Altered States (R)

synopsis

In the basement of a university medical school Dr. Jessup floats naked in total darkness. The most terrifying experiment in the history of science is out of control ... and the subject is himself. Using a sensory deprivation tank, psychophysiologist Edward Jessup (Academy Award winner William Hurt) conducts experiments involving human consciousness--using himself as the subject. His research intensifies when hallucinogenic compounds regress him to primitive stages of human evolution, where he transforms into an ape-like monster that stalks the city. As Jessup's dangerous quest carries him back to the origins of life, only the strong-willed love of his devoted anthropologist wife, Emily (Blair Brown), can save him.