---
title: "The Acid House: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-acid-house/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-acid-house"
critics_score: 39
critics_reviews: 9
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Acid House (1998): what the critics said

Critics' score 39 from 9 reviews: 0 positive, 3 mixed, 6 negative.

## Time Out — TJ

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The available description gives no clear overall verdict. It identifies the film's triptych structure and its setting in Edinburgh.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-acid-house)

## The AV Club — Tasha Robinson

Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 2002. 

Robinson finds the film uneven and occasionally annoying, but ultimately a vibrant, noisy shadow of Trainspotting. She praises Irvine Welsh’s bizarre creativity and inventive sadism, which give the stories style despite their lack of direction.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-acid-house-1798197295)

## Variety — Brendan Kelly

Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 1998. 

Kelly finds the film striking but a grim, uneven slog likely to appeal mainly to Irvine Welsh devotees. He praises Paul McGuigan’s direction for capturing Welsh’s tough tone and razor-sharp wit.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/the-acid-house-1117477497/)

## Radio Times — Jason Caro

Rating 2/5. 

Caro finds the anthology too wild, weird and unpleasant to appeal beyond hardcore Irvine Welsh fans. He praises the cast but criticizes the stories for seeming designed to shock and offend.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ftatkb/the-acid-house/)

## Total Film — Total Film

Rating 2/5. 1 January 1999. 

The review finds the trilogy uneven, with a strong opening story followed by two disappointing segments. It praises the first tale’s imagination and offbeat energy, while faulting the rest for being poorly realized and tedious.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-acid-house-review/)

## Empire — Jake Hamilton

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The critic finds the film a poor adaptation that drags and belongs on television rather than in cinemas. They acknowledge the stories are good, but say they lack substance and fail as a feature film.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/acid-house-review/)

## The New York Times — Stephen Holden

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 6 August 1999. 

The review appears to take a negative view of the film’s grim, episodic portrait of Edinburgh life. The inaccessible article text prevents confirming what the critic singled out for praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/06/movies/film-review-short-stories-nasty-and-brutish-of-life-in-edinburgh.html)

## The Guardian — Guardian staff reporter

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1999. 

The critic finds the film grim and loveless, lacking the empathy and purpose of Trainspotting. They praise Kevin McKidd’s performance and single out the closing shot of A Soft Touch for its stark visual force.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/books/1999/jan/01/irvinewelsh)

## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. 

The critic finds the film largely unwatchable, with only The Granton Star Cause working. They praise its surreal black humour, witty camera style and Maurice Roeves’s performance as God.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-acid-house-trilogy-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-acid-house.md