Society (1989) User Reviews (152)

What the...?

[Gafke · 7/10 · 9 March 2004]

This is one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen, somewhat akin to watching a Lovecraft tale as told by John Waters. I think I liked it. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I did...I guess.

Billy (Bill Warlock of soap opera fame) is nearly 18, and has spent his youth living a life of privilege with his wealthy family in Beverly Hills. However, he senses that something is wrong. He does not look like his mother, father or sister, and indeed, they treat him as though he were an outsider. Oh, they're always very pleasant and polite, but they're somewhat distant and rather cold, displaying no real emotions towards him or anyone else. Tragic news is met with blank expressions and vacant smiles. Billy's girlfriend is too busy obsessing about parties to care about Billy's mounting concerns, and his psychiatrist dismisses his worries with prescriptions. When Billy hears an audio tape recorded by his sisters' most recent dumpee, his worst fears are confirmed: something unnatural is happening, something incestuous and profane. But the dumpee disappears, the tape recording alters itself, and Billy finds himself being slowly and deliberately cornered by The Society.

For all that this film is a dark comment on the soullessness of the upper classes, it never really takes itself seriously. Indeed, if it had, this movie would have died a quick death and taken up residence in the discount PVT bin at Blockbuster Video, cursed as it is with all the hideousness of the 1980s, denim and synth music and helmets of bleached hair everywhere. But this movie is so odd and freaky with the most morbid sense of humor running all the way through it that it works, and works pretty good. The special effects look a bit dated, but they're so hilarious that you won't care. (insert "butthead" scene here.) The "shunting" scene is still difficult to watch for people like me who have a low tolerance for sadism and gore, but I've seen gorier and the concept was so innovative that I had to appreciate it.

If you ever wanted to see one of those sappy teen movies from the 80s, (preferably the ones that starred Michael J. Fox or Molly Ringwald) tortured, dismembered and publicly humiliated, then this might just be the film for you.

...Or do you want me to pee in it?

[Ali_John_Catterall · 8/10 · 20 September 2009]

Cinema in the 1980s was all about the meat. "Long live the new flesh," proclaimed James Woods in Videodrome, and when the flesh wasn't being splayed, flayed or contorted into new and nightmarish forms, Long Pig was firmly on the menu during that greedy, decadent decade.

The directorial debut of Brian Yuzna, collaborator of Stuart (Re-Animator) Gordon, cult favourite Society joins a polite entrée of cannibal-flavoured fare, such as Paul Bartel's Eating Raoul (1982) and Peter Richardson's Eat The Rich (1987); although the film's nearest dining companion is surely Bob Balaban's Parents, employing the same sense of creeping familial paranoia, and is also from 1989 - as is Peter Greenaway's The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. Begging the question: just what was in the water that year?

In an era of Reaganomics and Thatcherism, it wasn't too much of a stretch to imagine some shadowy cabal of Republicans or braying Hoorays chowing down on the poor huddled masses ("Mmm, Job Seeker with gravy, anyone?") and Society, where John Hughes meets Davids Cronenberg and Lynch for lunch at The Four Seasons, posits exactly that scenario. Here, the rich really are another species, a race of Mr Stretchys, inbred to hell, and parasitically feeding on the lower orders: "The rich have always sucked off low-class s*** like you!"

As it opens, 17-year-old Bill Whitney (Warlock) seems to have the perfect set-up: home is a Californian mansion, his girlfriend's a cheerleader and, being a C-grade jock type, he's a shoo-in for class president. Drawbacks: notwithstanding a curly mullet Lou Reed would blanch at, he's feeling increasingly alienated from his family, a preppy bunch of West Coast WASPS, and is convinced he's adopted. Mom and dad barely acknowledge him, and his sister bulges in all the wrong places. As he gloomily tells his therapist Dr Cleveland (Slack), "We're just one big happy family - except for a little incest and psychosis." The usual teenage angst? Or is he on to something?

First he glimpses his showering sister through the misty booth twisted completely back to front at the torso, all ass over tits. Then her ex, Blanchard (Bartell) plays him a covertly recorded tape, appearing to indicate that his folks are holding incestuous orgies. "First we dine, then we copulate..." When Blanchard dies in a road accident, Bill becomes convinced of a cover-up, though he is distracted by a mysterious new girlfriend Clarissa (DeVasquez), intent on updating the 'Karma Sutra' with her improbably acrobatic positions in the sack. Until he discovers exactly what Dr Cleveland meant when he told him, "You're going to make a wonderful contribution to society".

