Society (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray + DVD]

So, I had heard of this movie a long time ago but by then the original DVD of it had long since gone out of print and the only copies I could find of it were on video-tape-- and to top it off it was that weird point in history where we'd all accepted DVDs as our sole home video format and many of us, myself included, had let our VCRs fall into disrepair. That said, I didn't get to see this wonderful little film until it was delivered to my mailbox. "Society," is a rare breed of two film genres: political and horror. Think along the lines of "Bob Roberts" meets "Videodrome." A strange combination, but this weird blend creates a unique vision from legendary horror producer Brian Yuzna taking the director's chair for this film. I'd give a synopsis of the plot, but if you're reading this review, chances are you already know what it's about, so I'm going to talk about the product itself and what it offers. It comes in a very large digipak, which is nice to see-- it's wide-- and I mean WIDE for a Blu-Ray digipak. My "Trilogy of Life" Blu-Ray digipak from Criterion isn't as thick as this and it has some very deluxe three dimensional packaging. Inside is the digibook itself containing a Blu-Ray and identical DVD of the film and special features, there's also a miniature poster for the movie, a retrospective pamphlet and some advertisements for similar films, so that's nice to have. In addition to all of that is a small "perfect bound" comic book called "Society 2: Party Animal," which acts as a sequel to the film (because let's face it, the ending of the movie does make you go: 'Wait, what?'), I haven't read it yet, but it seems to be pretty solid in terms of art direction, but I'm not a big graphic novel aficionado so I can't tell you too much about it. The special features are plentiful, including a 15 minute retrospective with Brian Yuzna, a 20 minute look back with some of the actors, a 20 minute interview with "Mad George" who did the makeup effects in the movie and a music video that he helped make using similar special effects to those seen in "Society," and a Q&A with Brian Yuzna after a 2014 screening of the film. There's also a backstage interview with him (Yuzna) from the film's 1989 premiere and of course, what collector's edition would be complete without an audio commentary from the filmmaker himself? So that's all there. Like I said, the movie is good. I really liked it. It's certainly not for everybody-- if you're wigged out by sex and violence this movie sort of combines them into a singular entity. I also want to add that the lead actor, Billy Warlock sounds exactly like Michael J. Fox in "Back to the Future" when he talks. I'm serious! Close your eyes and listen to him talk in the movie and tell me you don't see Marty McFly!

A must watch for those that love body horror and slow burn, old school horror movies for the 80. It especially ramps up in the final act.

This movie was probably the most unnerving movie I've ever sat all the way through. It's not perfect but it's still a gem of body horror and tension in my eyes. Let me preface this by saying I tend not to watch a lot of horror movies (or play horror games for that matter) because so many have jump-scares which just make me feel anxious, which is why I usually stick to horror comics and books. This movie made me deeply uncomfortable multiple times to the point where I had to pause throughout it on first viewing. Not just because of the subject matter and visuals as the movie goes on, but because of the fantastic way that tension riddles the movie due to the way it's shot. It was more uncomfortable and scary with ZERO jumpscares than any other horror movies I've seen. I seriously had to pause for several minutes after the ending to process. I'm personally avoiding spoilers because this a movie that's best to go into completely blind. I heard good things about it from the guys at RedLetterMedia on YouTube and went in without spoilers, and it was for the best. Of course the movie isn't perfect, the characters can make some stupid decisions and the acting is spotty (some scenes were pretty good, some... not so much). But this is one of the few movies where I didn't find myself paying attention to it much because the tension and unfolding story were enough to keep me on the edge of my seat and intrigued. So not 5/5 as a perfect movie, but 5/5 for the overall experience. Never been so captivated by a horror film in a manner where I wanted to stop watching because I was uncomfortable but couldn't stop because I had to see what it was building up to.

