(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the kind of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“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.”
On the one hand, The Stuff is a movie difficult to love because the vast majority of it is shrouded in ambiguity. Though we know where The Stuff comes from, there’s never any explanation for why it exists. Though we see people and animals eating it, we’re never quite assured of exactly what its doing to those bodies and minds. Though there are strong suggestions that it’s somehow taking over our brains, the script lacks any cogent explanation of what its motivation or end strategy could possibly be. While undoubtedly Cohen scores points about commercialism and consumerism throughout the 90-minute running time, we’re still left with the somewhat tired and predictable cautionary ‘be careful what you wish for’ moral of the story; and – ahem – haven’t we been here before?
On the other hand, The Stuff rather effectively throws barb after barb about just how crass and uninformed we’ve become as a society. So long as something looks good, tastes great, and maybe even helps us get through the day, we’ll put damn near anything into our tummies, never once really stopping to consider the long much less the short-term effects. Because Cohen’s done this kind of thing before – 1976’s God Told Me To distressingly skewers those who engage in blind faith as well as savages religious extremism as a means to an end – I suspect that’s territory he felt most comfortable with in delivering the final cut of The Stuff to theaters, so be thankful that – minimally – the central goal is achieved.
However, I’ve read (and heard, now) that the writer/director initially delivered a much longer cut to New World Pictures that apparently studio executives balked at. From what I understand, Cohen completed something he describes as “more dense and sophisticated” when all the suits were hoping for was a traditional Horror effort. (This being the mid-1980’s and Horror statistically always being a safe bet if it had a strong narrative hook, who could blame them?) Frankly, I’d love to see what ended up on the cutting room as this completed endeavor tastes more like one of those semi-addictive concoctions the auteur is lampooning: it’s far too light, it’s far too sugary, it goes down way too easily, and it’ll likely be forgotten when the next big thing comes along.
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“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.”
On the one hand, The Stuff is a movie difficult to love because the vast majority of it is shrouded in ambiguity. Though we know where The Stuff comes from, there’s never any explanation for why it exists. Though we see people and animals eating it, we’re never quite assured of exactly what its doing to those bodies and minds. Though there are strong suggestions that it’s somehow taking over our brains, the script lacks any cogent explanation of what its motivation or end strategy could possibly be. While undoubtedly Cohen scores points about commercialism and consumerism throughout the 90-minute running time, we’re still left with the somewhat tired and predictable cautionary ‘be careful what you wish for’ moral of the story; and – ahem – haven’t we been here before?
On the other hand, The Stuff rather effectively throws barb after barb about just how crass and uninformed we’ve become as a society. So long as something looks good, tastes great, and maybe even helps us get through the day, we’ll put damn near anything into our tummies, never once really stopping to consider the long much less the short-term effects. Because Cohen’s done this kind of thing before – 1976’s God Told Me To distressingly skewers those who engage in blind faith as well as savages religious extremism as a means to an end – I suspect that’s territory he felt most comfortable with in delivering the final cut of The Stuff to theaters, so be thankful that – minimally – the central goal is achieved.
However, I’ve read (and heard, now) that the writer/director initially delivered a much longer cut to New World Pictures that apparently studio executives balked at. From what I understand, Cohen completed something he describes as “more dense and sophisticated” when all the suits were hoping for was a traditional Horror effort. (This being the mid-1980’s and Horror statistically always being a safe bet if it had a strong narrative hook, who could blame them?) Frankly, I’d love to see what ended up on the cutting room as this completed endeavor tastes more like one of those semi-addictive concoctions the auteur is lampooning: it’s far too light, it’s far too sugary, it goes down way too easily, and it’ll likely be forgotten when the next big thing comes along.
For what it’s worth, that’s the real shame to all of The Stuff.
Under Cohen’s direction, the shortened version is still a modestly entertaining feature. Certainly, it’s not big, bold, and brash the way a typical studio Hollywood blockbuster might approach the subject matter; but it’s still clinically efficient in smaller, restrained ways. Though the film is easily plagued with some subpar effects work and maybe a few schlocky if not nonsensical performances, there remains a short but loud parade of ideas. The script comments on many, many aspects of social structures be they family structures, government oversight, addiction, individuality, conformity, and more. Some of the observations could’ve used a bit more depth – that’s usually the case when social commentary enters the more mainstream efforts of Horror – but the remarks are still there … and they’re quite prescient.
