Most horror movies tend to boil down to a metaphor that reflects some sort of real-life anxiety. Sometimes, they hold a magnifying glass up to society to explore themes that lie in the collective subconscious. It’s really no wonder that there is a prolific backlog of films that either dramatize the wealthy’s power, or outright demonize them.
This isn’t necessarily a rule, but there are more films that meditate on the potential villainy of the rich than those who cheer them on. Going back through American horror history, you’ll find plenty of examples of a filmmaker attempting to dramatize the high tensions surrounding class systems and disparity. If you’re seeking that out, here’s where you can find it.
Society (1989, dir. Brian Yuzna)
You’ve never seen anything else like this, and that’s a promise. Society follows a kid named Bill that has grown up in a well-to-do, upper crust family of whom he’s always been suspicious, since they treat him as an outcast and don’t even look like him. It turns out that his hunch is correct, but after he hears a tape of what sounds like his parents and sister participating in a murderous orgy, it becomes clear that their true nature is beyond his wildest imagination. Society didn’t get a theatrical release in the U.S. until 3 years after its completion. Absolutely overflowing with paranoia concerning the seedy underbelly of Beverly Hills and its inhabitants, the last act is almost inarguably one of the most disgusting, upsetting, and weirdly cheeky scenes ever committed to cinema. The practical effects by Screaming Mad George are dripping with goo and perspiration as a means to make sure that the metaphor is driven home.
Gore Meter: 5 out of 5. Seriously. Maybe 10 out of 10.
Pairs best with: Anything but your parents
Streaming on: Shudder, Amazon Prime, Kanopy, Tubi
Trigger/content warning (may contain spoilers)
The Hunt (2020, dir. Craig Zobel)
Touting controversy as a selling point, The Hunt was set to be released in 2019, but was shelved out of consideration towards real-life violence that preceded the film’s opening weekend (a temper tantrum from people who hadn’t seen it yet also played a role). The movie itself ended up being some pretty standard popcorn fare that satirized the political spectrum through internet culture. Ripping a page from The Most Dangerous Game, a bunch of right-leaning Americans wake up bound and gagged in a wooded area and quickly figure out that they’ve become victims to Manorgate, a yearly killing marathon conducted by the wealthy liberal elite (which is a conspiracy theory that they all subscribe to). The only person who knows how to fight back is Crystal Creasy, played by an extremely watchable Betty Gilpin. The plot changes its sympathies and loyalties and doesn’t portray anyone as an angel in any sense, but the rich are undeniably painted as ruthless murderers.
Gore Meter: 5 out of 5
Pairs best with: the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma
Streaming on: Behind the paywall on Amazon (exclusively for purchase), YouTube, and Google Play
Trigger/content warning (may contain spoilers)
The People Under the Stairs (1991, dir. Wes Craven)
A horror-comedy far more effective in its satire than The Hunt, Wes Craven’s under-appreciated film The People Under the Stairs is getting an update from producer Jordan Peele; but considering the original still seems timely and fresh, it’s hard to imagine where it can go. When young boy Fool breaks into the massive home of his horrifyingly greedy and creepy landlords (siblings who go by Mommy and Daddy, just for extra ick), he gets more than he bargained for after discovering children locked up in their basement. This movie is delightfully insane and packed with terrifying details about Mommy and Daddy (once again, ick) that reflected Craven’s personal concerns about the dangers of greed and gentrification in a capitalist country.
Gore Meter: 3 out of 5
Pairs best with: “Let’s Lynch the Landlord” by Dead Kennedys
Streaming on: Behind the paywall on all outlets for rent or purchase
Trigger/content warning (may contain spoilers)
Hostel (2005, dir. Eli Roth)
It’s definitely not for the faint of heart and also has its issues, but Eli Roth’s testament to how far you can push the MPAA’s R-rating holds some serious contempt and disgust for the 1%. Three dudes backpacking through Europe and looking for a good time get roped into an experience by two attractive strangers who promise them the time of their life. Unbeknownst to them, their cartoonish horniness is leading them into a trap set by the Elite Hunting Club - a service that literally sells the lives of tourists to really rich people who just wanna kill someone. It shocked audiences upon its release, helping form and popularize the “torture porn” subgenre. Interestingly enough, people were terrified of the believability; apparently the fear of someone with enough resources to pay to slowly murder you is pretty common.
Gore Meter: A very emphatic 5 out of 5 here. The camera does NOT cut away from anything. It’s a miracle this movie got a mainstream release.
Pairs best with: An empty stomach
Streaming on: HBO Go, Peacock
Trigger/content warning (may contain spoilers)
After two seasons, Hulu has canceled Stephen King horror series, Castle Rock.
Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Sightseers, A Field in England) has just wrapped his secret production of a horror film called In the Earth.
Ti West’s next movie will be an A24 production titled X.
Wooooof, whatta day November 8th is! The release date of four stone-cold classics:
A Nightmare on Elm Street was released in 1984!
So was Silent Night, Deadly Night!
Four years later in ‘88, the world was introduced to Chucky in the original Child’s Play!
Then two years after that, Child’s Play 2 was released. Happy 30th, Child’s Play 2! You’re doing great, sweetie!