PLOT: A rich teen struggles to feel like he fits in with his family, and uncovers evidence of an incestuous, cannibalistic cult that may be all the proof he needs as to why.
I had never heard of the film Society up until a few weeks ago. I’ve seen it pop up on Twitter and Facebook and even had it recommended to me on a number of occasions. This one is definitely a trip and not for the squeamish. The ending is kind of vile, and if you’re not ready for that, there’s no way you’d like this one.
Bill Whitney is a rich kid, but one that finds himself on the outside looking in. His parents don’t seem to love him as much as they do their sister, and he can’t seem to shake some deep-seeded emotional problems. Most people just treat him as crazy, but is he? When his sister’s ex-boyfriend plays him a secret recording of her cotillion, Bill realizes that it might not all be in his head.
Society, I guess, tries to create a social commentary on the horrors of how the rich treat everyone around them. It’s sort of obvious, though, but it never dwells too much on the social commentary aspect of it, so it doesn’t detract from the experience. The tension works, the special effects are excellent, and the performances are campy but not over-the-top. It’s all kind of perfect for this genre.
This one is not for the faint of heart. It may not be full of exploding bodies or limbs being sliced off, but this movie devolves into some true body horror stuff at the end. The transformation special effects rival some of the best in the genre and it’s surely something that you will remember.
Gore Rating: 5 out of 5
This one isn’t particularly scary; it’s more of a gross-out film that you may usually see coming out of the Troma folks. I mean, I guess if you feel like the country is run by lizard people, this might hit a little close to home for you, but for us normal people, it won’t keep us up at night. You might squirm in your chair a little, but that’s the most of it.
Scare Rating: 0 out of 5
You get some good nudity and you get some weird nudity. Devin Devasquez is a pretty attractive person, and she shows us the goods a couple of times, including in an extended sex scene. You also get nudity in the form of very oily old people that like to eat the poor Jewish kid.
Sex/Nudity Rating: 4 out of 5
OVERALL
This was a pretty decent movie to kick off this year’s 31 Days of Horror. The body horror special effects are pretty excellent, and sometimes downright silly. It’s an effective movie through the run of the film, as you become frustrated along with the main character when everyone else just gaslights the shit out of him. It’s a pretty worthwhile watch for fans of cult horror like CHUD, The Toxic Avenger, or Basket Case. Plus, it just reinforces the idea that rich people are the shittiest people.
The Main Damie 