Society (1992)

Excellent but underrated film

Admirable film.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I remember seeing the trailer for this when I was about 9 and being freaked out. Nothing is shown, only implied, but a shot of Billy Warlock biting into an apple that is filled with worms stayed with me.Originally hacked to shreds by the BBFC on it's cinema release in the UK (a shame as it performed much better here than in the US) you'll quickly wonder what all of the fuss is about. I know I'm somewhat desensitized in my adulthood (though cheap latex flesh wounds on Casuality still make me shudder and squirm) but you'll struggle to find anything in Society to justify the 18-rating. With barely a drop of blood to be had the film coasts as far as it can on themes and subtext. It doesn't get too far, maybe to the end of the street.17-year-old Bill Whitney (played by 27-year-old Warlock) is a regular teenager in Beverly Hills who wants nothing more than a happy adolescence with his friends and to succeed at school. But his parents are weird, his sister is provoking unusual feelings from him, they appear to exclude him from their circle of privilege, and he begins to suspect that his well-to-do life is only surface deep and that something much, much sinister is lurking beneath the facade. His shrink suggests that he is merely feeling alienated and needlessly paranoid but when a nervous outcast reveals a secret recording he quickly realizes that it's not all in his head.Nothing here really works. Brian Yuzna has great ideas but no clue of how to effectually execute them. The mystery is underdeveloped since there isn't much in the way of puzzle-solving or clue- hunting. The gore is almost non-existent, much to my immense dismay. I do realize that horror can be at its most effective when it is merely being suggestive or offensive but the big reveal at the end is so pedestrian and blunt that they might as well have just announced it right at the beginning of the movie (which kinda does happen thanks to the stupidly spoiler-iffic opening credits). Even during the "shocking" climax Yuzna shoots with that stupid pink lighting that Stuart Gordon used in abundance in From Beyond, which just makes the scene look dumb. Worst of all is the score, which honestly fits an episode of Chucklevision more than it does a hardcore 80s horror film with a reputation to uphold.Crucify me if you want, but I say that Society really could do with a remake. If Cronenberg or Fincher were to redo this movie, contextually more timely and dynamic in our polarizing, and failing, society of 2017, then I have no doubt that the rotten core of Society can have more relevance now than it did in 1989. The ideas are intriguing, but Yuzna's amateurish direction and lack of focus spoil it.

Society (1989) ** (out of 4)Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) is a popular high school teenager who has two great parents, a wonderful sister and an all around great life. That's until one day he gets a warning from a friend who believes that there's something off about the society they're living in.SOCIETY comes from Brian Yuzna who was sitting in the director's chair for the first time after producing RE-ANIMATOR. This is a film that has a rather large cult following but I must admit that it didn't do much for me. It's weird but SOCIETY was one of those movies that I respected a lot more than I actually enjoyed it. I say this because the movie was certainly well-made and for the most part it was a lot different than what you were normally seeing out of horror movies in 1989.You can say that this was influenced by INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS as we've got a lead character who basically begins to realize that the normal life he's in isn't so normal anymore and the people around him aren't like him. The film has a very strange atmosphere and I give the director a lot of credit for building this up and really deliver a different type of movie. The first eight-minutes or so features very little gore but that all changes towards the end when we get some really bizarre and great looking effects.The orgy sequence is certainly the highlight of the picture and this includes several now notorious creations including the man down on all fours with a face coming out of his behind. Fans of Fangoria will probably remember this still as once you see it you're certainly not going to forget it. The performances are good for what they are and on a technical level the film is quite good.With that said, I just didn't find the movie entertaining enough to hold my attention throughout the running time. The social satire just didn't work for me and in the end I just didn't care too much for it.

