Wuchak
The paranoia of Rosemarys Baby mixed with the gross-out bits of The Thing
Shot in early 1989, this reminded of Rosemarys 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 is of the story is just switched from an old Gotham apartment building to sunny SoCal. Billy Warlock makes for a great protagonist and its unfortunate he didnt 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. Thats why Polanski limited the big reveal at the end of Rosemarys Baby to just a minute or two.
Society was appreciated in Europe...