'Altered States' trivia and fun facts
Arthur Penn y John Dykstra
Arthur Penn was originally slated to direct the movie but resigned. Then special effects whiz John Dykstra also resigned from the film.
Debuts
Film debuts of both William Hurt and Drew Barrymore.
Isolation tank
In a 1981 interview with 'The New York Times', actress Blair Brown said many of the actors and crew tried out the isolation tank. William Hurt actually hallucinated, while Brown found it very peaceful.
Ken Russell drunk
Ken Russell was often drunk throughout production.
Columbia Pictures
The film was produced originally at Columbia Pictures, which would later end its participation with it, before Warner Bros. bought the rights.
Dante's Inferno
Some footage of "hell" in the hallucinations are from the movie 'Dante's Inferno' taken from a dream sequence.
Time
The film was selected to be included in "Time" magazine's Top Ten Best Films List for 1980.
A virtual pariah
The film's box office failure and Ken Russell's onset behaviour, including a row with Paddy Chayefsky led to the director becoming a virtual pariah in Hollywood.
Pioneers
This film was an early user of primitive CGI.
27th choice
Ken Russell has alleged in interviews that he was the 27th choice for director stating that the Warner Brothers studio only hired him after 26 other directors had passed on the project.
Magic mushrooms
In his autobiography, director Ken Russell claimed he tried psychedelic inducing "magic mushrooms" during the making of the film, which resulted in a bad trip.