While initially and mischievously coming on like some soapy teen melodrama, peopled with 'Baywatch' babes and beach-bullies, Yuzna's impish allegory gradually reveals the maggots with each crunch of the apple (metaphorically, and in actuality); peeling back the epidermis to expose the wormy heart of Beverly Hills.

It seems clear that Yuzna studied Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man at some length. Each subversive moment is calculated to completely wrong-foot a 1980s multiplex crowd, suckled on saggy, silicon horrors. "Cream and sugar... or do you want me to pee in it?" Clarissa casually enquires while pouring Bill's coffee. No wonder it was the critics' darling in Europe (with its tradition of killing rich people) but shelved for three years in the States: the Brat Pack may have been cocaine-addled brothel-botherers, but at least they never fastened a napkin in place while drizzling you with truffle oil.

The 20-minute climax, in which a disbelieving Bill is presented to the nouveau riche as the latest addition to their flesh fondue (the 'Shunting'), remains one of the most startling, shocking, and frankly exhilarating endings in the genre, let alone one of the kinkiest uses of latex in any medium. 2005's Slither may have upped the latex stakes, but SFX genius Screaming Mad George's sobriquet is entirely justified, as a crowd of thoroughbreds, stripped to their underwear, and "bent out of shape by society's pliers" to quote Bob Dylan, rearrange their DNA - dad really is a butthead - and slither through one another's yawning cavities like wet, red slugs.

Had the Marquis De Sade taken too much Camembert before bedtime, he'd be hard-pressed to imagine anything quite so brilliantly disgusting. It may be a one-gag picture, but it executes that gag with wit, flair and delirious abandon. Marx and Engels would surely applaud. Unfortunately, so would David Icke.

You just gotta see it to believe it!

[lost-in-limbo · 8/10 · 7 January 2006]

Billy Whitney is a troubled kid who's seeing a shrink because of his fear of loved ones and those that are close, which he has a hard time fitting in with his wealthy family as he feels he doesn't belong with them. He's also a student at Beverly Hills Academy who's running for president and is dating the head cheerleader, so things aren't all bad. Although things suddenly change for the worse when Billy's Sister's ex-boyfriend convinces him there's something strange about his family. Now Billy gets pulled into a very frightening world that's filled with surreal images and where the paranoia is finally tearing him apart. But what's to come for Billy will be more shocking than what he can comprehend.

After watching a horror-mystery the day before I decided to put my teeth into another, Yuzna's 'Society'. You'll think that Society comes across as usual pure 80's trash in the very cheesy kind. And it does look like that and actually descends into that pattern. But firstly the way it started off you might think otherwise, as it does open proceedings rather eerily with an tight prologue and then a haunting tune through the opening credits, but soon it takes a real sharp turn from its beginning and heads into familiar 80's horror territory, with the usual corny dialogue, gratuitous nudity, camp performances and over-the-top humour. Although when it comes to the final 20 minutes or so, you totally are blown off your feet and possibly are in a state of bemusement. During this stage it turns disturbing and rather disgusting, while there's classical music streaming along. I know that I was left with a bewildered impression on my face and I would be surprised if you don't get the same feeling too. Meaning it's a good idea to make sure your not eating when coming up towards the film's perverted climax.

The odd but fun story does play out like a teen flick with nice amount of mystery and yep I say it, satire. This story has more to it and that shows in the hidden agendas and subtle dialog that all seems to come together perfectly. On a second viewing you would easily pick up on these hints within the script. You got your sick in-jokes, lame pun and plain wicked tone. Back onto the satire now, which this story is an allegory on the rich looking down on the less privilege and finally screwing over the poor. These amusing pot-attacks are scattered across the story, while also worked into the mystery side of the story with Billy trying to figure what's going on and what's this 'society' is. Some moments you see have you contemplating if what he sees is a figment of his imagination. The reason why you question this is because his seeing a shrink so is it just in his head or is this nightmare for real. This is presented in a very good manner and that's because of the man behind the camera.

