The Acid House (film)

The Acid House
The Acid House
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Paul McGuigan
Written by	Irvine Welsh
Produced by	David Muir; Alex Usborne;
Starring	Maurice Roëves; Stephen McCole; Kevin McKidd; Michelle Gomez; Gary McCormack; Ewen Bremner; Martin Clunes; Jemma Redgrave;
Cinematography	Alasdair Walker
Edited by	Andrew Hulme
Music by	Dan Muir
Production; company	Channel Four Films
Distributed by	FilmFour Distributors
Release date	2 July 1998;
Running time	111 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Acid House is a 1998 Scottish film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's short story collection The Acid House directed by Paul McGuigan. Welsh himself wrote the screenplay, and appears as a minor character in the film.

Plot[]

The film dramatises three stories from the book:

"The Granton Star Cause": A comedy, in which Boab (Stephen McCole) is having a rotten day. His parents throw him out so they can indulge in sado-masochism and he is sacked from his job, dumped by his girlfriend, and dropped from his football team. It has elements of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. One of the characters is a pitiless, profane God who transforms him into a fly as punishment for wasting his life. Named after an Edinburgh housing district, "The Granton Star Cause" was filmed on location in Muirhouse and Pilton, including Ferry Road Drive.
"A Soft Touch": Kevin McKidd plays Johnny, a man who is cuckolded by Larry (Garry McCormack), the ruthless upstairs neighbour who steals his electricity and his wife (Michelle Gomez). Filmed on location in Niddrie.
"The Acid House": An acid trip and a bolt of lightning result in amiable schemie Coco Brice (Ewen Bremner) exchanging bodies with the baby of a middle-class couple (Martin Clunes and Jemma Redgrave).

All three sections are independent, but are linked by setting and the reappearance of incidental characters, in particular Maurice Roëves who appears variously as an inebriated wedding guest, a figure in a dream, and a pub patron. All three of his parts symbolise a human manifestation of God.

The film offended elements of the UK tabloid press with a depiction of a cynical, jaded, foul-mouthed God. In some English-speaking countries such as Canada and the United States it has been screened with subtitles because of the Scots vernacular and heavy Edinburgh accents.

Cast[]

"The Granton Star Cause"

Maurice Roëves – God
Stephen McCole – Boab
– Kev
– Evelyn
Simon Weir – Tambo
– Grant
Irvine Welsh – Parkie
Pat Stanton – Barman
– Boab Snr
– Doreen (as Ann Louise Ross)
– PC Cochrane
– Sgt. Morrison
– Workmate
– Workmate
– Workmate
– Rafferty
Callum Stewart - boy playing football

"A Soft Touch"

Maurice Roëves – Drunk
Kevin McKidd – Johnny
Michelle Gomez – Catriona
Tam Dean Burn – Alec
– Pool Player
– Alan
– Skanko
– Chantal, Baby
– Chantal, Toddler
Alison Peebles – Mother
– New Girl
– Wendy
– Pub Singer
– Deck
– Larry

"The Acid House"

Maurice Roëves – Priest
Ewen Bremner – Colin 'Coco' Bryce
Martin Clunes – Rory
Jemma Redgrave – Jenny
– Kirsty
– Emma
– Coco's Father
– Coco's Mother
– Skanko
– Felix the Paramedic
Ricky Callan – Tam the Driver
Barbara Rafferty – Dr. Callaghan
Stephen Docherty – Nurse Boyd
– Andy

References[]

External links[]

The Acid House at IMDb
The Acid House at Rotten Tomatoes