The Stuff
Picture it: it’s a hot summer day, water isn't doing it for you. The only answer to quench you is ice cream. You pull out a tub from the fridge and it’s called “The Stuff”. If you watch the 1985 movie The Stuff, you won’t look at ice cream/yogurt the same again. Well, unless you like being taken over only to be later eaten from the inside out.
Photo Credit: Larco Productions
Released: Jun 14, 1985
Runtime: 87 mins
Director: Larry Cohen
Writer: Larry Cohen
Actors: Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris
PLOT
No one is as dumb as I appear to be.--Mo
A delicious, mysterious goo that oozes from the earth is marketed as the newest dessert sensation, but it may not be what it appears to be. A private detective discovers the scary truth of this delicious treat and must try to stop it.
MY THOUGHTS
Are you eating it or is it eating you?--Mo
There’s roughly thirty one kills to include the death of a dog. Nothing overly bloody or graphic. Though I was surprised by Chocolate Chip Charlie’s death. I didn’t see it coming at first and for the eighties the practical effects are pretty good. His mouth/jaw opened up and basically took a while to melt down. Most people who have eaten it are eaten from the inside out by it.
As far as acting goes, it’s fine. Decent coming from the 80’s. Michael Moriarty is the star and plays Mo the detective who is investigating the Stuff. Later he goes on to play in Law and Order. I thought Garrett Morris was good and interesting but he doesn’t have a huge role so we don’t get to see him much. The Bloom brothers are in this. Brian plays the older brother who is a victim of the Stuff, and Scott who plays Jason, who figures out that there is something wrong with it. Unfortunately he can’t save his family.
One night at a mining company, one of the workers see some white stuff bubbling out of the ground. Now, I don’t know about you but I wouldn't be like “oh, let me take a taste of that”. But this dumb guy tries it and next we know it is so popular as a type of ice cream or yogurt and that everyone was eating it. A group of wealthy competitors hire Mo to investigate the weirdness of the Stuff. He enlists the aid of Nicole who had helped advertise it. Eventually getting Jason to help as well. When they get proof they get a group of survivalists to help spread the word.
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I wanted to take a quick break to let you know I found these great deals on Amazon for The Stuff merchandise. I’ve applied to Amazon’s affiliate program and if I can get three purchases I will be accepted into the program. This will be of tremendous help with starting my small business.
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Overall an entertaining 80’s movie. Just don’t go into it expecting the best special effects, or today's standards in movies. Just go in and have fun with it. If nothing else it makes fun of consumerism of the time and how dumb people will just follow anything.
And now for a special segment I like to call “Did you know?”:
According to audio commentary on the 2000 Anchor Bay DVD, the scene in the motel where the Stuff comes out of the mattress and pillows and attacks the man on the wall and ceiling was shot in a room that could turn upside down, allowing the Stuff to move up and down the wall. It was exactly the same room used in A Nightmare on Elm Street when Johnny Depp's character Glen is sucked into his bed and his blood is regurgitated back out onto the ceiling.
Also from 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 through a wall, fire-extinguishing foam. Other shots, such as the ones of the giant lake of Stuff required superimposed images and animation.
According to Larry Cohen himself, in some scenes in which the Stuff chases characters, a foam made of blended fish bones was used. It stank so much that, as soon as the shots were done, the actors ran to a river in order to bathe and get rid of the stench.
Check out my other reviews here: Forever Final Girl
Let’s get into the rankings:
Kills/Blood/Gore: 2/5
Scare factor: 2/5
Enjoyment factor: 10/10
My Rank: 3.5/5
IMDB: 5.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: critics: 7.1/10 audience: 4.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.1/5