The Long Dark Marathon of the Soul 2019: Society (1989), directed by Brian Yuzna

The Trailer

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The Appropriate Tune: "Sex and Dying in High Society", by X

       Of all the people that I name drop on this blog, Brian Yunza is not one one of them. From the longest article I’ve written to the shortest, the appearance of his name could probably be counted on one hand, and yet this blog probably exist without him. After all, he was the producer on Stuart Gordon’s 80s cult classic Re-Animator, one of the films I covered in the very first Halloween-based thing I ever did for the blog, which has become my trademark, for better or worse. He also directed its sequel, Bride of Re-Animator, which I covered in the first proper Marathon, which was one of my favorite movies of that year. He also directed Beyond Re-Animator, one of my least favorite films of the year that it was featured, but then not every ball you hit can be home run after all. So in recognition of his contributions to Marathon history, I figured there could be no greater honor than covering yet another one of his films. Not only that, but a complete Yuzna original this time around; No Stuart Gordon or H.P. Lovecraft to steal the spotlight. From 1989, it’s Society.

       Bill Whitney (as played by Billy Warlock, who Obscurus Lupa fans might recognize as Baywatch’s Eddie Krama) lives a pretty charmed life. He’s Beverly Hills Academy’s star jock, he’s on his way to becoming class president, he’s got a cheerleader girlfriend, oh and his parents are filthy stinking rich. Yet all is not well in this modern day Xanadu. Aside from the fact that his parents are always fawning over his sister Jenny, there’s just something...off. Something not quite right, and it’s left him in a state of paranoia, at least according to his psychiatrist. Billy’s fears are completely legitimate however, at least according to Billy, and they are completely justified when David Blanchard, Jenny’s ex-boyfriend, provides him with a secret recording that paints the Whitney family in a damnable light. The smoking gun? More like a key to hell, as this tape will lead Billy to discover that what he thought the Whitney family was, and what he thinks Whitney family is now, pales in comparison to the truth.

       Society is the kind of movie that, like many horror movies of the time tries to spin a lot of different plates at once. At first it seems like it’s aiming for a psychological thriller, in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby or The Believers. Then it takes a straight turn right into body horror territory courtesy of Screaming Mad George (who you might recall from The Guyver), concurrently with some social commentary that comes out of the blue. Very ambitious, bringing to mind not only Yuzna’s previous work on Bride of Re-Animator, but films like The Stuff and Night of the Creeps as well. Although this is right on the edge of the decade, this feels like prime 80s splatterhouse territory, and at this stage of the game we’re all well aware of my feelings for that sort of cinema.

       Society is a film that implies a complex narrative and a subtle build to suspense however, and having seen two other Brian Yuzna movies at this point, complex and subtle are not in his wheelhouse. There’s nothing wrong with going over the top, especially when it comes to cult horror movies, but for that to be effective you have to establish where the top is, the reality from which surreality springs. While those Screaming Mad George special effects are certainly a treat,its effect in the story is equivalent to downing a shot of espresso after inhaling a line of cocaine. It’s too much, and in hindsight not only is nothing ever properly explained, there’s no real justification for why the plot of the movie even happens at all. Even Yuzna seems to recognize that at some point, as it feels like he originally forgot to write an ending to his movie and what we see on screen is what he hastily wrote in the margins when the crew called him out on it. Again, if it were just about the horror it wouldn’t be a problem, but because it seems like there’s an attempt at saying something bigger here, there needs to be a few moments of respite.

       What we also see in Society is an internal struggle on tone. Yuzna seems conflicted on what he wants his film to be like, The Thing or The Ruling Class, so he decided to compromise by shoving comedy haphazardly into the most intense moments. Now horror and comedy aren’t strangers, from Get Out to Fright Night we’ve seen it done, but in Society it seems out of place and flat out stupid at worst. Not stupid in the good way either, as in the slapstick of Evil Dead II. Bad stupid, the kind of stupid that makes you wonder if the director really thought it was a good idea. So it was with Beyond Re-Animator, so it was with Screaming Mad George’s The Guyver, so at this point you can’t deny it’s not a conscious choice, I just dunno. I can see the argument of the last act being some kind of Bosch-like vision of hell, with our protagonist being tortured with bizarre and horrible sights, but I end up rolling my eyes and wondering if the director is actively insulting my intelligence. I don’t like that feeling, and I don’t think that’s Yuzna’s intention, but when I see someone literally pretending to be an asshole and farting on people it raises some red flags. Makes me wonder if I really did like Bride of Re-Animator all those years ago, or if I’m being blinded by less than a decade old nostalgia.

       I’m probably being a bit too harsh on Mr. Yuzna though, as well as Society. I know there’s people out there that are going to be super into the 80s gore, and there’s a Dark City defense there of being not entirely unlike its peers that gives it a certain feeling of originality and mystery, so despite it not quite hitting the right switch for me I’ll give it the recommendation in case it does it for you. Fair warning though, you might want to avoid any pasta for at least 24 hours. Trust me, you’ll be better off.