The Acid House

Adapted by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) from several of his dark-humored short stories, this over-the-top trio of surrealistic short films flirts with repugnance without the saving virtues of the author's earlier (and better) novel-cum-film. In the opening episode, a besotted soccer player at once loses his job, girlfriend, and home before being transformed (à la Kafka) into a fly who wreaks his revenge. In the second tale a shrew gets her obnoxious neighbor to make life miserable for her nice-guy husband. Perhaps most representative, however, is the finale, in which a hapless bloke finds himself in the body of a newborn when an acid trip goes awry. Unfortunately, the whole film plays like a series of acid trips gone awry. Not recommended. (T. Rich)