Equal parts teen angst, body horror, social commentary, and (very) black humor, “Society” is a movie unlike anything you’ve ever seen before – or will ever see again – one that will stick with you long after the credits roll. Director Brian Yuzna is best known for producing Stuart Gordon's 1980s horror classics “Re-Animator,” “From Beyond" and “Dolls,” and his experience with practical effects and gore more than pays off here. What begins like “Ferris Bueller's Day Off" quickly becomes anything but, and Yuzna populates his sun-soaked Beverly Hills setting with literal blood-sucking monsters. SPOILERS BELOW Billy Warlock stars as Bill Whitney, a trust-fund kid completely out of sync with his family and classmates. Poor Bill is confused. His parents are distant and cold but they embrace his sister, Jenny (Patrice Jennings), and Bill barely tolerates his upper-crust classmates. Bill is adopted but is expectedly horrified by his unexplained sexual attraction to Jenny, whom he observes showering in an unnatural position. The sexual misadventures continue when Bill loses his virginity to the aggressive Clarissa (Devin DeVasquez), whose bizarre mother eats hair – yes, hair. Jenny has a blow-out fight with boyfriend David Blanchard (Tim Bartell), who later gives Bill a tape of his parents and sister engaged in a bizarre, sexually violent encounter with other townsfolk. When Bill begins to look at his surroundings more closely, he realizes he is the outcast. The consumption and societal excess nearing an epidemic in the '80s is Yuzna's target here, and Society's biting commentary remains relevant today. Something that’s unique about “Society” is that it plays it straight for much of the movie. Bill rolls around town in a fancy Jeep, is the star of the basketball team, and is not hurting with the ladies. The film could have easily made him a self-aware, fourth-wall-breaking wiseacre, but instead, it sends Bill, and the viewers, headfirst into the confusing depravity of high society. This opening allows the film to catch its audience off-guard when the shocking truth is finally revealed. The high-school bliss is cut with trance-like images of blood and slugs and death that Bill does not at first understand. “Society” then quite literally positions the wealthy as monsters that literally and figuratively suck the life out of the less fortunate. The gonzo climax, in which people merge with one another and pull apart limbs and organs -- a process called "shunting" – is what (more than) earns it its reputation. The effects work is simultaneously disgusting and darkly humorous, and I can absolutely understand why the MPAA didn’t know what to do this movie in 1989. This is NOT a film for everyone, but fans of Yuzna's work in the horror genre will eat it up. Arrow Video did a nice 2K scan of the best elements available for “Society” and the results are impressive. Fine-object detail and texture are abundant, and wide shots are crisp and deep. Grain is nicely resolved, giving the HD image a film-like appearance. Yuzna boosts the pinks and reds, but color saturation is mostly good. The uncompressed LPCM 2.0 mix is similarly good. This is not an action-heavy film, but there are still plenty of ambient and squishy effects to rouse the surround speakers. Dialogue is clear and free of hiss and distortion, and it is balanced appropriately with effects and the score from Phil Davies and Mark Ryder. Arrow Video’s release was an impressive-two disc limited edition, including both a Blu-ray and a DVD copy of the film. Among the abundant extraas are an audio Commentary by Brian Yuzna, in which, the director director proves a good host and speaks at length about the production, casting, effects and the MPAA. He also touches on his overall career, which is an interesting addition; an extended interview with Yuzna, which overlaps somewhat with the commentary, but is still interesting, interviews with the principal cast, including Warlock, DeVasquez and Bartell, discussing the film (anecdotes are personal and genuine, which makes this piece superior to many like it), interviews with gore wizards Screaming Mad George, David Grasso and Nick Benson, which discuss their work on the movie and on other projects; and more. The copy I was sent did NOT include the collector's booklet among the extras, for which, I deducted a full star in the rating. I was very disappointed about this. For as unique and bonkers as “Society” is, it received little fanfare upon its initial release, but has since achieved cult status and certainly received much-deserved love from Arrow in this outstanding limited-edition Blu-ray. While not for all tastes, this film is good, gory fun, with Arrow's Blu-ray being technically impressive and including a ton of extra features, making this edition one that you’ll want to have in your collection. Highly Recommended.

Awesome movie; awesome set. This is a great set that bests the used DVD copies people have been trying to sell upwards of $100. The movie itself was ahead of its time with a lot of themes and the imagery sticks with you for days. The Shunt remains one of the most gloriously revolting finales out there and the extras which feature Screaming Mad George and his practical creations are just groovy. My only issue is that the graphic novel which comes with the movie (and is the literary sequel to Society) isn't that good due to a lot of grossly overlooked typos and poorly drawn/confusing imagery which makes reading it rather annoying. It's a decent idea for a sequel (mainly how it ends), but it also seems to try and shock with a late-game reveal for no other reason other than to try and compete with its cinematic brethren--which it really doesn't and is actually kind of unsatisfying. Even still, this is a classic horror film and a wholly worthwhile set to invest in. I love what Arrow Video's done in reviving it and the limited edition box set is and should be an instant-buy for anyone even slightly interested.

