MFA Film: 'Altered States'

Each month in 2017, travel back to a time when storylines were weirder, movie stars were scrappier and special effects meant plenty of Claymation and slime.

"On the Fringe: American Cult Films of the 1980s" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston highlights wildly creative independent films from the 1980s and early '90s that opened viewers' minds to new ideas: supernatural phenomena, otherworldly creatures and the countercultures thriving on the fringes of American society. The yearlong series kicks off in January with "Altered States" (1980) and jumps forward a year each month before concluding in December with a film from 1991. Before the show, enjoy trailers and commercials from the year the film was made!

Altered States is based on actual experiments conducted by John C. Lilly in the 1970s. The exquisite horror/science fiction film follows a Harvard scientist named Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) who investigates the mysteries of human consciousness by taking hallucinogenic drugs while suspended in a sensory deprivation tank. Eddie is thrilled to find that while in this state, he can tap into the ancient knowledge of early Homo sapiens; but he begins to notice disturbing changes in his physique.

The MFA's Film Program is recognized as one of the country's leading independent exhibitors of film, presenting more than 500 screenings of independent, foreign and classic films every year.

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