znegative I like Eduardo Sanchez, the director of 'Blaire Witch' and 'Lovely Molly'. Sure, 'Exists' wasn't too good, but of the four movies I've seen of his, 3 were really great.'Altered' is a sci-fi/thriller/horror hybrid. In a nutshell, it's a movie about a few hillbillies who capture an alien in the woods years after having been abducted and experimented upon by the same extraterrestrial menaces. They bring the captured yet alive E.T back to one of there friends house, where horror and havoc ensue. I'm not going to go too much into what happens from there as that would be giving away the movie, but the plot is simple enough to be interesting without getting convoluted. The first thing I liked about this movie is that it clearly had a pretty limited budget. IMO, that worked out in Sanchez's favor, for instead of gratuitous use of CGI for effects, we get good old fashioned puppets, costumes and great make-up. It looks like a really good horror movie from the late 80's/early 90's which was a golden age in terms of special effects for the horror and sic-fi genre IMO.Most of the film takes place in one of two rooms, which creates a sense of claustrophobia and tension. Ridiculous as the premise may sound, it is not a light-hearted or campy movie. There is a constant sense of dread and fear, and the actors do there job without too much backstory to lend towards this effect. I also must commend the make up artist and costume designer. The Alien looks great, probably the best portrayal of an E.T since H.R Giegers' Alien design. The gore is noteworthy as well if you're into that kind of thing. When one of the red-necks becomes infected, it truly is pretty sickening .Unlike a lot of his other films ('Blaire Witch', 'Exists' and 'Lovely Molly') there is no 'found- footage' angle or use in 'Altered', which is a nice change of pace. I've said it before, so excuse me for being redundant, but while I don't mind the 'found-footage' technique when it's applied in a way that makes sense, it's nice to see a talented director like Sanchez step out of what I imagine might be his comfort zone and achieve with some grace, a traditional movie in terms of cinematography (it looks great btw).Fans of Sci-FI and Horror will both like this movie. It's kind of sad to think that this one's probably been overlooked, and truth be told, had I not known who directed it, I would never have rented a movie with a cover which screams 'B-MOVIE'!.My only complaint is that I wish it was a bit longer, but really, everything was quite satisfactory. A nice change of pace for the director of 'Blaire Witch'.

SpannersGerm669 I was really surprised with what I got from Altered. Its a movie i've heard nothing about, so i wasn't expecting much, but what i got was a very thrilling, entertaining and suspenseful film that deserves more recognition than it gets.This movie creates something that is difficult to do. Build a dreaded atmosphere and icy cold psychology! I thought the idea behind the story was creative, while not trying to do too much with it. Its simple to follow and the characters contribute to some hidden depth.If you want a film that will give you more than just blood and guts, then Altered is one worth checking out!

timothymayer In Altered, the director puts the "alien abduction" scenario on it's head. We've all seen movies and TV shows about alien abductions. They're a genre into themselves. But what happens when the abductees decide to kidnap an alien themselves? This is the question the director attempts to answer in a movie which can be taken as serious or comedic. Years ago, four friends were kidnapped in the wilds of Florida by aliens from outer space. They were eventually released, but only after the invaders had "done things" to them. Now they are grown men and the laughing stock of their small town. Nobody believed them at the time, nobody does now. Finally, tired of the ridicule, three of the four head out to a remote farm where the aliens have established a hidden compound. They manage to capture one of the aliens and haul it back. Their prey secured in a van, they take it to the last member of the four, Wyatt, who lives on an isolated compound. Wyatt is horrified; he's got a girlfriend living with him and still has vivid memories of what the creatures did to him. He's also in a psychic link with the aliens and knows they will be furious at having one of their number captured. All hell breaks loose when the captured alien breaks free in the compound. And, worse, a whole ground force of aliens are on their way to rescue their fallen comrade.The plot is tight. The film opens with the capture of the alien, then speeds to Wyatt's compound, where most of the action takes place. The actors who play the trio responsible for snaring the beast all do a top- notch collective performance as a bunch of confused and scared rednecks. The actor playing Wyatt has just enough fear and bravery to make him a great horror movie hero.Plus points to the team who did the effect work on the alien costumes; it was done without CGI. More plus points to the people who did the stunt work.I recommend giving this film a chance. You might be able to find a cheap used DVD.http://cinemaofhorror.com/altered/

Tss5078 If Seinfeld is the show about nothing, Altered is the movie about nothing. These four friends were abducted by aliens fifteen years earlier, so these geniuses decide to get revenge by kidnapping one of the aliens. They accomplish their goal, but once they do, they don't know what to do with it and lock it in the garage. After that it becomes a slasher film where nothing significant really happens. Honestly, they kidnapped this thing and then don't know what to do with it, so then what's the point? To make things worse, we never see the abduction or find out what exactly happened to them up there. It's just an extremely dark and confusing hunting scene, which believe it or not features a harpoon, and then there is nothing else. As for the acting it is just as inconsistent as the story! One minute their going crazy, trying to kill each other and the next they're crying about old times, it's ridiculous! James Gammon is the only name in this thing, playing the sheriff in one of his last roles. The guys are so intimidated by the sheriff and when we finally see him, we find out he's this little eighty year old guy, are you kidding me? This movie is a complete disaster and an utter waste of time. Being that it's from the writer/director of The Blair Witch Project, I was expecting something as groundbreaking as that was, unfortunately, Altered isn't it and there is a good reason why you've probably never heard of it.