The Stuff (1985)

A delicious, mysterious goo that oozes from the earth is marketed as the newest dessert sensation, but the tasty treat rots more than teeth when zombie-like snackers who only want to consume more of the strange substance at any cost begin infesting the world.

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writer:

Larry Cohen

Stars:

Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Moriarty	...	David
Andrea Marcovicci	...	Nicole
Garrett Morris	...	'Chocolate' Charlie
Paul Sorvino	...	Col. 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

Storyline

When a mysterious, white, and gooey but delicious substance begins oozing from the Earth's surface, it makes a great new dessert product, but this new dessert has a sinister origin: it's an entity that takes over its victims' minds while making them crave more of it.

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Plot Keywords:

ice cream | mutation | parasite | army | dynamite | 

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Taglines:

It'll change your life forever.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

David 'Mo' Rutherford tells 'Chocolate Chip' Charlie W. Hobbs to contact agent Frank Herbert from the FBI. Frank Herbert was an American science fiction writer best known for the novel Dune and its five sequels.

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Goofs

In the scene at the Stuff factory, they stumble across a room full of Stuffies dressed in yellow, lying on the floor. In the shot directly after Jason says "Whatever was inside of them must have just taken off," the camera pans around all of the Stuffies, who all have their mouths open and tongues sticking out. The actor at the top of the screen (the farthest from camera) is wiggling his mouth and tongue rapidly, indicating that not only he is very much alive, but quite likely didn't even hear the director's call of action.

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Quotes

'Chocolate Chip' Charlie W. Hobbs: The only thing Chocolate Chip Charlie knows better than fighting is running.
David 'Mo' Rutherford: Pick a direction!

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Crazy Credits

Although Michael Moriarty's character is continually referred to (and introduces himself) as "'Mo' Rutherford," the credits list him only as "David."

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Alternate Versions

The original VHS release omitted the black-market Stuff.

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Connections

Featured in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Dracula vs. Frankenstein (2010)

User Reviews

Lot's of fun to be had with Cohen's The Stuff!

The Stuff is another delightful horror film from the hand of Larry Cohen and plays out something like a meeting between Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Blob. After seeing films like It's Alive and Q: The Winged Serpent, the style and way that this film plays out doesn't come as a surprise. Larry Cohen is a master of schlock horror, and I definitely rate The Stuff as one of his best films! The film is definitively eighties; the whole feel of The Stuff is very much reminiscent of the trash decade and things such as the 'flash' advertisements for the product at the centre of the film, as well as the music help to ensure this. The story takes in ideas of greed and, more importantly, consumerism as we follow a couple of miners who discover a viscous white liquid emanating from the ground. The chances of me tasting something that I'd just seen bubble out of the Earth are nil, but these guys do and discover that it's actually very tasty! One successful marketing campaign later and everyone is tucking into the tasty new desert...but there's more to what people are calling 'The Stuff'...

Given that this is a silly horror film, its commentaries and themes are actually put across rather well. The audience is never allowed to take it completely seriously, but the way that the film builds up the scenario and sees everyone purchasing what the media has told them to buy is strangely haunting all on its own. Besides that, even themes in a film that can't really put them across appropriately is better than no themes at all, which shows Larry Cohen's talent for creative scriptwriting. The film is lead by Michael Moriarty, who worked with Cohen in Q and the third instalment of the It's Alive series and does a great job in this one. While his acting isn't very good, he's constantly amusing and actually has really good screen presence; I often found myself wanting to see him back on screen during the scenes he wasn't in. The special effects are typically silly; but far better and more believable than most CGI rubbish. The scenes that see people breaking apart are oddly frightening, and I've got to say that I loved the 'Blob' style scenes where The Stuff itself was on the rampage. On the whole, The Stuff might not do much for those who don't like schlock horror; but if you ask me, it's a great fun ride and I highly recommend it!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 June 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Stuff

Filming Locations:

New Paltz, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Larco Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min 93 min (Blu-ray Edition)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1