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Society (film)
Encyclopedia
Society is an American
horror film
. It was finished in 1989, but not released in the US until 1992. It was Brian Yuzna
's directorial debut and was written by Rick Fry and Woody Keith. The film stars Billy Warlock
as Bill Whitney, Devin DeVasquez
as Clarissa Carlyn, Evan Richards as Milo and Ben Meyerson as Ferguson. Screaming Mad George was responsible for the special effect
s.
Society is considered to be a minor classic in the body horror
sub-genre. A sequel, Society 2: Body Modification, was in development, with a script written by Stephan Biro.
) seems to have it all. His family is wealthy and he lives in a mansion in Beverly Hills, California
. He's popular at his high school, looks to be a shoo-in for class president, has a cute cheerleader
girlfriend and owns a new Jeep Wrangler
to drive around in. Despite this, he feels as though he does not fit in with his family or their high-society friends. When his sister's ex-boyfriend Blanchard (Tim Bartell) gives him a surreptitiously recorded tape of what sounds like his family engaged in a vile, murderous orgy
, Bill begins to suspect that his feelings are justified.
Bill gives the tape to his therapist Dr. Cleveland (Ben Slack) to listen to. When he comes back for his appointment, Dr. Cleveland plays the tape back for Bill. The audio has now changed and now merely contains the sounds of his sister Jenny (Patrice Jennings) enjoying her coming out
party. Bill insists that what he'd heard before was real and calls Blanchard to get another copy. When he arrives at their meeting place, Bill discovers an ambulance and police officers gathered around Blanchard's crashed van. A body is placed into the back of the ambulance, but Bill is prevented from seeing its face.
At Blanchard's funeral, Bill and his friend Milo (Evan Richards) discover that Blanchard's corpse either needed a lot of reconstructive work for display, or is not real. After the funeral and at the encouragement of his parents, Bill attends a party hosted by his upper-class classmate Ferguson (Ben Meyerson). There, Ferguson lasciviously confirms that the first audio tape Bill listened to—with the sounds of an orgy on it—was the real tape. Angry and confused, he leaves the party with Clarissa (Devin DeVasquez
), a beautiful girl he'd been admiring. They have acrobatic sex at her house and Bill meets Clarissa's bizarre, hair-loving mother (Pamela Matheson).
Bill returns home the next day and confronts his parents (Connie Danese and Charles Lucia) and sister, who are all in the master bedroom dressed in lingerie
. With Dr. Cleveland's help, they drug Bill. As Milo secretly trails him, Bill is taken to a hospital. Bill awakens in a hospital bed and thinks he hears Blanchard crying out, but discovers that nothing is there. He leaves the hospital and finds his Jeep waiting for him. Milo tries to warn him, but he drives back to his house.
Back home again, Bill finds a large, formal party. He is snared by the neck and Dr. Cleveland reveals all of the secrets he has been searching for. He is not really related to his family after all. In fact, his family and their high-society friends are actually a different species
from Bill. To demonstrate, they bring in a still-living Blanchard. The wealthy party guests strip to their underwear and begin "shunting". The rich literally feed on the poor, physically deforming and melding with each other as they suck the nutrients out of Blanchard's body. Their intention is to do to the same to Bill. In a fight with Ferguson, Bill manages to pull the pliable Ferguson inside-out. With Milo and Clarissa's help—who is also of this alternate species, but has fallen in love with Bill—he escapes.
, but was shelved
for three years before getting a release in the U.S. Said director Yuzna in an interview: "I think Europeans are more willing to accept the ideas that are in a movie. That's why for example Society did really well in Europe and in the US did nothing, where it was a big joke. And I think it's because they responded to the ideas in there. I was totally having fun with them, but they are there nonetheless."
In 1990, Society won the Silver Raven award for "Best Make-Up" at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film
.
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
. It was finished in 1989, but not released in the US until 1992. It was Brian Yuzna
Brian Yuzna
Brian Yuzna is a director, writer and producer of films.- Life :Yuzna grew up in Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Panama before moving to the United States in the 1960s.- Career :...
's directorial debut and was written by Rick Fry and Woody Keith. The film stars Billy Warlock
Billy Warlock
Billy Warlock is an American actor best known for playing Eddie Kramer, a lifeguard on the original three seasons of Baywatch and in the reunion movie in 2003, as well as for numerous daytime roles, most notably Frankie Brady on Days of our Lives and A.J...
as Bill Whitney, Devin DeVasquez
Devin DeVasquez
Devin Renee DeVasquez is an American model and actress. She was chosen as Playboy's Playmate of the Month in June 1985. Her centerfold was photographed by Richard Fegley...
as Clarissa Carlyn, Evan Richards as Milo and Ben Meyerson as Ferguson. Screaming Mad George was responsible for the special effect
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
s.
Society is considered to be a minor classic in the body horror
Body horror
Body horror, biological horror, organic horror or venereal horror is horror fiction in which the horror is principally derived from the graphic destruction or degeneration of the body. Such works may deal with disease, decay, parasitism, mutilation, or mutation...
sub-genre. A sequel, Society 2: Body Modification, was in development, with a script written by Stephan Biro.
Plot
Bill Whitney (Billy WarlockBilly Warlock
Billy Warlock is an American actor best known for playing Eddie Kramer, a lifeguard on the original three seasons of Baywatch and in the reunion movie in 2003, as well as for numerous daytime roles, most notably Frankie Brady on Days of our Lives and A.J...
