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Society
1989 100 min United States of America R 16+
★6.4
Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Director: Brian Yuzna
Trailers
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Description
Bill Whitney 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. Even his girlfriend seems a bit odd. All is revealed when Bill returns home to find a party in full swing.
Starring
Billy Warlock
Actor
Concetta D'Agnese
Actor
Ben Slack
Actor
Awards
Saturn Awards 2016
— Best Special Blu-ray/DVD Edition
Key opinion
Society is a polarizing cult horror film that effectively uses grotesque practical effects to deliver a biting, literal satire of elite class exploitation. While praised for its surreal imagination and memorable finale, the film is frequently criticized for uneven pacing, weak lead performances, and a struggle to balance its disparate tonal elements.
| Production | The practical special effects and makeup work, particularly in the surreal climactic sequence, are masterfully grotesque and stand as the film's strongest technical achievement. | |
| Theme | The film's central metaphor regarding the elite literally consuming the lower class is blunt and bold, providing a memorable, if unsubtle, social critique. | |
| Acting | The lead performance by Billy Warlock is widely criticized for being stiff, overly expressive, and lacking the nuance required to anchor the protagonist's paranoia. | |
| Pacing | The film suffers from uneven pacing, as the long, drawn-out build-up during the first hour makes the middle section feel tedious and bloated. | |
| Direction | Opinions on direction are divided; some appreciate the surreal, Lynchian ambition and bold tonal shifts, while others find the blend of satire and horror to be disorganized and lacking a consistent atmosphere. |