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48 out of 59 people found the following review useful: Brilliant, 20 December 2006 Author: Mr Saxon from United Kingdom
'Altered' follows the capture of an extraterrestrial being by a group of men. We learn within the opening minutes that the creature is responsible for their abduction and torture - as well as the death of their friend - several years earlier.The majority of the movie is contained within the residence of their reluctant friend Wyatt (played beautifully by Adam Kaufman who captures his character's grief and rage at the things done to him) where the group slowly begins to fall apart whilst the extraterrestrial begins to do everything it can to escape...I hadn't heard of this film before I rented it and was pleasantly surprised to find that, even with a small budget, this was a tense (due to most events taking place in one location) and very well written little movie that kept my attention throughout. The creature effects especially were well done and managed to convey how dangerous and frightening the extraterrestrial was. I'd recommend this to other horror fans as a shining example of how smaller budget horror movies can sometimes be far more effective than multimillion dollar blockbuster horrors dripping in overcooked CGI and underwritten characters!
27 out of 39 people found the following review useful: interesting to see that Blair Witch wasn't just a fluke, 7 January 2007 Author: TheatreX from Louisville, KY
Eduardo Sanchez, the director of the Blair Witch Project, hasn't done anything after that until this, and while I was sort of expecting to be disappointed, I was pleasantly surprised how good this was. This film begins with some men hunting something in a rural area, and you realize what they're hunting are aliens, and they actually capture one and bring it to a garage owned by a young man named Wyatt. As the film goes along you realize that many years ago this same group of men were captured and examined and even given tracking devices by these same aliens and are out for vengeance. But are they dealing with something more than they can handle? You bet they are. Wyatt also seems to be somewhat of a "wild card" in this, as the aliens are afraid of him for some reason & he is more attuned than the others to what exactly is taking place. This is creepy as hell and the unnamed rural setting really adds to this. There are plenty of pretty gruesome effects and the strange little bone-like "clicker", which is apparently some kind of tracking device inserted into the intestinal tract, is probably one of the weirdest ideas I've ever seen in a horror or science fiction film. This film has an atmosphere of dread throughout, and is definitely worth seeing for fans of creepy horror and sci-fi. 8 out of 10.
31 out of 50 people found the following review useful: Top movie, 18 December 2006 Author: shak1942 from United Kingdom
I watched it expecting it to be a cheap low budget movie. boy was I in for a surprise. Everything oozed class about this movie. From the camera angles, to the story.Its basically a film where an alien is captured and than you have a dilemma from the group that capture the creature. and I wont go in to too much detail about the rest of the film. But it kept me glued to the end. There is enough suspense and a few genuine scary moments. The special effects were quite good too. This film has definitely got Cult Classic written all over itA big thumbs up 9/10 for me .
17 out of 23 people found the following review useful: Creepy as all hell!, 15 December 2006 Author: smashing_darcys_pumpkins from Chicago
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
(I suck at reviews but saw there were none for this yet so I figured I'd just let you all know this is definitely a must see for every sci-f1/horror fan out there.)This movie sent shivers down my spine. It was a lot like the ones I got sitting in the theater watching Blair Witch for the first time. But this was somewhat different because it's a sci f1/horror/suspense movie, and one of the best I've seen. The alien in it literally scared the s**t out of me at times. I was always on the edge of my seat waiting for it to pop out of somewhere. Or for it's friends to come looking for it. The actors were all beyond good and helped big time in sucking you into the movie. The special effects and make up were that of a big Hollywood movie. The guy that decayed through out the movie was brilliant. The ending was equally as brilliant.
18 out of 25 people found the following review useful: Lower Intestines Tug of War, 2 March 2007 Author: ElijahCSkuggs from Happy Land, who lives in a Gumdrop House on Lolly Pop Lane
Going into Altered I was aware of a couple things. One being that it's directed by the dude that directed Blair Witch Project. And two being that the story revolves around aliens. Another factor why I wanted to see this is because I'm pretty fascinated by all things unknown and especially anything related to extraterrestrial life. Well when this movie was brought to my attention I made a self-note and marked it on my to-see list. And I'm thankful that I did. Cause what followed was a pretty cool flick, with gore, and one badass little alien.Altered is about a group of guys who are looking for a little bit of revenge. They're looking for vengeance because years before they were all abducted and tortured by some Evil Aliens (good movie). Anyways, they manage to capture one little alien who for some reason was lurking in the woods. There could be a reason behind this....but I'm a little forgetful, sorry. Well this little alien isn't just you're little E.T. look-alike, he's one tiny, ripped up, angry little sh!t with sharp-ass teeth. I'm still wondering if he is or isn't part of the Verdant's IFSP (Intergalactic Federation of Sovereign Planets) maybe as some suped-up, fighter alien. Most probably not though. Anyways, they get there hands on the little bugger and take him hostage. Obviously things go awry and what follows is a cool little horror movie filled with some nice make-up and gore...and one mean little s.o.b. The movie obviously isn't a flawless piece of work...the acting is average, the script is average and the decision making is questionable. But, these weren't any of the reasons I rented Altered. I rented it to see a alien flick with gore and violence and hopefully some tense moments and I got those. So if you're like me and you want to catch a neat horror flick with aliens and gore, check out Altered. A surprising 8 outta 10.
