society

Produced just before the gooey practical effects boom went bust, Society (1989) is a bit of an anomaly amongst the ‘80s horror genre. Sure, there were others that had the same “anything goes” explosion of latex monstrosities (TerrorVision) and even a few that bothered to criticize Reagan-era economics (They Live). But Society is more of a throwback to the enjoyably paranoid plots of the Twilight Zone, preferring to keep things on a low boil of social class conspiracies…until the lid pops off in the final 15-minutes, resulting in a hot mess of bizarre creations dreamt up by Japanese effects artist Screaming Mad George which has kept the film’s cult reputation simmering for over 25 years.

Bill (Billy Warlock) feels like an outsider, even though he’s from an elite family and one of the most popular students at Beverly Hill High. His weekly therapy sessions don’t seem to be helping and some strange occurrences keep piling up. When a friend finally confronts him with audio evidence of his family’s bizarrely incestuous behavior, Bill goes further down a rabbit hole of delusions, paranoia and nightmares. Is he losing his mind…or are the 1% really twisted monsters that feed off flesh of the working class?

Producer Brian Yuzna had a string of genre successes (Re-Animator, From Beyond, Dolls) leading up to this, his directorial debut, which came about from production necessities rather than any real desire to jump behind the camera. And much of Society has a flat, by-the-numbers approach that is telling of a first time director (although to be honest, Yuzna never got much better).

Yet Society has aged well; not just in terms of its on-the-nose social criticism, which is more relevant than ever, but in the curiously eccentric appeal that couldn’t have been created in any other decade. While the script follows a pretty typical roadmap of high-school life (bullies, cheerleaders and best buds), Yuzna allows for plenty of disturbing detours and creative cul-de-sacs that somehow make the movie more interesting than less. By the time the movie comes to its orgiastic, face-melting conclusion, all that excess feels like a cork-popping celebration of everything that made ‘80s horror so unpredictably enjoyable.

Arrow Video USA’s is a massive upgrade over the old Anchor Bay DVD. Besides the new hi-def transfer, the set includes several new extras, including interviews with Yuzna and several cast members, a closer look at the effects, Q & A from a revival screening, a Screaming Mad George music video and an audio commentary with Yuzna moderated by David Gregory. This is a well-edited, concise collection of bonus material that cuts out all the fat. Very nicely done!