#30 - Society (1989)

Society (1989)

(dir. Brian Yuzna)

Bill is a teenager living in Beverly Hills who just doesn't seem to fit in with his rich, socialite family.  He feels alienated and paranoid, and becomes convinced that something horrible is going on, and everyone is in on it but him.  Is he just going crazy, or is there really a secret society of the rich that are willing to kill to keep themselves hidden?  This movie's tagline is very appropriate... "It is not what you think it is".

Holy cow, this was so good that I don't even know where to start.  This movie is equal parts psychological thriller, absurd dark comedy, and Cronenberg-style body horror... just fantastically good, probably the best thing I've watched so far.  There is a pretty good sense of tension and dread that builds throughout, and it leads to what is possibly the most insane climax in any horror film I've seen.  Just... wow.  Yuzna was the producer for both Re-Animator and From Beyond, so some disturbing craziness was expected, but I'd say that this one goes even farther over the line.  I really don't want to spoil the ending - I had a vague idea of what was coming, and it still blew me away, so I think the best way to see this is to just go in blind.

Even though they don't really come into play until the end of the film, the special effects here are just awesomely surreal, creepy, and disgusting.  The potentially vomit-inducing effects, along with some scenes of uncomfortable/disturbing sexuality make this a pretty lousy film for a date night, or to watch with your parents.  If you like the films of David Cronenberg or Stuart Gordon, though, I can't recommend this one enough.