17 out of 24 people found the following review useful: Top notch B-movie with top notch gore!, 28 December 2006 Author: Ogami Itto from Ireland
like sci-fi? like gore? if, like me the answer is yes then check this little gem out. its dog soldiers meets signs with a hint of the evil dead. Convincing performances from all the players and a well paced plot make altered a great film that just plane works. In recent years B movies have been plagued with bad CGI effects and I for one cant stand them. Altered on the other hand has Thomas Floutz, who was the special makeup effects artist on films like Underworld 1 and 2, X-men 3 and The Cave(and many more). So were talking top notch, old school special makeup effects, with only one or two really nice CGI shots where needed. It also has a great little appearance from James Gammon as the local sheriff. All in all its a cool movie thats nicely shot with solid performances, good direction, a well paced plot and lots of lovely gore, so if that sounds like your kinda flick then don't hesitate, rent it kick back and enjoy.
23 out of 37 people found the following review useful: Fantastic Horror from Blair Witch creator Ed Sanchez, 17 December 2006 Author: underdesign from Philadelphia, PA USA
High-concept, with tight well-controlled shots, 'Altered' delivers tension from the get-go and consistently keeps the watcher intrigued, terrified, and on edge with a story that kept me enthralled first frame to last.A frothy mix of gore, revenge, loyalty and more set in a dark (and fantastically lit) tone with a sci-fi overlay make this one of the best horror flicks I've seen all year.Take the genius of 'Blair Witch Project', good story writing, limited camera angles, a hint of back story, excellent pacing and tension. Remove the bad camera work and sub-par lighting, add the details of good special effects and fantastic cinematography and you have an excellent second outing for director Eduardo Sanchez.It's a never ending run of surprises and jump-out-of-your-seat reveals in the second half of this movie, with something to please every horror/gore fan. The payoffs are a welcome relief to the non-stop thrills this film offers, and it left me with a sense of a potential sequel. Great flick!
15 out of 22 people found the following review useful: A very taut thriller, 22 December 2006 Author: HorrorweenComposerTony from United States
Me likes. Unpredictable and a taut thriller. Pace begins the second the movie starts and doesn't let the mood go. Very much like Night of the Living Dead, this is a LONG and suspenseful night that leaves you on the edge of your seat.Plot line is also pretty original for an alien movie plot line. Don't think I've seen any with payback for an alien abduction. Even then, the plot took itself in new directions. Unpredictable.OK, so I admit a bias, knowing the producing crew. Even if I didn't, this movie is still pretty darned good and worth a view. A direct to DVD gem that really should have made theatrical release.
11 out of 17 people found the following review useful: reverse alien abduction story. surprisingly effective!, 23 December 2006 Author: rick-604 from United States
After being "taken" by aliens 15 years ago, a group of good ol' boys decide to capture an alien themselves. Not really believing they will succeed, the guys actually do trap one and take it to a reclusive friend who seems to know an awful lot about the aliens. Made on a low budget, "Altered" does an admirable job sustaining tension, dropping just enough hints along the way to keep us engaged. Being that "The Blair Witch Project" wasn't really directed so much as improved, I had my doubts about Eduardo Sanchez's credentials, however, he displays a canny sense of the genre. Make-up and visual effects were superb belying the production's budget. Although the script was the weakest link in this alien stew, the film remains engrossing. Lead performance by Adam Kaufman is excellent. He carries the film well. Once again Eduardo Sanchez creeps us out by setting the film in the woods. This guy must really hate camping! A genuinely scary movie that won't disappoint its audience.
4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Sci-fi horror from Eduardo 'Blair Witch' Sánchez., 14 March 2007 Author: BA_Harrison from Hampshire, England
Seven years after the incredible success of indie horror film The Blair Witch Project, director Eduardo Sánchez returns with this effective sci-fi chiller that proves that he still has the ability to creep out the audience.In Altered, a group of men, who were abducted by aliens when they were young, face a night of terror after they manage to capture a nasty extra-terrestrial. Sánchez, once again working on a low budget, manages to create a truly scary film with some nifty effects to boot.Using the trusty old 'man in a rubber suit' method, rather than dodgy CGI, Sanchez delivers a convincing and rather nasty little ET which is the stuff of nightmares; this is the kind of toothy critter that thinks nothing of disembowelling its victims and then playing a game of tug of war with their entrails!With a lean running time of only 84 minutes, the film never has time to get boring. The cast give good performances, the direction is solid, the creature is creepy and a guy gets a flesh eating disease and disintegrates during the course of the film. What more could you ask for?
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