Society (film)

Society is a 1989 American body horror film directed by Brian Yuzna in his directorial debut from a screenplay by Woody Keith and Rick Fry. It stars Billy Warlock as a teenager in Beverly Hills who begins to suspect that his wealthy parents are part of a gruesome cult made up of the social elite.

Society was originally conceived as a more conventional slasher, featuring a cult of social elitists who engage in human sacrifice. The screenplay was reshaped by Yuzna, who introduced body horror elements such as the reveal of the cult being a shapeshifting species that can literally feed on the lower classes, a concept he based on nightmares he had experienced. The film was shot in California in 1988 with Screaming Mad George as the special effects designer.

The film screened at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, but went unreleased in the United States until 1992. It failed commercially, though it received critical acclaim from international audiences. In the years since its release, the film has garnered a cult following and is regarded as influential in body horror.