Brian Yuzna who produced the great 'Re-animator (1985)' makes his directorial debut here and does an extraordinary job. No real atmosphere is generated, but he paces it with such elasticity that there's no labouring about and he ups the suspense with assured handling and control. The humour and horror balance is a bit uneven, at times it felt oddly out of place, but it doesn't destroy the fun mood. Camera placement is rather sharp and well executed, with a nice eye for shots and moods. Going with it all is a likable heroine played by Billy Warlock from 'Bay watch' fame. While, the rest of the acting is nothing out of the norm for a film like this. Everyone was effective in their parts and contributed to the enjoyment that followed. The production is incredibly slick and that's evident by the locations and Screaming Mad George's mind-blowing special effects. Those messed up effects that come out of the blue are what makes this film memorable in its inevitable outcome!

There's nothing really creepy about this real jokey 80's horror flick, but when it gets to the ending credits you'll be left with one real lasting impression… I assure you!

Anything for Society!

[Cujo108 · 3 August 2010]

Beverly Hills teen Bill Whitney (Baywatch's Billy Warlock) is good at sports and popular at his high school, but he feels alienated from his upper crust family. His parents are indifferent towards him while lavishing favor upon his sister. Sometimes he even feels like they're conspiring against him, but is he just paranoid?

This was Brian Yuzna's first film as director, and it's still his best. My love for this thing knows no boundaries. It's such a wonderfully unique mixture of social commentary, the 90210 lifestyle and incredibly warped horror. Oh, is the horror in Society ever warped! It's always fun showing this to first-timers and seeing their reactions to what unfolds on the screen. Horror aside, the film also works as both a joke on the rich and a scathing indictment regarding their tendency to leech off of the have-nots.

Even though it's pretty clear right from the start that things aren't what they seem, there's a great sense of paranoia present in Society. Is Bill's rich family plotting against him? Are they even human? You wouldn't expect a former Baywatch star to be an alienated sort, but in the context of the film, it works. The pitch black humor works too, though there are a few more juvenile attempts at comedy (the kids on the beach) that are admittedly lame. In a way, however, they do add to the film's bizarre tone. I used to see the weirdo mother character as another pointless attempt at low-brow humor, but the more I've thought about it, she's likely there to represent a mishap through the shunt. Former Playboy centerfold, Devin Devasquez, plays her quirky daughter, Clarissa Carlyn. She's very appealing in the role, and it's refreshing to see a rich beauty portrayed as something other than an evil vixen for a change.

The climactic scenes involving the big shunt are really something to behold. Words cannot do justice to the madness of this sequence. Spectacular, glorious madness! Nope, even those words don't do it justice. The very idea is quite perverse, and the special effects by Screaming Mad George are jaw-dropping. I'd be hard-pressed to come up with another horror film that comes close to rivaling Society's climax.

I also can't go without mentioning the sinister reworking of the "Eton Boating Song" which plays over the film's opening credits. It's pure gold, and since the Anchor Bay DVD's menu has it playing on a loop, I like to leave it on the menu for a bit after I've finished the film.

Society has a never-ending charm that's impossible for me to tire of. I'd probably rank it somewhere among my top ten personal favorite horror films if I were to make such a list. I remember trekking all over the metroplex just to find a copy back on the DVD's release date (the same day Near Dark hit DVD from what I remember). Good times!

Creepily Captivating

[reelreviewsandrecommendations · 7/10 · 21 October 2023]

Bill Whitney is a teenager who feels he doesn't fit in with his upper-class family. He thinks they might be hiding something evil, and though he attends therapy, it doesn't assuage his fears. One day Bill sees a strange vision of his sister transforming into a grotesque creature and- after her ex-boyfriend David gives him a cassette that seems to confirm his suspicions- he is determined to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. After David is murdered, Bill is thrust into a race against time, battling a force more powerful and monstrous than he could have ever imagined.

Directed by Brian Yuzna- who wrote 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'- and written by Zeph E. Daniel and Rick Fry, 'Society' is a fiendishly dark satire about the class system, containing make-up effects that rival those in John Carpenter's 'The Thing'. A bizarre, eerie journey into the hidden world of the rich and powerful, it draws inspiration from other cult classics, such as David Cronenberg's 'Videodrome' or David Lynch's 'Blue Velvet'. The narrative- though cliched in places- explores interesting themes, among them the corruption of the elite and the alienation of the outsider. Its thesis is that the rich- quite literally- feed off the poor, which is a common enough trope; though Yuzna makes good use of it.

