Society (1989)

 

Genre: Comedy/Horror

Time: 1h 40mins

Director: Brian Yuzna

Explicit images

Quick Summary: An ordinary teenage boy discovers his family is part of a gruesome orgy cult for the social elite.

Initially, I found this to be boring and very slow. It seemed like a terrible '80s film that was leading up to nothing. Very cheesy, and throws a lot of curve balls at you. The dialogue is very corny, and the humour is a bit odd to me. It was over the top and didn't really sit right. But once you get to the end, it all fits perfectly.

This story has more to it and that shows in the subtle dialogue that all seem to come together perfectly. On second viewing, you would easily pick up on these hints within the script. It is a shame you can't really pick up on it the first time as it does make it a slow watch but it keeps you entertained by constantly getting to guess what is happening and if it is real or not. The added part of a psychiatrist works really well for this as it's solid grounds for events not truly happening.

This film is good with paranoia. With the setting, you wouldn't expect it to be full of it, but with context, it's a goldmine.

Unfortunately, about half of the humour didn't land well with me, I just didn't find it that funny. It gives the first 3/4 of the film a bizarre tone. I understand this is supposed to be campy humour, but I wish they dialled it a bit back. As well the first half of the film something weird happens! It's covered up. Something weird happens! It's covered up. Yes is supposed to be for the paranoia, but it gets tiresome after the 3rd time and very frustrating because you want the plot to move on.

Although when it comes to the final 20 minutes or so, it does the biggest sharpest turn I have ever seen. During this stage, it turns disturbing and rather disgusting, while there's classical music streaming along. I honestly sat there so amazed at what was happening. I literally cannot describe it, it's one of those things you have to watch the scene to understand it. The special effects are absolutely amazing in this, and the added red light really makes this scene that much more spectacular. 

The ending solidified this film to be one of the most interesting of its genre. It will really stick with you. One thing I wasn't sure about is that they kept the strange humour right the way through till the end, again I wasn't sure if it sat right with me. Interesting choice to keep it bizarrely lighthearted in contrast to what is happening. As well as this there were a few characters I felt were not needed, or not as important as they were made out to be. They took up some boring moments and honestly I would have preferred it if the main character was the only "Normal" Person. For me, it would have amped up the terrifying part of the ending. 

There are a lot of things wrong with this movie, but the ending is really where this film is at. 

7/10

"How do you like your tea? Cream, sugar... or do you want me to pee in it?"

"You're going to make a wonderful contribution to society."