Altered States - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

• James Cameron featured the film's "sliding" opening title effect in his film, The Terminator, released four years later.
• Ambient/experimental musical band, House of Low Culture, not only named their second full length album, Edward's Lament, after the film's main character, but also based the album on some of the film's themes.
• The film's final scene, where Eddie Jessup slams himself against a wall as he alternates between human and devolved form, has been referenced in a, A-ha's promo video for "Take On Me", and the South Park episode "Tsst".
• British Metalcore band, Bring Me The Horizon, has sampled the film on the track, "Anthem", from its album, There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret.
• British industrial metal music group, Godflesh, has used stills from the film as the cover art for a number of its single and album releases.
• Brazilian thrash metal band, Sepultura, recorded a song entitled "Altered State" on its album, Arise.
• Grindcore band Agoraphobic Nosebleed used many samples from the movie on its album, Altered States of America.
• A sample from the film "I feel like my heart is being touched by Christ" is featured in the song, "Psalm 69", by Ministry.
• The film was parodied by the television program, Fridays, in its February 27, 1981, episode, "Altered Statesman", in which Ronald. R. Reagan (John Roarke) experiences hallucinations of previous presidents, including Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, and John F. Kennedy.
• Parodied by Saturday Night Live's March 7, 1981 episode as "Altered Walter" with guest host Bill Murray as Walter Cronkite.
• Dialogue from the film is sampled by musician DJ Shadow in "What Does Your Soul Look Like, Part 3" on the Preemptive Strike Album.
• The film was referenced by the episode "House's Head" of the medical drama House, when the main character entered a sensory deprivation tank to remember what happened before a concussion caused by a bus crash.
• The Sloan song Sensory Deprivation references the film by name.
• Edward Jessup's monologue about his relationship with Emily can be heard on the track "Exhausted Love" by hip-hop musical duo Eyedea & Abilities.
• In Season 3 Episode 3 ("Further Instructions") of the television show Lost Charlie agrees to help guard Locke and "make sure you don't devolve into a monkey" while John has a hallucinatory experience.
• Steve Orchard's video edit for the 1980s British Indie band The Chameleons' track "In Shreds" references the drug 'Trip' sequences.
• Parodied in the movie "Beerfest" by 'Barry Badnarath'
• The video for the song 'Hello' by The Beloved features the "sliding" opening title effects and has sequences in a sensory deprivation tank.
• The DVD cover for Broken Lizard's Super Troopers parodies the Altered States by using the tag line "Altered State Police".
• Dialogue from the film is sampled in the track "Project80" on Cabaret Voltaire's 1994 album The Conversation.
• Referenced in Psych Season 3, Episode 13, when Shawn emerges from a hot tub.
• Many elements of the Fringe TV series reference similar elements in Altered States. For instance, one of the main characters of the Fringe TV series is a scientist who experiments with hallucinogens and isolation tanks, sometimes together, to overcome what would otherwise be physical boundaries to travel or awareness. These include travel to parallel universes or the ability to see into them. Also, the series features a minor character with the last name Jessup that appeared in two episodes during the second season, and one of the stars of the Fringe TV series is Blair Brown who starred in Altered States.