The Acid House (film)
Three Edinburgh tales of sex, drugs, and transformation.
The Acid House is a 1998 British film that adapts Irvine Welsh's short story collection of the same name. Paul McGuigan directed it, Welsh wrote the screenplay, and Welsh himself appears in a minor role. The movie has three separate segments, but they are connected by their Edinburgh setting and by recurring minor characters. Maurice Roëves plays a different part in each segment—a drunk wedding guest, someone in a dream, and a pub customer—and all three roles represent a human version of God.
The first segment, "The Granton Star Cause," is a comedy. It follows Boab, a lazy man having a terrible day. His parents kick him out so they can engage in sado-masochism, he loses his job, his girlfriend dumps him, and he is cut from his football team. While sulking at a bar, a foul-mouthed stranger who claims to be God confronts him, scolds him for wasting his life, and turns him into a housefly. As a fly, Boab buzzes around his old places, sometimes recognized, and gets revenge on those who wronged him. This part draws on Franz Kafka's *The Metamorphosis*.
In "A Soft Touch," Johnny marries Catriona, a messy part-time prostitute, in a shotgun wedding. Their baby Chantal is born around the time an arrogant man named Larry moves into the flat above. Johnny mostly takes care of Chantal, while Catriona starts sleeping with Larry. Johnny is kindhearted and can't stop himself from being used and mistreated by both of them.
The third segment, "The Acid House," uses surrealism to explore marriage, babies, and heavy drug use. One night, raver Coco Brice takes a very strong dose of acid. His psychedelic trip happens at the same moment as a lightning strike, causing Coco to swap bodies with the newborn baby of a middle-class couple, Rory and Jenny.
"The Granton Star Cause" is named after an Edinburgh housing district and was filmed on location in Muirhouse and Pilton, including Ferry Road Drive. "A Soft Touch" was filmed in Niddrie.
The first part premiered before the other two were finished. It aired on Channel 4 on August 3, 1997, and offended some UK tabloids with its cynical, foul-mouthed depiction of God. Filming for the other two segments wrapped in late 1997. The complete film premiered at the Marché du Film in Cannes in May 1998 and was released in the UK on January 1, 1999. In the US, it had a limited release on August 6, 1999. In some English-speaking countries li
- Release year
- 1998
- Director
- Paul McGuigan
- Screenwriter
- Irvine Welsh
- Based on
- Short story collection by Irvine Welsh
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Genre
- Comedy, surrealism, drama
- Runtime
- Not specified
Lore & Background
The film dramatizes three stories from Welsh's book. In 'The Granton Star Cause,' a comedy, Boab is a layabout having a rotten day; after being thrown out by his parents, sacked, dumped, and dropped from his football team, he is approached by a profane stranger claiming to be God who transforms him into a housefly. This segment has elements of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. In 'A Soft Touch,' Johnny marries Catriona, a part-time prostitute, in a shotgun wedding; their baby is born as the arrogant Larry moves in upstairs, and Johnny is mistreated by both. The third segment, 'The Acid House,' uses surrealism: raver Coco Brice takes strong acid and, during a lightning bolt, exchanges bodies with a newborn baby.
Reader's Guide
The Acid House premiered in part before completion: 'The Granton Star Cause' aired on Channel 4 on August 3, 1997, offending some UK tabloids with its depiction of a cynical, foul-mouthed God. Filming of the other two segments concluded in late 1997. The completed film premiered at the Marché du Film in May 1998 and was released in the UK on January 1, 1999. In the US, it had a limited release on August 6, 1999, and was screened with subtitles in some English-speaking countries due to Scots vernacular. Reception was mixed: Rotten Tomatoes gave 45% based on 20 reviews, with the consensus calling it 'narratively stagnant and stylistically oppressive'; Metacritic assigned 55 out of 100. Variety noted it makes 'Trainspotting' look mild, while The New York Times said it lacks its forerunner's sociological depth.
Did You Know?
- The segment 'The Granton Star Cause' is named after an Edinburgh housing district and was filmed in Muirhouse and Pilton.
- Maurice Roëves appears in all three segments as an inebriated wedding guest, a figure in a dream, and a pub patron, each symbolizing a human manifestation of God.
- The film was screened with subtitles in Canada and the US because of the heavy Edinburgh accents.
- The first chapter premiered on Channel 4 on August 3, 1997, before the other two parts were completed.
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