Brian Yuzna's film debut has Billy Warlock as Bill Whitney, the youngest son of a wealthy Beverly Hills family who has felt a sense of displacement his entire life. His parents pay him little attention, doting on his débutante sister and lounging in their sprawling California mansion. After a classmate brings to Bill's attention the macabre nature of his family dynamics, it becomes clear that the high society whose fringes he lives on is much more disturbing than anyone could imagine."Society" is an oft-discussed film in the horror genre that has been opened to a contemporary audience with its recent release on Blu-ray (a scant DVD was released over a decade ago). While it can't be said for many older films that are revived in contemporary technology, I do think "Society" is a standout for fans of bizarre cinema and is worthy of modern audiences' attention, if for no other reason than its biting social commentary.Narratively, the film is a candid and no-nonsense satire on the underworld of high society, and these themes are played with in funny, creepy, and grotesque ways throughout. The film begins in the haze of late eighties L.A. and is peppered with brief, bizarre sequences, before propelling into the territory of paranoid thrillers and outright monster flicks, ending in one of the most infamous and repulsive "sex" scenes ever filmed. Jaw-dropping special effects come into full bloom in the finale, which are simultaneously silly and utterly gag-worthy. A solid performance from the dashing Billy Warlock (donning some "Full House"-era John Stamos hair) helps hold the film together, and the support from Devin DeVasquez as the sympathetic rich girl and Evan Richards as the wingman is great.Overall, "Society" is everything it claims to be, and Yuzna draws on extremes to illustrate the sickly indulgence of high society as (literally) an amalgamative blob of vice, incest, and hedonism. It's funny, it's grotesque, and, more importantly, it's one of the most inventive and memorable horror flicks of the late eighties. 9/10.

Bill's family seems to be a tad off. He feels excommunicated from his family, and doesn't feel like he belongs. He sees a shrink who tells him that what he's going through is perfectly natural, and it's all in his head. With the help of a friend named Milo. Bill uncovers some heinous secrets about his family. I had one thought pop into my head when this movie ended. "What the F did I just watch?!" Subsequently, another commenced right after that one. "What a damn good horror film" Any movie that is ubiquitously in my head throughout the duration of the movie's running time is doing the job very efficiently. This movie is filled with things that you didn't even think was possible. I'm talking things that even the most psychotic people couldn't even conjure up. Think of a very bad nightmare, only MUCH worse. You know what the frightening thing is? The culprit isn't behind metal bars in a prison, or in any type of institution. Brian Yuzna is the culprit, and he's somewhat of a famous director (!) Yuzna does a wonderful job with top notch character development. He makes sure to slow burn you with a build-up that makes sure to take it's time. We aren't sure at first if our hero Bill really is going mad, or if his family is off their rocker like he insists. It's a very smart mystery that lasts until the inconceivable finale. The acting is actually very solid, considering the relatively unknown nature of the cast. Billy Warlock is solid for the most part. He has a couple off moments, but he improves constantly as the film goes along, especially in the second half. He goes from a paranoiac to someone on the brink of insanity in the second half. He conveyed his emotions pretty well. He was quite sympathetic. Evan Richards is decent as Bill's best friend. Devin DeVasquez is hotter than donut grease. I don't care if she was one of "them" I wouldn't hesitate to do it with her. She was actually pretty likable as well, and does some unexpectedly helpful things near the end that actually had me rooting for her. Patrice Jennings is definitely hot as Warlock's sister, and creepy at the same time. David Wiley may give you nightmares with his sickening performance as the Judge. I thought Michael Myers was scary, this guy takes the cake! You may want to keep your lights on when you sleep after this movie is over, because of him. This may just be the nastiest movie I've ever seen. Oddly enough, it's not all that bloody, but some of the stuff is far grosser than any type of blood. The finale almost made me lose my lunch (No exaggeration) we get heads coming out of asses, and a dude becomes a giant hand. We get sick scenes of incest, and flesh is tangled together in the most grotesque ways imaginable with old perverts, and young people alike. I can't reveal any more, but let me just say it's a long ride filled with unspeakable sexual acts. Even the strongest of stomachs will be perplexed at all the twisted atrocities committed. Trust me. You have to see it to believe it. It's not the goriest, but it might just be the sickest. I've seen TONS of horror movies. It's tied for my favorite genre, along with action movies. I've watched Nekromantik 1 & 2, Dead Alive, among others, but they don't compare to the messed up acts in this one. I have no idea what Brian Yuzna was going for in this movie. I just know that it was a very provocative and highly original horror film that engrossed me until the very end. You will find it difficult to stop thinking about it. If I ever run into Brian Yuzna on the street, I'll be getting the hell out of dodge! You have my respects Yuzna, just stay far away from me with whatever drugs you did during this movie. Maybe you really are that twisted, who knows. 8.6/10