Thankfully, Arrow Films is righting that wrong with this 2025 release, a two-disc set that includes both the theatrical version as well as that pre-release edit that allegedly was located in 2021. Having just sat through both, I can assure you that – unquestionably – the longer film (just under two hours) is the better incarnation of this story. Yes, it still kinda/sorta misses the boat in clarifying precisely where The Stuff comes from; but the additional scenes do flesh out the relationships between the principle characters, give some greater subtext to actions taking place, and – in minor ways – just how pervasive the effects the horrifically delicious goo is on the afflicted. As can happen with some yarns, it does run a bit long in certain sequences; and, yet, I’d rather watch something closer to what the storyteller intended than a shortened studio edit almost every time it’s offered.
David ‘Mo’ Rutherford (played by Michael Moriarty) is a former FBI Agent turned industrial espionage specialist who is among the elite of the elite at his craft. When the ice cream industry suddenly finds itself losing to its competition in the dessert industry to a newly-launched delicacy called, simply, ‘The Stuff,’ they’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on the recipe in hopes that they’ll find some evidence to bring the new supplier to its knees. Naturally, Rutherford takes the case, thinking that such an exposé should be easy pickings for a man of his talents. Lo and behold, he finds only an endless trails of unanswerable questions upon his first inspection, forcing him onto the less conventional path of seducing the company’s marketing genius Nicole (Andrea Marcovicci) in order to get closer to his ultimate goal. It doesn’t take long before even she realizes things are amiss; and she willing joins him in the quest to expose her employer for dealing with one of the most dangerous creations ever sold in stores!
Under Cohen’s direction, the shortened version is still a modestly entertaining feature. Certainly, it’s not big, bold, and brash the way a typical studio Hollywood blockbuster might approach the subject matter; but it’s still clinically efficient in smaller, restrained ways. Though the film is easily plagued with some subpar effects work and maybe a few schlocky if not nonsensical performances, there remains a short but loud parade of ideas. The script comments on many, many aspects of social structures be they family structures, government oversight, addiction, individuality, conformity, and more. Some of the observations could’ve used a bit more depth – that’s usually the case when social commentary enters the more mainstream efforts of Horror – but the remarks are still there … and they’re quite prescient.
Thankfully, Arrow Films is righting that wrong with this 2025 release, a two-disc set that includes both the theatrical version as well as that pre-release edit that allegedly was located in 2021. Having just sat through both, I can assure you that – unquestionably – the longer film (just under two hours) is the better incarnation of this story. Yes, it still kinda/sorta misses the boat in clarifying precisely where The Stuff comes from; but the additional scenes do flesh out the relationships between the principle characters, give some greater subtext to actions taking place, and – in minor ways – just how pervasive the effects the horrifically delicious goo is on the afflicted. As can happen with some yarns, it does run a bit long in certain sequences; and, yet, I’d rather watch something closer to what the storyteller intended than a shortened studio edit almost every time it’s offered.
David ‘Mo’ Rutherford (played by Michael Moriarty) is a former FBI Agent turned industrial espionage specialist who is among the elite of the elite at his craft. When the ice cream industry suddenly finds itself losing to its competition in the dessert industry to a newly-launched delicacy called, simply, ‘The Stuff,’ they’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on the recipe in hopes that they’ll find some evidence to bring the new supplier to its knees. Naturally, Rutherford takes the case, thinking that such an exposé should be easy pickings for a man of his talents. Lo and behold, he finds only an endless trails of unanswerable questions upon his first inspection, forcing him onto the less conventional path of seducing the company’s marketing genius Nicole (Andrea Marcovicci) in order to get closer to his ultimate goal. It doesn’t take long before even she realizes things are amiss; and she willing joins him in the quest to expose her employer for dealing with one of the most dangerous creations ever sold in stores!
