The Stuff (1985)

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writer:

Larry Cohen (writer)

Release Date:

14 June 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Comedy | Sci-Fi | Mystery

Tagline:

Are you eating it ...or is it eating you?

Plot:

Weird yummy goo erupts from the earth and is discovered by a couple of miners. They taste it and decide to market it because it tastes so good...

Plot Keywords:

Stuff | Ice Cream | Advertising | Paramilitary | Spoof

Cast

Michael Moriarty	...	David 'Mo' Rutherford
Andrea Marcovicci	...	Nicole
Garrett Morris	...	'Chocolate Chip' Charlie W. Hobbs
Paul Sorvino	...	Colonel Malcolm Grommett Spears
Scott Bloom	...	Jason
Danny Aiello	...	Vickers
Patrick O'Neal	...	Fletcher
James Dixon	...	Postman
Alexander Scourby	...	Evans
Russell Nype	...	Richards
Gene O'Neill	...	Scientist
Catherine Schultz	...	Waitress
James Dukas	...	Gas Attendant
Peter Hock	...	Miner
Colette Blonigan	...	Jason's Mother

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-12 | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Accord, New York, USA

Company:

Larco Productions

Trivia:

According to the audio commentary on the 2000 Anchor Bay DVD, some of the substance props or stand-ins for the real Stuff used in the movie included lots of Häagen Däzs ice-cream, yogurt, and, for one scene involving an enormous avalanche-like effect of Stuff crashing though a wall, fire-extinguishing foam. Other shots, such as the ones of the giant lake of Stuff required superimposed images and animation.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Colonel Spears says his radio station is based in Atlanta (where they eventually broadcast the final warning). However, the signage on the wall of the station says WGHQ 92, a New York based radio station.

Quotes:

David 'Mo' Rutherford: You're Chocolate Chip Charlie!
'Chocolate Chip' Charlie W. Hobbs: Well, I sure as hell ain't the Kentucky Colonel!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: The Stuff (#1.3)" (1995)

It's Low Fat But It's Full of Cheese

A quick review: It's easy to see that Larry Cohen got his idea for "The Stuff" by the 1958 film "The Blob." The substance of the "The Stuff" is vaugly similar to the blob. The story is about the discovery of a white gooey substance that comes from beneath the ground that is turned into a widely loved food item. The problem is, once you consume it, you become a part of it and begin to crave more and more until you become a slave/zombie to the substance.

Apart from being a slimy substance that eats people to gain mass, slides, gooey and shapeless it's nowhere near being close to the blob. What is distinguishable between the stuff and the blob is the way it looks while it's in the ground as opposed to being in a comet. While in the ground, it's like a white pool of yogurt with mounds of the stuff popping out of the pool.

There isn't much gore or even scares, the only things that can be pretty creeps is when Chocolate Chip Charlie opens his mouth and the white stuff starts to squirt out. There are numerous scenes like that. What is also kind of creepy is the hotel scene in which a man is attacked by the stuff and is thrown against the wall and engulfed by the white substance. These scenes aren't necessarily scary or creepy but when you watch it you begin to marvel at the special effects that went into those scenes.

The acting was corny and way over blown, referenced by a kids knocking over cartons of The Stuff and taking a mop to knock over the supermarket signs and to break through the refrigerator door. It was a bit over-dramatic. Michael Moriarty's character of 'Mo' is a bit too calm and reserved at times, the character Jason was too over enthusiastic and too determined for any young boy. However, if it wasn't for this kind of acting, the movie would not be funny.

When you first watch the movie you can't help but laugh at some of the sly jokes and puns the movie makes about the food industry, however, taking that into account it can be said that this film is a satire on the food industry. It shows how the corporate top cats will go to any lengths to make a prophet, by either mass producing a fatal product or by chemically altering it to numb the side effects. The character Chocolate Chip Charlie is an obvious parody on Wally Amos of the "Famous Amos" brand cookies.

Overall, if you have the opportunity to watch this movie, please do. It's funny, it's smart, it's relevant and it has some bad acting. If you are a fan of "The Blob" or any kind of horror movie that has a gooey or shapeless substance would love this film. Even if you enjoyed "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" or "Soylent Green" you'll love this movie. It's a film that I enjoyed for all the wrong and some of the right reasons. It's not just a horror movie, but a very honest and important movie as well.

Note: Might I add, the television commercials for "The Stuff" is hilarious. "Where's the stuff!" The jingle will get stuck in your head.