The Stuff [DVD]

This movie became a cult classic. In the '80s being thin became an obsession for lots of people; whereas in the 70s, folks were just mostly thin. The idea here is that you can eat "the Stuff" which is cool and sweet-tasting without gaining any weight and that some people actually lose weight. Sounds/Sounded like a Godsend, so it's "horror"-ble to find that it's actually an alien intelligence that's taking you over, body and mind. If you like classic '80s movies, you will most likely really enjoy it. Since one of the heroes and main characters is a tween, I think kids should enjoy it too

Campy? yes and fun. Ahead of it's time in recognizing what it's like today with most "food" in the grocery store being addictive and health destroying.

Larry Cohen’s 1985 horror comedy satire The Stuff may be 31 years old, but is as fun and poignant as ever. The rampant over-medication and obsessive consumer culture of the ’80s is not something of the past; on the contrary, the ’80s simply laid the foundation that we’ve continued to build upon and grow into a certain brand of capitalist somnambulism that has come to represent our culture.Most genre fans know the story; but, just in case, here’s a quick recap:In the opening scene, a rail worker finds some white ooze seeping out of the ground… and, like anyone in his or her right mind would, he eats it. Turns out that it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted. This “stuff” is soon harvested and marketed as “The Stuff.”. The whole damn country embraces the low on calories, high on taste treat… they just “can’t get enough of The Stuff!”The Stuff may taste great and be healthy on the surface, but it turns out to be a living ooze that turns those who eat it into brainless walking corpses before literally eating them from within. The sentient, parasitic substance is uncovered for what it truly is by a few people, starting with a young boy named Jason. Along with former FBI agent Mo Rutherford and the beautiful Nicole, Jason leads the battle against The Stuff and those peddling it.In the end, evil plans are thwarted, hope is restored, and The Stuff is destroyed… or is it?This story has a special place in the hearts of many a fan of horror and science fiction films. In the tradition of the great B-movie fare, the film is schlocky and socially conscious all at once. It cuts deeply with its fierce and pointed satire, all the while retaining its fun and enjoyable nature. There is no doubt why the film is so beloved. What’s more is that the film has never looked better than in the brand new Arrow Films Special Edition Blu-ray. Even without the brilliant special features, the scan of the original negative is flawless and the film comes to life in a way never before available on home video. The sound is crisp and clear. If one has only previously seen one of the DVD releases or watched the film streaming on Netflix prior to watching this print, it will surely be a revelation to him or her.In addition to the 1080p high definition restoration Blu-ray, the package also features a standard edition DVD, a booklet with art work, and an essay from Joel Harley. The cover art is reversible, with one side being the original cover art and the other a brand new piece, both sides with their own appeal. But the real stuff in The Stuff is on the Blu.As noted above, the film looks and sounds great. The original trailer is included on the disc, along with an intro and commentary to the trailer Saw II, III, and IV director/The Stuff megafan Darren Lynn Bousman (whom the reviewer reveres due to his brilliant hyperstylized splatterpunk musical Repo! The Genetic Opera). However, the real gem on the Blu-ray is the accompanying documentary, Can’t Get Enough of The Stuff: Making Larry Cohen’s Classic Creature Feature.Fans of The Stuff, as well as Cohen’s other quirky genre films, will find a lot of Stuff to sink their teeth into, with stories and anecdotes from several of the people involved in the film. Cohen himself discusses the film from concept to finished product. The segment highlighting the makeup and effects is especially fun and entertaining.From the classic lines like Mo’s “No one is as dumb as I appear to be” to the rivers of yogurt-like ooze to the rabid Stuff-crazed dog, it’s all here and in the best looking presentation to date. Whether it’s your first time watching or your 27th, with Arrow’s The Stuff Special Edition, “enough is never enough!”[...]

