RARE HORROR GEMS WITH JEFF SANDERS!
I wanted to recommend horror films this Halloween that you may not have seen. The horror genre has been rich from the beginning with strange and fun titles. So many have been overlooked or just plain forgotten. These are the titles I want to focus on in this column. Look into that creepy old mansion keyhole, open the box, and taste the deliciousness of the horror movies that you may have missed.
SOCIETY (R)
Review by Jeff Sanders
You will never understand what goes into a great martini…
SOCIETY is one of those movies that, once seen, you will never forget. You really can’t mix it up with anything. It is a horror-satire about conformity in the vein of THEY LIVE or INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, but believe me, this one is made from its own special mold. SOCIETY was completed in 1989 but wasn’t released in the US until 1992. This probably has something to do with the film’s blatant indictment of the capitalist greed and self-fulfillment of the 80’s. It’s an anti-John Hughes film. Marty Mcfly would have been horrified by what his family would become in this universe. It stands to reason that Biff may have liked it though. Butthead!
I won’t go into the film’s plot too much, other than to say that it begins with a young man, Billy Whitney (Billy Warlock), in college. Billy simply doesn’t feel like he fits in with his high society friends and family. He comes upon a strange audio recording of his parents and sister that seems perverse and grotesque. He looks into it deeper and then, people start disappearing and then reappearing. Strange visions abound: There is a strange lady eating human hair. Things just aren’t adding up and it only getsweird from here.
SOCIETY is one of those movies that you should go in to blind. It’s best if you as little as possible about it. And whatever you do, do not look up any images or read about the ending. If you have seen this movie and share it with other, like family and friends, don’t spoil it! For once the shunting begins, the look on you or your party’s face will be a reward unto itself.
Brian Yuzna, the producer of RE-ANIMATOR, takes the director’s chair on this one. You can feel the Stuart Gordon–influence in his direction, and that’s okay: B-Movie trash-intellect-gore-galore is good. It should also be noted that the great Dan O’Bannon (ALIEN, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD) was involved in the story early on.
The acting is hit and miss as is the camera work and set design, but all is forgiven after you take it down as the whole mass. The real winner, the thing that makes the movie unforgettable, are the special effects, done by a man who calls himself (what else?) Screaming Mad George. You remember the floating blob head eyeball thing with the extremely large tongue from BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA? Screaming Mad George did that! It’s pretty safe to say his brain works a little left of center. Your jaw will be on the floor when George is done with you.
I recommend you seek out a copy of SOCIETY. Arrow Video did a gorgeous 2K remastered special edition of the film. I think that’s the best way for you to view it. Invite your rich friends over when you do. If you don’t own or can’t afford a Blu-Ray player, I recommend you track down the nastiest VHS copy of SOCIETY that you can find, watch it in a seedy hotel, and eat rotisserie chicken and/or whole chicken in a can with your hands while viewing the film’s glorious climax. Trust me! You’ll never forget it!
For more info on the Arrow Video Blu-Ray Edition of SOCIETY, CLICK HERE!
For more info on SOCIETY on VHS, CLICK HERE!
For a look at a SOCIETY screening party essential, CLICK HERE!
For more on that SOCIETY screening party essential, CLICK HERE!
“RARE HORROR GEMS WITH JEFF SANDERS” ARCHIVES:
