Brian Yuzna is a producer who had a smash hit with one of his first films Re-Animator and after a few failed attempts to get other films made he decided to direct one himself the body shock horror called Society.
Teenager Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) has always felt like the odd one out in his wealthy, upper-class Beverly Hills family. For some reason, he just doesn’t t seem to fit in. But his sense of alienation takes a sinister turn when he hears an audio recording of his sister s coming-out party, which seems to implicate his family and others in a bizarre, ritualistic orgy. And then there are the strange things he s been seeing glimpses of people with their bodies contorted impossibly out of shape… Is Bill going mad or is there something seriously amiss in his neighbourhood?
Society is one of those films that is very hard to describe. It starts out as a normal teen angst comedy and slowly turns into a grisly, hallucinatory nightmare. The movie has an uneasy feeling of dread throughout the build-up to the climax, the shunt, which has to be seen to be believed thanks to the amazing (pre CGI) effects of Screaming Mad George. The pacing is a bit clunky in places and you can’t mistake it was made in the 80’s but fans of horror should not miss this shocking treat.
The Blu ray released by Arrow has an excellent 1080p 2K remastered transfer. Very crisp and colourful its certainly looks fantastic with depth and clarity standing out. Audio has an English LPCM 2.0 (Stereo) track which is clear and functional no problems with it at all.
Extras, as expected from Arrow, are plentiful.
- Brand new audio commentary by Yuzna
- Governor of Society a brand new interview with Yuzna
- The Masters of the Hunt a brand new featurette including interviews with stars Billy Warlock, Devin DeVasquez, Ben Meyerson and Tim Bartell
- The Champion of the Shunt new featurette with FX artists Screaming Mad George, David Grasso and Nick Benson
- 2014 Q&A with Yuzna, recorded at Celluloid Screams Festival
- Brian Yuzna in conversation backstage at the Society world premiere
- Persecution Mania Screaming Mad George music video
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Nick Percival
- Collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Alan Jones illustrated with original archive stills and posters
The film has been released in a limited edition digipack and a standard case, it was released in the UK and USA simultaneously and is region free.
A great horror like no other, fans should buy this release without hesitation.
FILM: 7.5 PICTURE: 8.5 AUDIO: 7 EXTRAS: 8