Moriarty makes for a likable though occasionally confusing lead. The actor has mastered the art of the Southern drawl, and he uses it expertly in order to get Mo into the good graces of those he encounters, be it corporate executives, government operatives, and even the loose cannon of a U.S. militia commander – Col. Malcolm Spears (Paul Sorvino) – he needs to bring The Stuff’s distribution system down. The last is a somewhat convenient development – the kind that could’ve used a bit of foreshadowing to make it feel a bit less forced – but it’s handled with a healthy dose of comedy, clearly signaling on even Cohen’s part that not a great deal of this is to be taken seriously. The Stuff is satire – not necessarily comic in origins – and it uses a few laughs to make the breadth of the whole affair work.
Marcovicci – while good – is a bit underwritten, and some of this simply comes from the fact that more often than not the parts of females get a bit restricted to being central victims in the Horror genre. Cohen’s a smart enough storyteller to give her a bit more to do; and yet the film is also plagued with a few moments that has her kinda/sorta flirting in order to accomplish what she needs and even uncharacteristically falling in love far too quickly with the available wealthy adult male that Rutherford is. Still, the lady hits her marks nicely, so much so that I’m a bit surprised she never found wider employment in movies. I’ve read that she’s reserved her talents a bit more in professional nightclubs and the like, so perhaps these few screen stops were all she had time for. That’s our loss.
Furthermore, The Stuff rounds out the leads with newcomer Scott Bloom occupying the role of young Jason, a child inevitably separated from his family once they’ve been consumed by their dependence upon The Stuff. His is a very solid B-storyline that eventually blends into the main source of the action roughly at the picture’s midpoint: as a budding young adventurer, he joins forces with Mo and Nicole mostly because he can serve as a first-person witness to the dangers of the digestible narcotics available in grocery stores. Indeed, he spends his half of the flick waging a one-man campaign – erm … one-kid campaign? – trying to alert those around him to the growing threat but – as he’s a child – he gets no one to listen. Still, once The Stuff knows that Jason is out there, even that delirious gunk will stop at nothing to mesmerize the boy.
As an ensemble, each character has a part to play, and Cohen truly balances the whole shebang out quite nicely. The 1980’s being what they were theatrically it wasn’t uncommon for younger actors and actresses to find themselves much more centerstage in genre productions; and The Stuff – as a film – definitely fits into the era as one more example of young and old working collaboratively to save the day. Sure, some of it can play a bit cringey by comparison to modern efforts; but it’s all swallowed quite well (snicker snicker) here because it’s more comic than treacherous. Mind you: The Stuff wants to rattle your brain, but it never appears in any form that I couldn’t chuckle at afterward. What can I say? I just have issues taking food threats that seriously.
Marcovicci – while good – is a bit underwritten, and some of this simply comes from the fact that more often than not the parts of females get a bit restricted to being central victims in the Horror genre. Cohen’s a smart enough storyteller to give her a bit more to do; and yet the film is also plagued with a few moments that has her kinda/sorta flirting in order to accomplish what she needs and even uncharacteristically falling in love far too quickly with the available wealthy adult male that Rutherford is. Still, the lady hits her marks nicely, so much so that I’m a bit surprised she never found wider employment in movies. I’ve read that she’s reserved her talents a bit more in professional nightclubs and the like, so perhaps these few screen stops were all she had time for. That’s our loss.
Furthermore, The Stuff rounds out the leads with newcomer Scott Bloom occupying the role of young Jason, a child inevitably separated from his family once they’ve been consumed by their dependence upon The Stuff. His is a very solid B-storyline that eventually blends into the main source of the action roughly at the picture’s midpoint: as a budding young adventurer, he joins forces with Mo and Nicole mostly because he can serve as a first-person witness to the dangers of the digestible narcotics available in grocery stores. Indeed, he spends his half of the flick waging a one-man campaign – erm … one-kid campaign? – trying to alert those around him to the growing threat but – as he’s a child – he gets no one to listen. Still, once The Stuff knows that Jason is out there, even that delirious gunk will stop at nothing to mesmerize the boy.
As an ensemble, each character has a part to play, and Cohen truly balances the whole shebang out quite nicely. The 1980’s being what they were theatrically it wasn’t uncommon for younger actors and actresses to find themselves much more centerstage in genre productions; and The Stuff – as a film – definitely fits into the era as one more example of young and old working collaboratively to save the day. Sure, some of it can play a bit cringey by comparison to modern efforts; but it’s all swallowed quite well (snicker snicker) here because it’s more comic than treacherous. Mind you: The Stuff wants to rattle your brain, but it never appears in any form that I couldn’t chuckle at afterward. What can I say? I just have issues taking food threats that seriously.
