Friday night at the home drive-in: Society (1989)

Friday night at the home drive-in: Society (1989) by #BrianYuzna w/ #BillyWarlock #ConcettaDAgnese #EvanRichards #PatriceJennings #HeidiKozak #DevinDeVasquez & #ScreamingMadGeorge! "The rich have always fed off the poor. This time it's for real." #Horror #NotQuiteClassicCinema pic.twitter.com/UJjjg4beQn

— Angus Kohm (@AngusKohm) October 5, 2019

Re-Animator (1985) is probably one of my favourite movies of the 1980s. I didn’t see Bride of Re-Animator (1989) when it first came out, probably because it wasn’t directed by Stuart Gordon. But I did see Society (1989), which was advertised as “From the Producer of Re-Animator“. So, I guess I was okay with Brian Yuzna trying his hand at directing – I just didn’t want to think that Stuart Gordon was somehow being cheated out of a job. In reality, I’m sure it was nothing like that. But it’s kind of like one of your favourite bands getting a new singer. They may still be a good band. but sometimes it just doesn’t feel right…

The good news was, and is, that Society is, and was, a good movie. I bought a copy on VHS back in the day, and, more recently, upgraded it to Blu-ray. It holds up as one of the better lesser-known horror films of the 1980s. I think what makes it good, is probably what made it less than successful back when it first came out: it’s different. It’s hard to categorize it. It’s not a slasher film. It’s not a zombie film. It’s a fairly unusual slow burn of a movie from before they referred to movie as “slow burns”. And it’s got a sense of humour, which is something I can always appreciate in a horror movie.

It’s also great to see Heidi Kozak Haddad, from Slumber Party Massacre 2 (1987) in a supporting role.

For it’s lack of initial mainstream success, and it’s resistance to easy categorization, I hereby certify Society 100% #NotQuiteClassicCinema.