) seems to have it all. His family is wealthy and he lives in a mansion in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. He's popular at his high school, looks to be a shoo-in for class president, has a cute cheerleader
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
girlfriend and owns a new Jeep Wrangler
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is a subcompact four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle and an off-road vehicle manufactured by American automaker Chrysler, under its Jeep marque – and now in its fourth generation. It is a successor to the famous World War II 'Jeep' vehicle by way of the Willys civilian...
to drive around in. Despite this, he feels as though he does not fit in with his family or their high-society friends. When his sister's ex-boyfriend Blanchard (Tim Bartell) gives him a surreptitiously recorded tape of what sounds like his family engaged in a vile, murderous orgy
Orgy
In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party where guests engage in promiscuous or multifarious sexual activity or group sex. An orgy is similar to debauchery, which refers to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures....
, Bill begins to suspect that his feelings are justified.
Bill gives the tape to his therapist Dr. Cleveland (Ben Slack) to listen to. When he comes back for his appointment, Dr. Cleveland plays the tape back for Bill. The audio has now changed and now merely contains the sounds of his sister Jenny (Patrice Jennings) enjoying her coming out
Debutante
A débutante is a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...
party. Bill insists that what he'd heard before was real and calls Blanchard to get another copy. When he arrives at their meeting place, Bill discovers an ambulance and police officers gathered around Blanchard's crashed van. A body is placed into the back of the ambulance, but Bill is prevented from seeing its face.
At Blanchard's funeral, Bill and his friend Milo (Evan Richards) discover that Blanchard's corpse either needed a lot of reconstructive work for display, or is not real. After the funeral and at the encouragement of his parents, Bill attends a party hosted by his upper-class classmate Ferguson (Ben Meyerson). There, Ferguson lasciviously confirms that the first audio tape Bill listened to—with the sounds of an orgy on it—was the real tape. Angry and confused, he leaves the party with Clarissa (Devin DeVasquez
Devin DeVasquez
Devin Renee DeVasquez is an American model and actress. She was chosen as Playboy's Playmate of the Month in June 1985. Her centerfold was photographed by Richard Fegley...
), a beautiful girl he'd been admiring. They have acrobatic sex at her house and Bill meets Clarissa's bizarre, hair-loving mother (Pamela Matheson).
Bill returns home the next day and confronts his parents (Connie Danese and Charles Lucia) and sister, who are all in the master bedroom dressed in lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
. With Dr. Cleveland's help, they drug Bill. As Milo secretly trails him, Bill is taken to a hospital. Bill awakens in a hospital bed and thinks he hears Blanchard crying out, but discovers that nothing is there. He leaves the hospital and finds his Jeep waiting for him. Milo tries to warn him, but he drives back to his house.
Back home again, Bill finds a large, formal party. He is snared by the neck and Dr. Cleveland reveals all of the secrets he has been searching for. He is not really related to his family after all. In fact, his family and their high-society friends are actually a different species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
from Bill. To demonstrate, they bring in a still-living Blanchard. The wealthy party guests strip to their underwear and begin "shunting". The rich literally feed on the poor, physically deforming and melding with each other as they suck the nutrients out of Blanchard's body. Their intention is to do to the same to Bill. In a fight with Ferguson, Bill manages to pull the pliable Ferguson inside-out. With Milo and Clarissa's help—who is also of this alternate species, but has fallen in love with Bill—he escapes.
Cast
- Billy WarlockBilly WarlockBilly Warlock is an American actor best known for playing Eddie Kramer, a lifeguard on the original three seasons of Baywatch and in the reunion movie in 2003, as well as for numerous daytime roles, most notably Frankie Brady on Days of our Lives and A.J...
as Bill Whitney - Connie Danese as Nan
- Ben Slack as Dr. Cleveland
- Evan Richards as Milo
- Patrice Jennings as Jenny
- Tim Bartell as Blanchard
- Charles Lucia as Jim
- Heidi KozakHeidi KozakHeidi Kozak is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her act as Sally Burns in Slumber Party Massacre 2 and Sandra in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood...
as Shauna - Brian Bremer as Petrie
- Ben Meyerson as Ferguson
- Devin DeVasquezDevin DeVasquezDevin Renee DeVasquez is an American model and actress. She was chosen as Playboy's Playmate of the Month in June 1985. Her centerfold was photographed by Richard Fegley...
as Clarissa Carlyn - Maria Claire as Sally
- Conan Yuzna as Jason
- Jason Williams as Jason's Friend
- Pamela Matheson as Mrs. Carlyn
Reception
Society was a success in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, but was shelved
Shelved
In politics, the term can be used for policy drafts, that have never been officially brought into legislation.In the film industry, a film is considered shelved if it is not released for public viewing after filming has started, or even completed....
for three years before getting a release in the U.S. Said director Yuzna in an interview: "I think Europeans are more willing to accept the ideas that are in a movie. That's why for example Society did really well in Europe and in the US did nothing, where it was a big joke. And I think it's because they responded to the ideas in there. I was totally having fun with them, but they are there nonetheless."
In 1990, Society won the Silver Raven award for "Best Make-Up" at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film
Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film
The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival , previously named Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film was created in 1983 as a venue for horror, thriller and science fiction films. It takes place in Brussels, every year in March...
.