A man stumbles across a delicious, pulsating gooey substance bubbling out of the ground at an industrial mining site, which he immediately touches, sniffs and tastes. WHAT!?! Now I'm no geologist, but when I encounter mysterious STD-like, sticky, gobbledy-gook discharges oozing from Mother Earth's orifices I tend to keep a safe distance. I mean, why was it bubbling? Was something alive under the surface? Was it super hot? Is it loaded with some dangerous bacteria or fungus or virus? I doubt I'd touch it…let alone taste it! Did this guy not see The Blob (1958, 1988)? If he had seen The Blob I bet he'd of thought twice.But low and behold it turns out to be a sweet, tasty treat which is readily--basically overnight--mass manufactured as a domestic dessert staple. This film is cleverly complete with television commercials for "The Stuff," marketing it as an adult snack with the tagline "enough is never enough." This tongue-in-cheek propagandist approach reminds me of They Live (1988) as we observe so much social commentary on the American practices of consumerism, advertising, and corporate and FDA ethics.Like in so many other stories, a young boy (Jason) discovers something just isn't right when he sees The Stuff crawling around in his refrigerator. Jason won't eat The Stuff after seeing it meandering around the some Tupperwared leftovers, but his parents do and they've been acting weird. Like buying a year's supply of The Stuff and throwing away all of their other food in the trash weird.Luckily, an investigator (Mo) for a competing snack food company is also going around trying to figure out what The Stuff is made out of--and he's not getting answers. It seems that all of the FDA folks who so suspiciously and swiftly approved the product have all left the country. Hmmmm…nothing strange going on here. Just regular everyday FDA stuff, right?A theme song plays "one lick is never enough of The Stuff" and Models lasciviously lick spoonfuls of this homicidal yogurt; Jason's mother testifies that she lost 5 pounds on a Stuff-only diet; and Jason's father attests that it "kills all the bad stuff inside us"… just drink the Kool-Aid and the allegory cranks on. The satire is so blatant that it's never obscured by the clumsy storytelling, which make the movie all the more entertaining.The Stuff functions like The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978). You come into contact with it (via ingestion), and it gradually "replaces" you with a Stuff-replicant that's like you, but not quite right. Once infected, the goal simply becomes to get everyone else infected…but not by force. When Jason refuses to eat The Stuff his parents angrily ground him, sending him to his room until he conforms. When Jason "fakes" eating it, his family is pleased.The effects include evil stop-motion marshmallow fluff and the gore and facial prosthetics are pretty good for the 80s and remain most entertaining today. At times, The Stuff oozes around like The Blob. But I was quite impressed with the pacing, however schizophrenically haphazard (LOL). Much of the movie (most of the middle) was without interesting effects, yet the utterly brash satire and senselessly incohesive scene transitions of it all keep me laughing. Characters seem to come out of nowhere without ever having been established, then they may never be seen again regardless of the rapport they may have built. The randomness is major! For example, a conspiracy-theory-toting general leading a resistance to The Stuff happens to own two radio stations to spread his message. Oh, and his "army" takes taxi cabs when travelling in military convoys. WTF!?! Oh, and an infected guy just strolls past this army security by making a scene. Oh, and a cookie industry mogul has some ancient kung fu fists of steel. Oh, and this one Stuff-infected dog was his Stuff-infected owner's boss. Huh? Just bonkers!Curiously, we never really find out where the stuff came from. Did it well up from deep beneath the Earth's surface, did it crash land on a meteor like The Blob (1988), or did it come in a spaceship like The Thing (1982, 2011)? We also never learn its purpose. It's clearly smarter than the mindless consuming machine of The Blob. But was it "trying" to take over the world like in The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) or peaceful domination like in The Live (1988)? No motive is ever revealed.This movie (or, AHEM, it's writer/director) may have exhibited all of the smooth storytelling of an over-excited 5-year old trying to explain something he didn't really understand in the first place. But like a child fumbling over his thoughts in a word-salad of excitement, The Stuff is not without its own special brand of charm. This movie and its franticly forced social commentary are hilarious and it is well worth a watch.MORE MOVIES LIKE The Stuff: More amorphous enmities may be found in The Blob (1988), The Raft (segment from Creepshow 2; 1987) and Street Trash (1987). The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), The Live (1988) and The Thing (1982, 2011) all provide stories in which trust and conspiracy are tested during surreptitious alien takeovers.SIDEBAR: The DVD includes commentary from writer/director Larry Cohen. It's pretty great.