Society [1989]

November 3, 2009

The Eighties brought us a lot of great horror comedies and Society is one of the best. And while They Live is definitely number one, at least for me, this one is in the top ten for sure. The story is original and full of mystery with the great reveal coming in the final third of the movie. And while characters may be a bit stereotypical they are well developed. Additionally, there’s a real benefit to this “average guy” thing as most of the viewers can identify or at least get where he’s coming from.

Now, the poster for Society is a head sticking out of an ass, so you can bet that there will be some graphic content here. You can expect the usual stuff when it comes to this genre with great practical special effects that stood the test of time. They are slimy and gritty with a realistic vibe to them. If you’ve seen, and I’m sure you have, The Thing or Alien, you’ll know what I’m talking about. The acting was good, especially from our protagonist, young Billy Warlock.

Society is definitely one of the movies you’re going to remember. Mostly because of its graphic content and black humor but we cannot forget one important element. And that element comes in during the big reveal so I cannot talk much about it. However, you will know as soon as it appears. It’s intelligent, hard-hitting, and above all truthful. You might even go so far as to say that all the rest of the stuff is just fluff to the “real message” of this movie.

We find young Bill Whitney clutching a large kitchen knife in the middle of the night. He just had an overwhelming sense that something is terribly wrong and woke up frightened. Only when his mother turned on the lights did he come to his sense. However, Bill will continue to discover little clues that there might be a conspiracy that no one is aware of but him.

As you can notice, Society is drawing some inspiration from Carpenter’s classic They Live and building on it. The story is actually quite good and full of mystery. Add to this tight directing and pacing and you’ve got yourself quite a movie. A movie perfect for pestering your friends with. There’s even lots of black humor in it!

And I have to admit I was hoping Devin DeVasquez as Clarissa is going to visit me in my dreams. I completely fell in love with her and she’s one of the reasons why I keep coming back to this movie. The first time she showed up on screen I thought that she couldn’t get any hotter and more seductive. However, with each new scene, outfit, and hairstyle, she was proving me wrong. And it’s not just the looks that got me, it’s the whole package. The attitude, little smirks and winks, the way she walks, and even her character here was eventually quite likable.

If you’re a fan of the eighties movies, you’re going to love Society. It presents a vanilla eighties experience complete with clothes, cars, hairstyles, and everything else. It was one hell of a debut for young Brian Yuzna. He would go on to work on such classics as From Beyond and Bride of Re-Animator. While we’re dropping names, I have to mention Brain Damage, Frankenhooker, and Braindead, a couple of great choices after this one. And let’s not forget Jordan Peele’s Get Out.