánchez 2006 films 2006 horror films 2006 science fiction films Direct-to-video horror films 2000s science fiction horror films Films about alien abduction Films directed by Eduardo Sánchez (director) American films about revenge Films with screenplays by Eduardo Sánchez (director) Films produced by Gregg Hale (producer) Haxan Films films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language science fiction horror films