The film has a comedic edge, and is full of fantastical body horror, as disturbing as it is inventive. The special effects and make-up from Joji Tani- known professionally as Screaming Mad George- are truly out of this world. In the latter half especially, Tani's bizarre and brilliant work is on full display, and could be seen as the real star of the show. His clever and creative effects make the film- which suffers from having a bloated first half, laden down with an unnecessary romantic sub-plot- unsettlingly unforgettable.

Matthew C. Jacobs's production design and Kelle DeForrest's art direction are similarly inspired, poking fun at the bourgeois, with their perfectly trimmed lawns and gaudy home furnishings. Additionally, Mark Ryder and Phil Davies's ironic soundtrack adds to the film's elements of parody, mocking the clichés and conventions of horror films. Furthermore, Rick Fichter's dynamic cinematography creates a contrast between the bright world of the upper class and the dark, gloomy one of the lower classes. He utilises shadows and lighting to great effect, juxtaposing the colourful with the dull, adding to the film's themes and overall message.

'Society' finds Billy Warlock starring as Bill Whitney, alongside Tim Bartell as David, Patrice Jennings as Bill's sister Jenny and Devin DeVasquez as his love interest, the mysterious Clarissa. Warlock possesses the same boyish charm that Michael J. Fox had, and delivers a witty, charismatic performance of no vanity. He endears himself to the audience immediately, and portrays Bill's confusion, fear, and anger with aplomb, as he delves deeper into a nightmare of paranoia and betrayal.

His supporting cast are a bit of a mixed bag, thanks in large part to Fry and Daniel's scant secondary characterisation. Bartell and Jennings do decent work, though it's not much to write home about. DeVasquez is a little wooden, and doesn't have much chemistry with Warlock, while Ben Meyerson's over-the-top performance as Bill's nemesis Ted Ferguson is simply irritating. The real stand out is David Wiley, in the all too small role of Judge Carter. Menacing and slimy, his work lingers in the mind long after the credits have rolled.

In closing, Brian Yuzna's 'Society' is a memorable movie, though it is far from perfect. The narrative is peppered with unnecessary sub-plots and cliches, while screenwriters Fry and Daniel's secondary characterisation leaves a lot to be desired. Conversely, its satire works well, and most of the humour lands. Moreover, the special effects from Screaming Mad George are captivatingly creepy and hard to forget, while star Billy Warlock's central performance is engaging and commendable. The production design is of a high quality, and, though 'Society' has its problems; it is definitely worth a watch for fans of the grotesque and macabre.

Brian Yuzna's View of the Fight of Classes

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 10 September 2006]

The teenager Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) feels misfit with his parents and his sister Jenny Whitney (Patrice Jennings). When his sister's boyfriend David Blanchard (Tim Bartell) bugs his family, he shows the disturbing tapes to Bill showing incest and a weird society. When Blanchard dies in a car accident, Bill decides to investigate his family and find a scary truth.

"Society" is a disturbing movie of Brian Yuzna, where the fight of classes is presented in a very original way. The surrealistic story could be much better, but it is an interesting political and economical view of Marx theories, with the upper dominant classes literally and explicitly "eating "the lower classes. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Sociedade dos Amigos do Diabo" ("The Society of the Friends of the Devil")

Note: On 18 July 2017 I saw this film again.

Truly strange

[hellholehorror · 7/10 · 18 September 2018]

This is a very surreal film about social paranoia that exists within society. It oddly rings home sometimes even though it is truly strange. This is not as good as Re-Animator (1985) but better than Repo Man (1984) which it is more likened to. I did really enjoy the twists and clever use of subtle paranoid images. Even the ending, that is full of insane and barely comprehensible actions, offers an almost grounded and solid ending to the surreal snapshots throughout the earlier parts of the film. Very enjoyable but odd film.

Unlike anything you've seen before

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 23 December 2016]

A well-paced and utterly bizarre horror film with plenty of black comedy and a finale which is unforgettable once seen, this is probably Brian Yuzna's most controversial movie and one of his best along with it. It's certainly unlike any other movie I've seen and therefore deserves points for originality. The film starts off like a typical conspiracy thriller as our young lead Billy Warlock starts to discover some unpleasant things about his family. So far, so good, you might think, but then things become a little weirder as bizarre sex acts are hinted at and Warlock witnesses people twisting their bodies into impossible positions. The suspense thickens and the plot becomes taut as people begin to die and Warlock finds himself mixed up in a far-reaching plot and then WHAM!, Yuzna hits you with an utterly disgusting - yet fascinating - finale which is unlike anything ever before witnessed on film.

