Society (1989)

Director:

Brian Yuzna

Writers:

Rick Fry (writer)
Woody Keith (writer)

Release Date:

11 June 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

In Beverly Hills, what you fear is only the beginning.

Plot:

Bill is worried that he is 'different' to his sister and parents. They mix with other 'upper class' people while Bill is more down to earth...

Plot Keywords:

Disturbing | Upper Class | Incest | Party | Nerd

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Billy Warlock	...	Bill Whitney
Connie Danese	...	Nan
Ben Slack	...	Dr. Cleveland
Evan Richards	...	Milo
Patrice Jennings	...	Jenny Whitney
Tim Bartell	...	David Blanchard
Charles Lucia	...	Jim Whitney
Heidi Kozak	...	Shauna
Brian Bremer	...	Petrie
Ben Meyerson	...	Ferguson
Devin DeVasquez	...	Clarissa Carlyn
Maria Claire	...	Sally
Conan Yuzna	...	Jason
Jason Williams	...	Jason's Friend
Pamela Matheson	...	Mrs. Carlyn

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Italy:VM18

Filming Locations:

Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Society Productions Inc.

Trivia:

The original script began with the scene where Billy creeps back into his house after leaving the hospital, with the first hour of the film being told as a flashback. To avoid audience confusion though Brian Yuzna opted instead to have a new opening wrote that's more of a foreshadowing to later events rather than setup for a flashback.

Goofs:

Continuity: Towards the end of the movie Bill goes home to confront his parents. When looks out the window and sees their car pull up it's night, but when he goes down stairs to greet them it's suddenly day.

Quotes:

Dr. Cleveland: Y'know, you really deserve what's going to happen to you.
Bill Whitney: What's gonna happen?
Dr. Cleveland: You're going to make a wonderful contribution to society.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Fear in the Dark (1991) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Blue Danube

Incredibly bizarre, but that's why it's so good!

The best film directed by Brian Yuzna (producer of Re-Animator) is this strange horror/sci-fi satire on the yuppie way of life.

Beverly Hills teen begins to suspect that there's something very wrong with his snobbish family, is he imagining it or are they... inhuman?!

Society is one original and shocking black comedy. There's never a dull moment in the engulfing plot, which starts out as a paranoia mystery then only gets increasingly weird from there on out. It all builds to a warped finale that you won't forget! It's one of those surreal and gruesome terrors that makes you wonder if you should be laughing or screaming at what you're seeing. The makeup work of Screaming Mad George (great name) is very effectively disturbing. The direction of Yuzna is well-done and the addition of the Eton Boat Song as the films theme is a clever touch.

The cast is spot on in their performances, the best being young star Billy Warlock as our perplexed and horrified hero.

Society is one of those unique genre oddities that must be seen to be fully realized. It's one very wild trip that's well deserving of a cult status.

*** out of ****