The Stuff
Directed by Larry Cohen
Starring: Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris
Arrow Video
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
Yes, this is the movie about the killer yogurt. The film that asks you the question: are you eating it, or is it eating you? Made by one of the best of the low budget B-movie masters: Larry Cohen of It’s Alive, Q The Winged Serpent, and other cheapo chillers fame. It’s a big pile of silly, goofy, gooey, monster movie madness. I remember as a teen watching it repeatedly on cable TV and loving it, but how does it hold up now all these years later (not that I am a far ways from being a teenager)? Well the always awesome Arrow Video, both their original UK and new US branches, has brought this flick out in all of its 1985 glory. Is this a treat that should be gobbled up, or one best passed on? Let’s find out.
One night some people find a strange, white goo bubbling out of the Earth, so naturally they shove it into their gaping maws. Finding it very tasty, they begin to sell it under the amazingly original name of The Stuff. It spreads like wildfire and soon everyone is eating tons of the Stuff. The problem is, the Stuff is alive. It controls people, compelling them to eat more of it, and to make sure others eat it, too. Oh, and it kills in spectacular fashion when it gets the mind to. Enter Michael Moriarty as a corporate spy hired by all the other dessert and sweets peddlers in order to get the “secret formula” of what makes The Stuff so good and so addictive. He teams up with the former PR exec that first peddled The Stuff and the two go across country, meeting odd people, running from odder people, and eventually uncovering the truth behind The Stuff and then trying their best to defeat it. All the while the deadly dessert keeps spreading and destroying lives.
What makes this movie is its ridiculous premise that is played out 100% straight. The special effects are practical and done very well in that charming, mid-80s way. Think of it as The Blob, but an amorphous deadly mass that you eat, and then eats you from the inside out. The acting is competent and earnest in a B-movie fashion, and the direction is classic Cohen. If any of this sounds good to you, and it should, you’ve got to give this movie a try. And if you’re going to try it, there’s no better way than with this new Blu-ray. Want more convincing? Keep reading.
First and foremost for the extras, the reason this movie looks better here than ever before is because it’s a new 2K scan from the original camera negative. Now that right there is worth the price of admission as they say, but wait, there’s more! There is a 52 minute long documentary about this weird little movie called “Can’t Get Enough of The Stuff” with writer/director Larry Cohen, actress Andrea Marcovicci, producer Paul Kurta, effects creator Steve Neill, and critic Kim Newman. Fellow horror director, Darren Bousman, who has no relation to this this movie other than being a fan, does a mini commentary tract for the film’s trailer. And if you want to watch the trailer straight without commentary, there’s that on here, too. Add to that the usual Arrow goodies such as a 23 page color collector’s booklet and double-sided, reversible cover art, and you have a nice package for a goofy, gooey, creature feature that has long been overlooked by “serious” horror fans.
The Stuff is one of the cultiest of cult movies. It is pure drive-in creature feature fun. You can’t take it too seriously. It is a movie about killer, sentient yogurt, after all, but it is a whole lot of fun. A pure slice of 80s cheese, I can’t get enough of The Stuff. If you’re a fan too, and if you like fun (and you should be), be sure to get this excellent Blu-ray from Arrow Video. Consider it highly recommended.