Although this film is awash with mucus, slime, and perverted sexual situations, the heady helping of dark comedy stops it from being too overwhelming and keeps it entertaining and hilarious in parts. Special effects genius Screaming Mad George contributes probably his finest effects work to date with the "shunting party" at the film's close, which has some graphically nasty gore but mostly just plain yuckiness to recommend it, an extended sequence so surreal that I'm sure Salvadore Dali would be impressed if he was alive to see it. Billy Warlock rises above his BAYWATCH heritage and proves to be a likable male lead and the rest of the supporting cast put in commendably straight performances, up until the end that is when everything takes a bizarre comedic turn for the worse. Utterly watchable and quite unique, this stands true as a pinnacle of cinematic weirdness that hasn't really been matched since in terms of vision and imagination.

Incredibly bizarre, but that's why it's so good!

[Nightman85 · 8/10 · 7 March 2008]

The best film directed by Brian Yuzna (producer of Re-Animator) is this strange horror/sci-fi satire on the yuppie way of life.

Beverly Hills teen begins to suspect that there's something very wrong with his snobbish family, is he imagining it or are they... inhuman?!

Society is one original and shocking black comedy. There's never a dull moment in the engulfing plot, which starts out as a paranoia mystery then only gets increasingly weird from there on out. It all builds to a warped finale that you won't forget! It's one of those surreal and gruesome terrors that makes you wonder if you should be laughing or screaming at what you're seeing. The makeup work of Screaming Mad George (great name) is very effectively disturbing. The direction of Yuzna is well-done and the addition of the Eton Boat Song as the films theme is a clever touch.

The cast is spot on in their performances, the best being young star Billy Warlock as our perplexed and horrified hero.

Society is one of those unique genre oddities that must be seen to be fully realized. It's one very wild trip that's well deserving of a cult status.

*** out of ****

Gruesome analogy

[nmthomas-20486 · 7/10 · 22 October 2021]

The film in many ways is excellent with interesting underlying themes. For example the reference to biblical scenes and figures, the shot of the church, the family and psychiatrist sat in throne-like chairs, the themes of death and resurrection were all sewn into the narrative. The earring shot was also unnerving and an example of great fore shadowing.

The film twists between sci-fi and tense thriller. I really could have done without the toilet humour but that's just personal taste. I really felt like it pulled me out of that on edge feeling I at times felt.

I at times also felt Billy's paranoia and thought the way he was gas-lit was very well conceived and reminded me of the shady, authoritative figures working in psychiatry, and in general the figures of narcissistic, patriarchal capitalism.

I loved some of the throw back fashion- depicting shallowness and consumption of high society. I loved the high school fashion. They went for a snappy, polished feel paired with the over-the-top clothes adorned by the family and their counter parts. The only clothes worn I didn't get were Billy's - why was he wearing a suit three times too big for half the movie? Like where was he going? I thought at first he was going to a job interview.

I felt the film meanders in places and there are some gripes I have with unresolved plot, namely Billy's girlfriend Shauna, and her role being unfinished. What part she have to play beyond the scorned girlfriend? Her story was more central in the first half then kind of fizzled out whout any further exploration. Another example is Clarissa's mother- what were they trying to convey with her character? I feel there was a few edits to this movie that made it more clumsy and some scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.

Overall the film offers an amazing climax, the scene switches to a red lighting before the feast of flesh begins. It truly is a brilliant psyhco-sexual commentary and a peice of controversial art.

The final flaw I found was the fight in the end between Billy and Ted was quite childish, weakening the final scene as it seemed like some chauvinistic critique but done in a cheap manner.

Saying this, the film has flaws and therefore is brought down to a 7 as it needed to have a more defined point of view and wrap up it's plot points more cleverly. It should have been a 9.

