Connect with us

News

Every Horror Fan Must Watch 1989’s ‘Society’ At Least Once

Published

on

If you’ve been watching horror films for a while, you’ve undoubtedly seen your share of strange ones. But one of the strangest and most bizarre is also one that is often overlooked. To the initiated, you may have already guessed where I’m going with this. One word: Society.

Brian Yuzna’s 1989 directorial debut is the cream of the crop of bizarre horror films. It’s unsettling, campy, but most of all, gooey. How many films can you describe as gooey? That, in my book, is a victory in itself.

In Society, Yuzna attempts to make a statement about the wealthy in America. Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said that “When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich.” However, Rousseau was not alive during the end of the 19th century, and filmmakers like Yuzna had come to think the opposite.

The film is about the Whitney family, but more specifically, Bill (Billy Warlock). His family is obscenely wealthy – excessive, plastic, and phony – and Bill feels completely out of place. He feels like he doesn’t belong in the family, which leads to him considering the fact that he may be adopted. His sister, Jenny (Patrice Jennings) seems to have an incestuous relationship with their parents – and maybe a sexual one with the entire group of wealthy homeowners in their neighborhood. Whatever it is, it’s not right, and it’s taking a toll on Billy’s mental health.

When begins as an odd mystery film with tinges of horror reminiscent of David Lynch eventually swallows itself whole and regurgitates itself, giving birth to the most insane thirty minutes of cinema that I have personally ever seen. It’s not particularly gory, but it absolutely is disgusting. It feels much like a Cronenberg film that’s gone completely off the rails to the point of no return – and, on that note, I applaud the film for doing just that. Once it gets weird, you’re stuck with it.

 

The mystery of the sexual relationship is revealed in a way that is much more surreal than Billy could have ever imagined. There’s a wealthy orgy going on, alright, and Billy finds this out in the worst of ways. As it turns out, it’s not that Billy is adopted – it’s simply that Billy and his family are different species.

I would love to say that the movie works well in both areas of the story – the mystery and the strangeness of the ultimate, shocking reveal – but speaking honestly, the shock factor heavily outweighs any of the serious aspects of the film. The acting isn’t particularly earth-shattering and the storyline is so predictable that I don’t even think it’s possible to spoil anything, but the end sequence (which is called “the shunting”) is almost indescribable in terms of gross weirdness. And while it may seem funny, there’s something extremely disturbing about this movie. Bodies are contorted and bended and melted and stretched in ways that defies logic. If the imagery doesn’t make you even a bit squeamish, you should probably see a therapist.

The goal of this article isn’t so much to analyze Society as it is to simply educate you on why you need to see it. Simply put, it will test the limits of just how much strange you can handle in a film. I won’t spoil what exactly happens – that would take the fun out of watching the movie, wouldn’t it? – but I can beg. I can plead. You need to watch Society. You need to know just how weird horror can get. If for nothing else, Yuzna’s film deserves a watch because of Screaming Mad George. Yes, that’s in the credits. Look it up if you don’t believe me.

So go ahead. Put it in your queue. Rent it, or borrow and old copy from a friend. Whatever you do, just find a way to get your hands on it…but be careful not to get too close.

I mean, where else are you going to be able to find a talking ass like this?

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

Published

on

Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

Published

on

The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading