In 1989, writers Zeph E. Daniel, Rick Fry, and director Brian Yuzna unleashed the cult classic film Society. The film would ultimately be banned in the United States but adored in Europe for its foray into the burgeoning body horror genre. Many don't realize this so-called fictional tale may have been true...except for the body-melding orgy at the end.

In his documentary feature, The Darkside of Society, Larry Wade Carrell documents not only the production of Society but also the story's inspiration: Zeph E. Daniel. As mentioned before, the film Society stood out from the glut of 80s slasher films. It's the story of a young teen who realizes that his family is involved in a sex cult. Our protagonist may have been groomed himself by the cult with no memory of his role.

Daniel's story was about class -- how the rich were feeding off the poor, literally. The film ends exactly that way in a genre-bending body horror feast, which left audiences shocked by its content.

Because of the extreme sexual nature of the story, no theaters or VHS distributors would touch the film. Thanks to Europe's less prudish attitudes toward sex and their fascination with weirdness, Society became a massive success, which would ultimately translate to a U.S. release.

"Zeph wrote a genuinely insane story about a fictional Satanic cult."

Narrated by the late great Julian Sands, The Darkside of Society has less to do with the production of this groundbreaking film. It's the story of writer Zeph E. Daniel. When the film came out, a "fan" reached out to Zeph telling him that the events in Society were real -- that there existed a cult where its members groomed children and teens into sexual behaviors and went through extreme mind-control tactics, which kept the cult a secret and then labeled you a lunatic if you ever tried to go public.

With this revelation, we walk through the life of Zeph E. Daniel's real-life persona, Woody Keith, and his journey of survival in this cult. It all began with the script. Zeph wrote a genuinely insane story about a fictional Satanic cult. Though Zeph thought he was making the story up, we soon realized that he was documenting his childhood experiences that he had no memory of. Psychologists refer to this concept as compartmentalization. He had been groomed to put this part of his life in a box (compartment) in his mind and never open it up.

Writing Society was a way of opening this box and facing his childhood trauma. It was like Pandora's box. It explained his struggles with depression and thoughts of suicide. It was also a way to put the puzzle pieces of his mind back together and explain things like his mother's dissociative identity disorder.

Watching The Darkside of Society was like opening Pandora's Box. Larry Wade Carrell's documentary will certainly elicit one of two responses: it's either the truth or pure fiction. You will like or dislike this film based on where you stand on the conspiracy spectrum. I'm not exactly a conspiracy theorist, but I found Zeph's story fascinating.

Director Carrell was wise to start with the making of Society as a way to draw us into its insane reality. From there, Zeph tells his story. Where you fall on the spectrum will dictate the questions you will be asking yourself along the way.

I found myself thoroughly engaged with the subject matter from start to finish. Whether you believe it or not, the information is presented in an engaging and convincing way. If anything, if you haven't had a good mindfuck recently, check out The Darkside of Society and then watch Society immediately afterward.