Ugh

[Rendanlovell · 5/10 · 3 April 2020]

This just did not work for me. It's like watching a somehow more obvious They Live, a more blatant The Thing, and less entertaining From Beyond. It's a mixed bag of not only other better movies but of tone. I don't much like when a movie gets gross but then adds in comical sound effects or one liners that don't fit the rest of the film. The film obviously knows how silly the ending gets but the build up to it isn't at all. Other then some corny dialogue and one liners, most of the film is treated pretty seriously. Which is why the goofy ending comes off wrong to me. It's unpleasant in all the ways you wouldn't want this to be. That is the most disappointing aspect. It goes pretty far but it also doesn't feel confident that it can pull off how far it goes. I also don't love this story. Somehow it feels both rushed and meandering. For the first hour it's just scene after scene of something weird happening and then that being covered up. That coupled with it rushing through these moments and you have a very boring/frustrating experience. There's so many scenes of the main character confronting people and then going somewhere else and doing it again. You never feel like he is learning or uncovering anything. Things just sort of happen until they do or don't anymore. There's also a fair amount of purposeless characters. His girlfriend who literally does nothing, or his friend who is just around when things happen so he can see things happen. Needless to say, it's weird, and not just in how crazy the ending is. The whole film has a vibe of cheapness and amateurish qualities. Which is why it's weird. Most of the makeup and prosthetics don't hold up at all, the editing is jarring/distracting, most of the performances are unconvincing until the ending, and the tone is just a jumbled mess. I didn't hate the movie but it takes a lot of things that I like and twists them a bit too far.

The ending is a lot

[kevin_robbins · 9/10 · 27 October 2022]

Society (1989) is a movie that I recently watched on Shudder. The storyline follows a young man who notices his family and siblings are odd, more odd than usual. He also feels his girlfriend is acting peculiar and is obsessed with attending a socially elite party. As events of the upcoming weekend unfold the young man investigates the party where he finds his parents, his girlfriend and so many others he grew up with have a strange secret that may mean the end of his existence.

This movie is directed by Brian Yuzna (Beyond Reanimator) and stars Billy Warlock (Halloween II), Evan Richards (Twilight Zone: The Movie), Patrice Jennings (Growing Pains), Brian Bremer (Pumpkinhead) and Heidi Kozak Haddad (Slumber Party Massacre).

There's a lot to like about this movie...and most of it is at the very end. The apple opening was a bit gross. The acting and writing is average to above average until the final sequence. Then the special effects, concept and circumstances come full circle and it's a mix of shocking, tremendous gore and unreal circumstances you could never imagine. There's some classic 80s nudity and the "There's no business like show business" line always cracks me up. I may have said this already...but the ending is a lot. 😂

Overall, this is an underrated classic within the horror genre that is an absolutely must see. I would score this an 8.5-9/10 and strongly recommend it.

What the heck did I just watch

[willandcharlenebrown · 7/10 · 27 May 2021]

This was so bizarro!!!! Up there with Reanimator! Wow. Ok.............. give it a whirl if you like weird horror movies. This is a top 10 on the weirdo list haha the ending is so bizarre really!!!!

Look, I enjoy B films as much as the next guy

[acedj · 2/10 · 3 February 2020]

This was a disjointed mess, filled with acting that was terrible. I am not talking terrible as in The Room, where they know they are terrible. I think this group of thespians actually felt they were great actors. I get that this was a giant metaphor about how the rich eat the poor, but it was just terrible. And like all terrible things, say like a train wreck, no matter how badly I wanted to stop watching I just had to see this through to the bitter end.... Do yourself a favor, skip this.

Classic 80's horror!!!

[Katatonia · 12 October 2002]

I remember first seeing this film about the time it was released in the late 80's, and it immediately struck me as intensely disturbing. That's a good thing for a horror film because not too many really disturb me. It has become one of my favorite horror films, and the reason for this is that it has such an original story, memorable characters, and it doesn't care who it grosses out! From the few people who hated this movie, they're obviously weak-stomached or perhaps even members of "Society"???

If you can't stand bizarre horror movies in the vein of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Deranged, Hellraiser 1 and 2, Motel Hell, etc... then you probably will not enjoy this film...especially the last half hour. This is not for every audience and clearly doesn't pretend to be.

I've owned the video for years and recently also bought the Unrated DVD, i must say it is great finally having a very clear picture and sound...in it's uncut form! They just don't make many shockingly good horror flicks like this anymore...

A remarkable horror debut...to say the LEAST!