I consider myself a fan of practical effects used to create body horror. I loved John Carpenter's "The Thing". This movie was different. I will keep spoilers to a minimum. The first two-thirds of this movie builds a paranoid, sinister atmosphere. The protagonist is distrustful of his family and the society they are a part of. He doesn't know what is going on, and that terrifies him. Strange things keep happening, making him question his sanity. He's even afraid of his social circle. Eventually, the truth is revealed. The buildup to that final reveal made me incredibly uncomfortable. The "truth" is mind-bogglingly grotesque. I haven't felt like this since I watched Split. If you can stomach body horror, I recommend this movie strongly. It's a very weird movie that only gets weirder as it goes along. It is a bit campy, more so at the end, but I think overall it is a solid horror movie. If that sounds good to you, go ahead and watch it.

I will start this off by saying that I absolutely loved the film, this version looks great, and if you are a fan of body horror or 80s trash cinema this is one you don't want to miss. The package is absolutely spectacular. There is a lot of cool special features including a couple commentary tracks, a Q and A with Brian Yuzna, a cool interview with Mad George, and a pretty amazing music video.There is also a graphic novel that is a sequel to Society included. This is the single piece that is the most disappointing. While the artwork isn't bad, the story is and the characters don't really match up with their personalities in the film. Even though development in the film is very shallow, it would have been nice if that carried over to the book. It also diminishes the end of the film, and probably since it's a comic book would have been better suited if it was set right after the events of the movie not at least 15 years after.

There's a reason why horror flicks such as this one are highly sought after. I'm still not shocked at all for what sellers are asking for. I too, like a crack fiend, gave in and payed a ridiculous price to have Society in my personal Horror collection. It's because this film delivers the goods such as: originality, gross factor (as in bodies melting into each other), that's unique for its time, humor, weirdness, creepiness, and surprisingly stamps a shocking scene that wont leave my mind! Society tells a truly twisted alien-like family that have to survive by committing the nastiest of actions! I wont give spoilers; I'm sure someone here as already typed up the whole story. haha. You'll just have to take my word and check it out! I can't stress this enough when talking about Screaming Mad George's special effects!!! His work always amazing to me! If your into horror flicks such as: Slither, Silent Night Deadly Night -4, Amityville 1992: It's About Time, Slither, Night of the Creeps, and the Basket Case series.

Esta es una oscura alegoría al elitismo. La película es repugnante (sobre todo en el clímax), pero con mucha comedia negra y genuinos momentos de tensión. La edición de Arrow en steelbook es hermosa en su presentación, trae además de un folleto de más de 20 páginas de imágenes y un ensayo al respecto de sul valor cultural; por su parte el bluray contiene un buen numero de extras como entrevistas con los actores, el director (Brian Yuzna) y el encargado de los efectos de maquillaje (Mad George). La entrega fue rápida y el producto bien embalado.

Il DVD è in condizioni ottime. E il film un classico dell'horror che non poteva assolutamente mancare in una collezione per cinefili.

This long OOP Society box is a real treat with the sublime embossed packaging and the comic book. There is also a standard version however this is the killer must have. The movie itself is one of the weirdest - but full with humor and mystery - old skool horror movies i have ever seen. This is all about a young adolescent man who does not fit in what is called "Society". Society has however a completely different meaning in this movie. His sister and parents are not what they seem and he thinks he is hallucinating. Arrow Video is one of the leading labels in the world what cult movies concern. Old skool horror is one of the genres they are best in. Highest possible recommendation.

Society fait partie de ces films dont j'ai découvert des extraits alors que j'étais lycéen et auxquels j'ai décidé de ne me confronter qu'une fois adulte, il faut dire qu'en fonction des sensibilités il ne manquera pas de mettre mal à l'aise : visiblement je n'étais pas prêt lorsque j'étais plus jeune. Pour les amateurs du genre, c'est un classique à ranger aux côtés de Re-animator I et II ou From Beyond, mais celui-ci se différencie par sa critique virulente sur les castes de la haute société américaine. The Ecstasy of Films, non contente d'être dirigée par une personne passionnée et à l'écoute de ses clients, nous sert le film dans un écrin (comme à son habitude), permettant de découvrir ou redécouvrir Society dans une qualité particulièrement inespérée pour un film de genre. De quoi donner des leçons à bien des éditeurs. Je ne possède pas l'édition DVD mais à défaut de trouver l'édition Bluray si elle est épuisée, n'hésitez pas à vous la procurer, l'éditeur soignant toutes ses éditions.

Wow. Very interesting movie with very messed up scenes. Basically poking at the difference in classes and how rich people treat those not so fortunate. These "people" consume others and turn into blobs of arms and legs. Really interesting watch. A must for anh horror fan. The package itself came in great condition, no damage.