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!

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/

Four men are determined to get revenge on the vicious alien life form that held them all hostage and killed their friend. However, the quartet all find themselves in considerable jeopardy after their plan doesn't work out the way that they expected it to. Director Eduardo Sanchez, working from a tight and gripping script by Jamie Nash, relates the involving story at a snappy pace, ably crafts a tense and spooky atmosphere, maintains a dark, grim, and serious tone throughout, builds plenty of nerve-rattling suspense, and delivers a handy helping of shockingly gross'n'gruesome gore (one guy gets a hideous flesh-eating infection after he's bitten by the alien). Moreover, the evil extraterrestrial is convincingly brought to terrifying life by a guy in a funky rubber suit and proves to be a truly formidable piece of nasty work. The excellent acting by the capable no-name cast keeps the movie humming: Adam Kaufman as the troubled Wyatt, Catherine Mangan as Wyatt's feisty girlfriend Hope, Brad William Henke as the sensible Duke, Michael C. Williams as bumbling wimp Otis, and Paul McCarthy-Boyington as the reckless and belligerent Codi. Veteran character actor James Gammon likewise registers well as the crusty Sheriff Henderson. The loyalty displayed amongst the main characters gives this picture additional touching depth and resonance. The succinct 88 minute running time ensures that this film never becomes tedious or overstays its welcome. Steve Yedlin's sharp cinematography makes stunningly effective use of shadowy lighting. The shuddery score by Tony Cora and Exiquio Talavera does the skin-crawling trick. A worthy shocker.

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.