Society (Brian Yuzna)
03-03-10, 05:42 PM
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Society (Brian Yuzna)
I got the chance to see this last night and it was a fantastic experience.
Why this isn't a cult classic along the lines of Re-Animator I don't know.
It's a shame it's out of print. It'll be a pain getting a hold of a copy now.
Does anyone else share my love for this bizarre flick?
Why this isn't a cult classic along the lines of Re-Animator I don't know.
It's a shame it's out of print. It'll be a pain getting a hold of a copy now.
Does anyone else share my love for this bizarre flick?
03-03-10, 06:28 PM
#3
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Re: Society (Brian Yuzna)
I'm a huge fan of Society. I'd probably rank it somewhere among my top ten personal favorite horror films if I were to make such a list. I remember trekking all over the metroplex just to find a copy back on the DVD's release date (the same day Near Dark hit DVD from what I remember). Here's a min-review I did for last year's horror challenge:
Beverly Hills teen Bill Whitney is good at sports and popular at his high school, but he feels alienated from his upper crust family. His parents are indifferent towards him while lavishing favor upon his sister. Sometimes he even feels that they're conspiring against him, but is he just paranoid? This was Brian Yuzna's first film as director, and it's still his best. It works as both a joke on the rich and an allegory about their tendency to leech off of the have-nots. Even though it's pretty clear right from the start that things aren't what they seem, there's a great sense of paranoia here. You wouldn't expect a former Baywatch star to be an alienated sort, but in the context of the film, it works. The dark humor works too for the most part. Some of the more juvenile attempts at humor (the kids on the beach) are admittedly lame, though in a way they add to the film's bizarre tone. Former Playboy centerfold, Devin Devasquez plays her daughter and Bill's love interest. It's refreshing to see a rich beauty portrayed as something other than an evil vixen for a change. The climactic scenes involving the big shunt are really something to behold. Quite perverse and the effects by Screaming Mad George are just spectacular. I also can't go without mentioning the sinister reworking of the "Eton Boat Song" which plays over the opening credits.
Beverly Hills teen Bill Whitney is good at sports and popular at his high school, but he feels alienated from his upper crust family. His parents are indifferent towards him while lavishing favor upon his sister. Sometimes he even feels that they're conspiring against him, but is he just paranoid? This was Brian Yuzna's first film as director, and it's still his best. It works as both a joke on the rich and an allegory about their tendency to leech off of the have-nots. Even though it's pretty clear right from the start that things aren't what they seem, there's a great sense of paranoia here. You wouldn't expect a former Baywatch star to be an alienated sort, but in the context of the film, it works. The dark humor works too for the most part. Some of the more juvenile attempts at humor (the kids on the beach) are admittedly lame, though in a way they add to the film's bizarre tone. Former Playboy centerfold, Devin Devasquez plays her daughter and Bill's love interest. It's refreshing to see a rich beauty portrayed as something other than an evil vixen for a change. The climactic scenes involving the big shunt are really something to behold. Quite perverse and the effects by Screaming Mad George are just spectacular. I also can't go without mentioning the sinister reworking of the "Eton Boat Song" which plays over the opening credits.
03-03-10, 06:34 PM
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Re: Society (Brian Yuzna)
I just found out a friend of mine has a copy when I posted this on Facebook:
The last act of this movie cannot be explained in words. The whole damn thing's a mix between Frank Henenlotter and David Lynch. Incest, cannibalism, homoeroticism, tits, and ridiculously gross practical effects. Could say more ridiculousness but it deserves not to be spoiled. Un-fucking-believable.
I absolutely loved it. Luckily, that friend who happens to own a copy said he was going to give me his.
I'm pretty ecstatic cause I was about to be forced to drop $30 or more on it.
The last act of this movie cannot be explained in words. The whole damn thing's a mix between Frank Henenlotter and David Lynch. Incest, cannibalism, homoeroticism, tits, and ridiculously gross practical effects. Could say more ridiculousness but it deserves not to be spoiled. Un-fucking-believable.
I absolutely loved it. Luckily, that friend who happens to own a copy said he was going to give me his.
I'm pretty ecstatic cause I was about to be forced to drop $30 or more on it.
03-03-10, 06:42 PM
#5
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Re: Society (Brian Yuzna)
I have a lot of love for Society too. I think it's a really well done film even though I don't think I know a single person who has even heard of it. I'm glad to see I'm not alone in my opinion of it. I might have to get my DVD out and watch it. I didn't realize it was OOP either.
03-03-10, 07:44 PM
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03-03-10, 08:46 PM
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Re: Society (Brian Yuzna)
This movie is also part of an Anchor Bay Drive-In Double Feature flipper with Tobe Hooper's Spontaneous Combustion. If anyone is interested in acquiring it, that's a cheaper way of getting it than the Society disc alone (although it is also OOP).
03-05-10, 02:55 PM
#10
Re: Society (Brian Yuzna)
Cool flick, but for some reason I sold my DVD of this; why I do not know! Now I find myself wanting to see this more than ever.
I hate it when I do shit like that...
I hate it when I do shit like that...
Last edited by d2cheer; 03-05-10 at 02:57 PM.
03-05-10, 03:07 PM
#11
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Society (Brian Yuzna)
Also a big fan of Society. Heckuva lot of fun, even if it's not to every horror film fan's taste. Great social commentary wrapped up in all the bizarre/creepy humor, too.
And I agree with J. Farley - the use of "The Eton Boat Song" is awesome. Since it gets looped on the main menu of the Anchor Bay DVD, it's one of my favorite disks to just let sit at the menu for awhile before starting the movie. Great stuff.
And I agree with J. Farley - the use of "The Eton Boat Song" is awesome. Since it gets looped on the main menu of the Anchor Bay DVD, it's one of my favorite disks to just let sit at the menu for awhile before starting the movie. Great stuff.
02-02-20, 03:23 PM
#12
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Society (Brian Yuzna)
I'm working my way through the Joe Bob Briggs-hosted movies on Shudder and this one was next. Uh, what the hell did I just watch? Ha. But I guess it was worth it to see Darcy the Mail Girl dressed up as Clarissa. 
Also, there's this:
Also, there's this:
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>It’s the Bossman’s Birthday! 🤠🎂 During #Society he said he was sad that no one ever asked him to #shunt, so I enlisted the help of the gore-geous Ms. @devindevasquez to change that.😋
— Diana “Darcy the Mail Girl” Prince 🤠🧟♂️🧟♀️🖤 (@kinky_horror) January 27, 2020
Happy Birthday, @therealjoebob. We 🖤🖤 ya! (Tho we’d 🖤 u more if you’d #ShowHalloween3! 😉pic.twitter.com/yx6tmERu3I
02-02-20, 04:52 PM
#14
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Society (Brian Yuzna)
Fun movie. Every fan should hunt down Arrow Video's fantastic Blu-ray release.
https://www.doblu.com/2015/06/08/soc...lu-ray-review/
https://www.doblu.com/2015/06/08/soc...lu-ray-review/
