Society (1989)

**_The paranoia of “Rosemary’s Baby” mixed with the gross-out bits of “The Thing”_** Shot in early 1989, this reminded of “Rosemary’s Baby” during the first two acts and so was unsurprised to learn that the director cited it as one of his biggest influences, along with “The Spiral Staircase.” The milieu of the story is just switched from an old Gotham apartment building to sunny SoCal. Billy Warlock makes for a great protagonist and it’s unfortunate he didn’t have a more successful career in acting. So, the first hour works pretty well, but the shocking elements of the last act go on way too long. Less is more. That’s why Polanski limited the big reveal at the end of “Rosemary’s Baby” to just a minute or two. “Society” was appreciated in Europe in 1989-90, but was a dud in America, where it wasn’t officially released until 1992, although it screened at the USA Film Festival in 1991. It, however, did very well when released to video and has gone on to develop a cult following. It runs 1 hour, 39 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area as follows: Pasadena (the mansion), Van Nuys (high school), North Hills (hospital) and Culver City (studio work). GRADE: C