If you’re looking for evidence that the currently dominant mode of horror-as-social-satire wasn’t invented by Get Out, look no further than 1989’s Society. This extraordinary movie, directed by Brian Yuzna, lays out a conspiracy plot about a cabal of rich Beverly Hills socialites who prey on those less fortunate — then literalizes it in an unbelievably grotesque climax that will remain seared into your brain for decades. (I should know, I first saw it in the ’90s.)
Viewers will know they’re in for a good (?) time when the movie’s opening credits promise “surrealistic make-up effects by Screaming Mad George.” But they might find themselves questioning that for much of the film’s 100-minute runtime as it ambles through a fairly pedestrian, not to say amateurish, tale of yuppie paranoia. The story concerns privileged teenager Bill (played by the magnificently named Billy Warlock) who feels disconnected from his wealthy family and begins to suspect they, as well as some of his classmates, are embroiled in a sordid and maybe even murderous cult. But every time he thinks he has proof that something is up, it slips through his fingers.
For its first two thirds, Society has a becalmed, numbing, anesthetized feel. Its wooden line deliveries, clumsy setups, and brightly lit images of aspirational ’80s life float along on a bed of tuneless synth music. This glassy surface is only slightly troubled by hints of incestuous psychosexual unease: Bill observing strange pulses and contortions in his sister’s body, or happening upon his parents laughing delightedly at a handful of slugs.
Society’s soap-opera blandness probably isn’t intentional — but it might as well be. This is one of those films that exists to serve a single set-piece, and when it finally arrives, that quite incredible spectacle is made even more striking by standing in stark relief to everything that’s come before it. Society ends with a flabbergasting, orgiastic explosion of mass body horror that is profoundly disturbing, but also pointedly, intentionally, and cartoonishly funny. The film suddenly roars with repulsive and glistening life, and the actors wake out of their torpor and embrace the madness with an invigorating, carnival glee.
It’s a sight to behold; if you thought the climax of The Substance was extreme, just you wait. It’s not subtle — one Letterboxd review accurately calls it “top tier ‘subtext is for cowards’ filmmaking” — but there’s a real political charge to Society’s gross exposure of the depravity of power. Eat the rich… before they eat you.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Plex (free), Fubo, and Night Flight Plus, and to rent or buy on Fandango. If you have a multi-region Blu-ray player, you can witness the film in all its nauseating glory in a stunning transfer on Arrow’s U.K. physical edition.
Polygon’s annual Halloween Countdown is a 31-day run of short recommendations of the best horror movies, shows, TV episodes, and online specials to stream for the Halloween season. You can find the entire calendar here.
