Director Ed Sanchez laid low for a number of years following the release of his first major film The Blair Witch Project. After the notoriety over such an experimental release, he probably spent a long time wondering how to top it. My guess is that he came to his senses and just got back to work, devoting himself to smaller sights like improving upon well-known foundations. His sci-fi/horror combo Altered gives a new spin on the classic “trapped in a small space with a monster” story. It opens with a trio of rifle-wielding rednecks charging through the woods at night. They’re out to deliver a whoop-ass on some aliens that abducted them years earlier. The close encounter led to the death of two friends and the wrecked lives of the survivors, who spent the intervening years battling rage and fear. The actors make the characters believable and unique, adding distinct personalities to the expected caricatures. As seen in Blair Witch, Sanchez knows how to build suspense, teasing us with little bits of the alien instead of revealing too much too soon. It’s almost a bonus that when the creature finally does appear in full form, it lives up to expectations. As important as (if not more than) the plot of this kind of movie are memorable effects and death scenes. Again, Altered comes through, with clever alien creature and technology designs, and several gruesome moments I found as fascinating as they are disgusting. Of course, in the end it’s a popcorn picture, and my kudos shouldn’t make you think it’s something to redefine the genre. It is fun, well-made, and much better than expected from most direct-to-DVD fright flicks. I wouldn’t mind seeing the open-ended story turned into a series.

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