A wonderful little horror flick and directorial debut from Brian Yuzna (who had produced Re-Animator and From Beyond by this point). It really is the subject matter and its delivery that make this film so great.Bill Whitney (basketball star and great debater) played by Billy Warlock is seeing a shrink, because he has these thoughts and visions about his family and believes something's amiss. We the viewer are with Bill on his journey unlocking the mysteries of this secret society. Right to the end involving some wonderful old school effects from Screaming Mad George (love that name!) which are pretty cool.Looking on imdb I see screenwriters Rick Fry and Woody Keith also co-wrote Yuzna's Bride of the Re-Animator as well.Highly recommended and if you do check it out hopefully you will not be displeased by this 1989 horror flick.

The glory of "Society" is that for all its perversity, the movie functions very much in the realm of quirky eighties psychological thriller, and for the bulk of its running time, there's hardly a drop of blood or a gobbet of gore. Certainly Bill Whitney has a strained and awkward relationship with his glossy, preening, patrician parents, but at his age who doesn't? In the meantime, "Society" is a stylish, severely debauched, possibly mentally insane little romp that entertains in spades. Chiefly due to Yuzna's skill with the camera, sense of pacing, spooky use of lighting and color, and lavish set-pieces (the mansion, the car wreck), "Society" entertains on its own terms as a stylishly creepy horror film. Cinematographer Rick Fichter wields one mean camera! Fichter captures the high society ghoulishness with high style, using colored lighting in a fashion reminiscent of Dario Argento. The acting is competent, the casting inspired: all the principals (Warlock, Patrice Jennings as Sis, the parents) work like troopers, while Ben Slack as the silver-tongued society shrink and David Wiley as the cigar-chomping Judge Carter (who has a talent for getting to the 'bottom' of any problem, quite literally) steal every scene they're in.This is the single piece that is the most disappointing. While the artwork isn't bad, the story is and the characters don't really match up with their personalities in the film. Even though development in the film is very shallow, it would have been nice if that carried over to the book. It also diminishes the end of the film, and probably since it's a comic book would have been better suited if it was set right after the events of the movie not at least 15 years after.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

I had never seen this cult classic until recently and, I have to say, I'm glad I saw it now because I don't know if I would have appreciated it when it came out.The film is incredibly dumb but that's part of why it is fun to watch. From a story, acting, character and editing standpoint, the film is painful to sit through because the story is really sloppy, the acting is really cheesy, the characters are terribly crafted and the editing is choppy but the film contains one of the best final acts I've ever seen in a body horror film. The final moments of the film are equal parts insane, scary and hilarious. The thing that makes this insanity that much more amusing and entertaining is the fact that the make-up effects that are within the final act are crazy good and very impressive. Sure, the film handles their metaphors and themes during this section of the film with all the grace of a 300 lbs. ballerina with vertigo but it doesn't stop this part from being the delicious icing on an otherwise forgettable cake. This film is overwhelming dumb but mightily entertaining for numerous reasons!

After a successful run of producing movies for Stuart Gordon ("Re-Animator", "Dolls", "From Beyond"), Brian Yuzna debuted as director with this commendably original, off the wall project. It manages to be an urban paranoia thriller, a black comedy, and a social satire all at once, while eventually turning into a mind blowing outré horror flick - one with a climax you're not likely to forget.TV mainstay Billy Warlock stars as affable Bill Whitney, who's a jock and popular guy in high school but who lives with a large amount of doubt and uneasiness in his life. He's always suspected himself of being very different from his upper crust Beverly Hills family, and he's right. He just didn't know *how* different. They and the other members of high "society" have something special planned for him, but we don't know just what this is going to involve until the final, incredible half hour.It really shouldn't be spoiled for the prospective viewer, but it involves a lot of slime, and wonderful eye popping "surrealistic" makeup effects by the under-rated Screaming Mad George and his crew. Things begin on an appropriately ominous note, and little hints of weirdness occur regularly: Bill hears a recording made by his sisters' (Patrice Jennings) agitated ex-boyfriend (Tim Bartell) and hears his family engaging in some pretty raunchy acts; at another point, he sees his sister showering and her body appears to be twisting in unnatural ways.Audiences who are experiencing this delicious oddity for the first time will be pleased to note its unpredictability and quirky characters. Playboy Playmate (June '85) Devin DeVasquez is enticing as Clarissa, a member of society who doesn't feel quite comfortable with her role in it and who takes an interest in Bill. Evan Richards of "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" is engaging as Bills' friend Milo, and Ben Meyerson amusing as an unsubtle odious sort, a stereotypically smarmy fat cat. Horror junkies will note the presence of actors from other genre favourites: Heidi Kozak ("Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood"), Brian Bremer ("Pumpkinhead"), Charles Lucia ("Hospital Massacre"), and David Wiley ("Friday the 13th Part III"); cast members Ben Slack (as the psychiatrist) and David Wells (as the police sergeant) would become regulars in Yuznas' films.In addition to their score, composers Mark Ryder and Phil Davies oversea a special rendition of the Eton Boat Song that plays over the opening and end credits; the stylish cinematography is by Rick Fichter. The genuinely interesting screenplay is the work of Woody Keith and Rick Fry, and is sure to appeal to any viewer who ever felt estranged from their family or suspected that they might be adopted.It's too bad curiosities like this are the exception rather than the norm, but it's all the more reason to seek them out and appreciate them. Eight out of 10.