THE STUFF
****
Directed by Larry Cohen.
Starring Michael Moriarty, Danny Aiello, Paul Sorvino, Patrick O'Neal.
Horror, USA, 88 mins, Cert 15.
Released in the UK on Limited Edition 4K UHD by Arrow Video on 21st July 2025.
Originally released in 1985, THE STUFF was written and directed by the late Larry Cohen and became a staple of video shops up and down the country during the latter half of the 1980s. Building something of a cult following along the way, and having had a life on Blu-ray for the past decade or so, Arrow Video have opted to upgrade it to a 4K UHD – what a world!
Industrial saboteur David ‘Mo’ Rutherford (Michael Moriarty) is hired by the top dogs in the ice cream industry to investigate a popular new product on the market called The Stuff that is eating into their profits. But that is not all The Stuff is eating into, as anybody who consumes the mysterious yoghurt-like substance becomes a mindless vessel controlled by it, and the more Mo finds out about The Stuff, the more difficult it is to find somebody he can trust as the addiction to the delicious goo takes over the whole of the country.
Much like Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD, THE STUFF has a lot of social commentary bubbling away under the main plot, a lot of which is still applicable today – possibly even more so. Inspired by people’s desire to smoke even when knowing of the fatal effects, Cohen was obviously influenced by INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and THE BLOB when he decided to swap cigarettes for ice cream. Although the message is one that is fairly serious the movie sets a very light tone to deliver it, with one or two ludicrous plot moments that need to be overlooked to make the film work.
This light tone is helped along by the performance of Michael Moriarty as Mo, so-called because however much money he is offered he always wants ‘mo. Moriarty’s deadpan delivery and laid-back demeanour was a conscious decision by the actor, making him very memorable despite his motives not always being totally honourable. His interactions with a very OTT Paul Sorvino as the ultra-right-wing Colonel Spears towards the end of the movie keep Sorvino’s character barely on the right side of parody, but had Moriarty not been so relaxed and personable in his role then Sorvino could quite easily have taken the film into even more absurd territory.
If you wanted to be harsh towards THE STUFF, it could be said that for a horror film there isn’t actually a lot of horror in it. There are some gooey face-smashes that provide a little bit of a gross-out factor, but on the whole the film bounces along like a 1950s sci-fi B-movie mixed with classic James Bond-esque espionage, providing both action and laughs along the way.
The 4K UHD upgrade looks wonderful, the pinks and purples of the food branding logos looking bright and sharp, as well as the detailed stretched mouths of the vomiting Stuff victims - although some of the more obvious integrated visual effects stand out a whole lot more. The real joy for fans however is the 52-minute CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THE STUFF: MAKING LARRY COHEN’S CLASSIC CREATURE FEATURE documentary that covers the making of the film. Featuring contributions from Cohen, Andrea Marcovicci, producer Paul Kurta, mechanical effects man Steve Neill and film critic Kim Newman. Also included is the 2015 documentary 42ND STREET MEMORIES that features Cohen and contemporaries such as Frank Henelotter and William Lustig reminiscing about growing up in New York’s sleazy underbelly and all the grindhouse joy it brought. You also get an archive audio commentary by Cohen, a new audio commentary by writers and critics David Flint and Adrian Smith, a re-edited ENOUGH IS NEVER ENOUGH featurette that includes unseen interviews from the 2017 KING COHEN documentary, trailers, alternate scenes, a reversible sleeve, collector’s booklet and, exclusive to this release, the pre-release cut of the movie that runs an extra 30 minutes. You can see why it was trimmed for its theatrical run, and it does explain the choppy editing in that cut, but it is very thoughtful of Arrow to have included it, making this bumper package the definitive edition of the movie for fans to own.
Overall, THE STUFF has moments that work and moments that don’t but is kept going by a sharp satirical outlook and a compelling performance from Michael Moriarty. If you can get past the opening scene where a worker in a frozen outpost comes across this bubbling ooze coming out of the ground, and immediately deciding to eat it – because you would, wouldn’t you? - then you’ll probably get on with the rest of it. Despite its flaws and shortcomings, THE STUFF remains a fun time at the movies and now you can see every semi-digested detail in detailed clarity, and who wouldn’t appreciate that?
Chris Ward