[Coventry · 6/10 · 21 January 2004]

Society is a bizarre horror experience, that's for sure. It works on several levels, actually. Nowhere near perfect, but certainly a great effort and an overall amusing film. The whole thing starts out as a typical teenager movie. Almost like a TV soap opera with the handsome and rebellious Billy (Billy Warlock) as the boy who's estranged from his parents and neighborhood. But Society soon changes into a mysterious thriller (in which Billy-boy tries to discover the handling and rituals of Society) before ending in a completely gore and splatter mess. The last half hour of this film goes beyond your wildest horror imaginations…while it's making no sense at all, this fairly disgusting sequence is a pure joy to observe. Society is in fact an absurd spoof that mocks the High Society of Beverly Hills tremendously. The characters are very stereotypical and the jokes are very cliché…but it works. The screenplay contains a lot of very insane and wacky dialogues and quote material. `Who do you like your tea, Billy? Cream and sugar…or do you want me to pee in it' or even stuff like `Now now honey, you know the rules…first we dine, THAN we copulate'. I'm sure Yuzna and the scriptwriters had a lot of fun. As did special effects supervisor Screaming Mad George! Society is the first film that credits Brian Yuzna as a director, but by that time, he already had his name made in the field. He was the producer of some other, terrific horror comedies like Re-Animator and From Beyond. He obviously feels at his best in this sub genre as he continued to direct and produce several more sinister spoofs with gruesome gore like the two sequels to Re-Animator and The Dentist (which is also a parody on life in the upper class, by the way). Society is certainly worth a look if your sense of humor is a bit twisted and your stomach isn't too weak.

A Very Memorable Finale

[brianparker-55923 · 6/10 · 15 May 2022]

A creative and unique take on the class wars that has some pacing issues until the bravura finale where Screaming Mad George pulls out all the stops with some unforgettable and gross special effects.

I lived this much more the first time

[christopher-underwood · 6/10 · 18 December 2021]

I loved this much more the first time and I suppose the new Blu-ray is fine but I find the teenagers and their parents a little silly. I find that because I could never remember the amazing impossible positions orgy like sequence, the rather long school days seen so long and just no where it is going to. Because before I seen the action was paced and utterly bizarre horror not I new what was happening. Unfortunately it is not taking it away and the soap opera TV stuff is just so silly and so we can't not get as really we got onto the Society and the real social questions. Still, it is fun enough with just a little of the real worry of the rich and poor.

Original and Creative

[bettybenzone · 7/10 · 14 December 2021]

Society might not have the most interesting characters or best script, but the ideas and concepts are daring, innovative, and unlike anything that's come before it or since. In the film, a rich teenager starts to think he has little in common with his status-obsessed family and friends and he's right, because they might be cannibalistic monsters. The special effects are out of this world and the last act is a triumph of ingenuity and darkly comic gross out gags.

Rich people are weird

[dworldeater · 8/10 · 6 June 2023]

I recently saw Brian Yuzna's Society and I thought it was a very good albeit unusual film.. It is a social satire dressed up with some great f/x courtesy of Screaming Mad George. This shows the affluent Beverly Hills yuppies into some truly bizarre stuff. Incest, cannibalism, shape shifting snail orgies. Society is one film that flies it's freak flag high. Still, the film is hilarious and very 80's. There is some commentary on The Reagan Era done in a subtle and tongue and cheek manner. Not quite They Live, but more outrageous then the Re Animator series that Brian Yuzna was known to be involved with. Society is a new level of outrageous that must be seen to be believed. An instant cult classic.

Eye Opening

[matildawoodworm · 7/10 · 29 April 2022]

The concept here might be stronger than the execution, but Society does overcome several of its flaws with the wild effects-heavy final act featuring several things I hope you've never seen before.

Yuck! What the hell!

[paulclaassen · 1/10 · 11 June 2020]

'Society' is one of those films I wish I'd rather not have seen. Nothing about this film made any sense.

The script is weird for the sake of being weird. The acting wasn't good at all and the premise had me raising an eyebrow or two. I firmly believe the film was a result of director Brian Yuzna's fantasy, or the fantasy of writers Ricky Fry and Woody Keith.

The film could also have been a vessel for Brian Yuzna to display the cringe worthy visual effects, and I mean cringe worthy in a good way - the fact that the visuals are really creepy and good.

Apart from the visuals, nothing about this horrid film interested me in the least. They provide no explanation whatsoever for what happens, confirming my suspicions of the film being a visualization of a fantasy. There really is no point to this film. The best part of the film, was when the end credits rolled...Ugh!

