Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Society

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Horace Cordier
    Senior Member

  • Society



    Released by: Arrow Video
    Released on: June 9th, 2015.
    Director: Brian Yuzna
    Cast: Billy Warlock, Devin DeVasquez, Evan Richards, Chanel Ryan
    Year: 1989
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Movie:

    1989's SOCIETY has always been a bit of an odd duck in the horror canon. Coming at the tail end of the slasher boom, it doesn't fit that mold at all. It's really a social satire at heart, loaded up with some impressively grotesque practical fx. Lowbrow Cronenberg? THE STEPFORD WIVES by way of VIDEODROME? THE LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN as directed by Peter Jackson in his BRAIN DEAD days?

    Whatever it is, Brian Yuzna's freak out isn't easily forgotten. Slightly vapid and adopted Bill Whitney (as played by Baywatch hunk Billy Warlock) is a kid in Beverly Hills feeling alienated and out of sorts. This is pretty standard fare for teens anywhere, but in the upper crust crowds of the 90210 set, it's even more pronounced. For one thing, his sister disturbs him in some intangible way. He's also under the care of a psychiatrist however and starts telling the shrink some of the things he's seeing (hallucinations really) and more importantly HEARING. He's starting to think his parents aren't his own and that terrible things are happening in both his "family" and the neighborhood. Incest. Cannibalism. You name it. The females in the picture are all strange too - including the lovely lass that takes Billy's virginity. As hot as Clarissa (Devin DeVasquez) is, she's a bit anatomically suspect. Billy's luscious sister also may be up to something. Billy's only real ally is his friend David (Tim Bartell) - a conspiracy nut that's convinced there's something horrifically wrong going with the 1%.

    SOCIETY certainly doesn't lack for ambition. But there's also a hint of the "bitten off more than you can chew" syndrome. This was Yuzna's first directing job after producing films like Stuart Gordon's all time classic RE-ANIMATOR. Pacing is off. The first act tends to drag and seems a little unfocused. The shots being taken at the well-heeled are more than appropriate but the satire is sometimes too broad. The teen sex comedy aura is dim and tolerable though and once Yuzna gets his ducks all lined up in a row...

    Where SOCIETY secures its cult favorite status can be found in Yuzna's looney tunes third act party scene and conclusion which features a stunning display of world class FX courtesy of Japanese maestro Mad George. This is one of the craziest geek shows of the goopy and the gross this side of Mr. Brundlefly in David Cronenberg's remake of THE FLY. It doesn't matter that it often makes no sense - just look at it like a Dali painting and roll with the controlled chaos. The vibe is somewhere between hilarious and irredeemably disgusting and somehow the closest thing to a grand send off for the practical effects generation. It is both tactile and revolting. And amusing. SOCIETY will never have the likes of ROBOCOP's pinpoint satirical accuracy but it will always rank at the top of any practical FX list with kin like John Carpenter's THE THING.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    Arrow have been on a winning streak with their transfers of late, and this one is no exception. The 1.78.1 AVC encoded 1080p image looks great. This was a recent carefully rendered 2K job and it looks it. Flesh tones and black levels are true and deep. Fine detail is excellent and the color palette well represented. There's some very minor print damage but that's the only infinitesimal minus on display. Audio? The LPCM 2.0 Stereo track - equipped with subtitles for those that need them - is free from any obvious defect. Range is good and dialog is clear.

    The first big extra on this stacked set is a full length audio commentary with Brian Yuzna. Moderated by David Gregory and Carl Daft, Yuzna recalls the shoot with a mixture of philosophical insight and professional criticism. Time flies on this one and it is well worth a listen. "Governor Of Society" runs a little over a quarter hour and is Yuzna's brief career overview. Pretty informative stuff. Next up is a more SOCIETY itself focused piece: "The Masters Of The Hunt" which brings together the principal cast members to discuss the film. Enthusiasm and good humor is high for this one. "Champion of the Shunt" is a 20 minute bit focusing on the film's special effects. The star on this baby is Mad George who takes center stage to talk about both his career in general and the insane technical demands of SOCIETY.

    But that's not all. Past the featurettes and audio commentary, Arrow have thrown in a lengthy Q & A session with Yuzna from an English horror convention in 2014. The director talks SOCIETY and answers audience questions in good humor. Next, a strange bit of business is included. This two minute bit has Yuzna introducing the film at a UK premiere in 1989. Finally we conclude with a bizarre Mad George music video and the film's theatrical trailer. All content is also mirrored on a DVD included in the set.

    Closing Thoughts:

    SOCIETY may possess elements and themes from other films, and it may not be the most polished horror outing out there, but it has spirit. A wild and wooly ride with jaw dropping practical FX and some shocking material it flies gloriously off the rails for its climax. Remembered fondly by those lucky enough to catch it back in the day (SOCIETY had a problematic release history) and sought after by those who only heard about it through word of mouth, adventurous horror fans should find this Arrow edition indispensable. The combination of excellent technical presentation and heaping supplementary material should make this an easy sale for the right crowd.

    Highly recommended.

    Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!




















      Posting comments is disabled.

    Latest Articles

    Collapse

    • Hot Spur (Severin Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Severin Films
      Released on: April 30th, 2024.
      Director: Lee Frost
      Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
      Year: 1969
      Purchase From Amazon

      Hot Spur – Movie Review:

      Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:53 AM
    • Death Squad (Mondo Macabro) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Mondo Macabro
      Released on: April 9th, 2024.
      Director: Max Pecas
      Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
      Year: 1985
      Purchase From Amazon

      Death Squad – Movie Review:

      Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:46 AM
    • Roommates (Quality X) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Quality X
      Released on: February 28th, 2024.
      Director: Chuck Vincent
      Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
      Year: 1982
      Purchase From Amazon

      Roommates – Movie Review:

      Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:10 PM
    • Night Of The Blood Monster (Blue Underground) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Blue Underground
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Jess Franco
      Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
      Year: 1970
      Purchase From Amazon

      Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:

      Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:07 PM
    • Phase IV (Vinegar Syndrome) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Saul Bass
      Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
      Year: 1974
      Purchase From Amazon

      Phase IV – Movie Review:

      Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:02 PM
    • The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Radiance Films
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
      Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
      Year: 1969-1972
      Purchase From Amazon

      The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:

      Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this
      ...
      03-13-2024, 11:30 AM
    Working...
    X