The Stuff (1985) was produced by Larco Productions. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Arrow Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights-and-sounds to this restoration very good, but there are a few sequences with a great deal of grain. (I’m well aware that this is owed to issues with the source material, but it’s still worth mentioning.) Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? This is Arrow, so it’s a wonderful collection. In order to be fair, I’m doing the reliable copy-and-paste from the company’s previously published press release with a few observations to follow:
DISC ONE - 4K BLU-RAY
DISC ONE - 4K BLU-RAY
- NEW4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE by Arrow Films
- DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
- Original lossless English 1.0 mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary by writers and critics David Flint and Adrian Smith
- Archival audio commentary by writer/director Larry Cohen
- Can't Get Enough of The Stuff: Making Larry Cohen's Classic Creature Feature, a documentary featuring Larry Cohen, producer Paul Kurta, actress Andrea Marcovicci, mechanical makeup effects artist Steve Neill and critic Kim Newman
- Enough is Never Enough, a newly edited featurette featuring previously unseen interviews with director Larry Cohen and producer Paul Kurta, originally shot for the 2017 documentary King Cohen
- 42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Notorious Street, a feature-length documentary exploring the history of New York City's infamous 42nd Street, with first-hand accounts from an array of filmmakers, including Larry Cohen
- Trailers and TV spots
- King Cohen trailer
- Image gallery
- An early, pre-release cut of the film featuring over 30 minutes of additional footage and a different music score, exclusively remastered by Arrow Films
- High-Definition presentation
- Original lossless English 1.0 mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Barnes
- Illustrated collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by Joel Harley and a new essay by Daniel Burnet
I have heard Cohen on a commentary track before, but he seemed a bit quite here. Some of this might be owed to the reality of having his work kinda/sorta butchered in the truncated and inferior theatrical release, but I’d be remiss if I failed to mention he occasionally sounds uninterested. Flint and Smith’s commentary starts good, but somewhere around the midpoint the two seem to lose focus, and their conversation spirals into areas that, too, I just find all that relevant. Frankly, the documentaries were much more entertaining even though they, too, travel the gamut a bit, addressing this film as well as other Cohen-related efforts. It’s a great assortment nonetheless, and I encourage those of you seriously interested to pick up this release.
Also, as I’m only provided a copy of the discs themselves, I cannot speak to the efficacy of the associated booklets, artwork, inserts, and whatnot. In those instances, I always caution readers with the old adage: “Buyer beware.”
Recommended.
1985’s The Stuff is an oddity even amongst the many works of Larry Cohen. To me, it feels a bit more commercial than some of everything else he did; but it never quite rises to the level of a reputable B-Movie production except when dealing with that sugary concoction for which all of this madness is titled. Because so much of it just grazed the target, it’s hard to give this as strong an endorsement as I think others will. While it’s the perfect late-night movie – the kind of thing you find on a channel and tune in more as a curiosity than anything else – it still lacks that something extra – a key scene, a bigger performance, or some special effects wizardry – to make it extraordinary. There’s probably a cult following out there somewhere regardless, and I think Arrow’s release might whet their appetite for a bit more of The Stuff.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Films and MVD Entertainment provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray copy of The Stuff (1985) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Also, as I’m only provided a copy of the discs themselves, I cannot speak to the efficacy of the associated booklets, artwork, inserts, and whatnot. In those instances, I always caution readers with the old adage: “Buyer beware.”
Recommended.
1985’s The Stuff is an oddity even amongst the many works of Larry Cohen. To me, it feels a bit more commercial than some of everything else he did; but it never quite rises to the level of a reputable B-Movie production except when dealing with that sugary concoction for which all of this madness is titled. Because so much of it just grazed the target, it’s hard to give this as strong an endorsement as I think others will. While it’s the perfect late-night movie – the kind of thing you find on a channel and tune in more as a curiosity than anything else – it still lacks that something extra – a key scene, a bigger performance, or some special effects wizardry – to make it extraordinary. There’s probably a cult following out there somewhere regardless, and I think Arrow’s release might whet their appetite for a bit more of The Stuff.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Films and MVD Entertainment provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray copy of The Stuff (1985) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
RSS Feed