Would I watch it again? NO!

Whoa. Just Whoa.

[Pozdnyshev · 10/10 · 10 August 2015]

They made some movies with serious balls in the eighties, man. And this is one of them.

The movie's basically a vicious, over-the-top satire of what I think many people are afraid is secretly going on with those at the top tiers of society: a covert culture of unimaginable depravity, perversity, exploitation, and soul-annihilating sociopathy. Kind of like Eyes Wide Shut. And that this Hell on earth going on behind the facade of these majestic mansions is, in some mysterious alchemical way, what keeps them on top.

The plot is driven by this popular kid from an expensive Beverly Hills neighborhood who is obsessed with his fear that everyone in his life is not what they seem. And based on what we see, this actually looks like it's true: his family is wooden and distant, and all his "friends" appear to regard him with veiled contempt -- except the two whom his parents openly dislike, of course.

After a series of events which gradually make his world seem more suspicious, it turns out that he was adopted into this family for the sole purpose of being a human sacrifice at one of their parties.

After witnessing one of his friends basically getting turned into a tapestry of mangled flesh, and witnessing bizarre body mutations, he escapes with the help of his other friend -- which seems a bit unlikely, given how cunning and powerful that "Society" was portrayed as being. But I guess they needed to tack on a happy ending.

But damn, though -- the movie symbolically taps into a LOT of effed-up things that one's innermost heart fears is going on in secret.

Like his high school debate for class president. What appeared at first to be the unpopular nerd vs. the popular athlete was really a fixed game where both sides were completely controlled by the same force... Like how I feel about every presidential election.

Or the fact that in the end, which one of his friends gets "sacrificed?" The relatively fat and unattractive one. It makes you think. Why do I just accept that as a movie cliché? Are we, on some level, just like the awful Society that frivolously ruins and desecrates whom they regard as "inferior"? Would we enjoy doing the same if we were born into such a high caste?

Is this Society, at the end of the day, just the natural order of things? very disquieting.

Another symbol that I think most only see the surface of are the surreal body mutations. In the end, the part where the protagonist witnesses his poor friend (who happens to be Jewish... not sure what that means) gets turned into a huge elastic abomination while getting fisted and eaten. It's not just weird, man, it MEANS something. It could be:

-hallucinations brought on by the trauma of seeing your friend get murdered

-and this is the scariest thing: it's simply the closest visual metaphor we can get for the unimaginably, appallingly sadistic thing they do to people as part of their ritual. I think it's something like eating their soul, not just raping someone but forcing your way into their deepest being and chewing it up like a damned wad of bubblegum before discarding it, leaving the person an utterly devastated wreck.

That's some ballsy sh*t, man. And SCARY. There's like, more going on in the heavens and the earth than we know. Some genius said that once. I appreciate this movie for being the few that makes me feel that way.

DO NOT Read Anything About This Film Before Watching

[dropkickwill · 6/10 · 23 July 2022]

I know that sounds weird to say when you're writing a review. But just trust me the less you know about what happens in this movie the better.

So go watch it. And Good luck and godspeed.

Possibly Yuzna's only half decent film

[shes_dead · 5/10 · 11 February 2002]

I'm not really keen at all on Yuzna films. They tend to lack in, well, everything. Plot, character development, style, script.

Society, on the other hand, is almost a decent film. It's very cheesy and very 80's. The directing is lacklustre and the script is poor. But, the over all idea is quite good and fun at times, and the gore is decent.

A decent remake of this film, with more humour, better actors and a better script would make for a much better film. At the moment it's very slow paced for what is essentially a teen horror film. it's certainly not on a par with 80's horror classics like The Lost Boys, or Amercian Werewolf in London, say.

Society revolves around a teen (Billy Warlock) who begins to realise he doesn't fit in - quite literally. His adoptive family and most of the town take part is weird 'orgies' where all their bodies morph in to all kinds or weird shapes. They also morph into each other.

The final 15 minutes or so does kind of make up for some of the more boring parts in Society - focusing entirely on one of these orgies as Warlock tries to save himself and his friends from being 'assimilated'. The end death, where Warlock literally pulls one of the characters inside out is an awesome moment and one of the great celluloid death scenes. Whether or not it justifies the rest of the film is debatable!