31 Days of Horror – Day 28: The Stuff (1985)

(dir. Larry Cohen)

New World Pictures

*First time viewing

Railroad workers discover a tasty alien substance bubbling out of the ground, and the goo is marketed as healthy ice cream replacement, The Stuff. But when an industrial saboteur is hired to find out the secret of The Stuff’s addictive power, he finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse that stretches across America.

Credit where credit’s due- for a B horror movie made for less than two million dollars, The Stuff has an expansive scope that goes above and beyond what a lot of horror movies were doing at the time. Initially focusing on the separate stories of saboteur David “Mo” Rutherford’s (Michael Moriarty) industrial espionage, and a young boy named Jason coming to terms with his family’s addiction to The Stuff, Cohen looks at the power of consumerism on multiple levels. Labeled as satirical horror, The Stuff is actually right on target in its analysis of consumer fads, aggressively inescapable advertisements (those jingles!) and the kind of cult mentality that arises from new products. While Cohen is known as a B-movie filmmaker extraordinaire, his films also tackle issues and agendas that elevate them to highest heights of the B-movie catalogue. Yes, The Stuff is a revealing reflection of humanity, but it’s also batshit crazy.

Michael Moriarty operates a whole other level in this film, his tics and deliveries a highlight in every scene. Nearly every line uttered is quotable (“They call me “Mo” because I always want mo,” “Are you eating it…or is it eating you?”) Once Mo discovers that The Stuff is turning people into mindless masses with a need only to consume more of The Stuff, and destroy those who would prevent them, his path crosses with Jason’s. From there, they and The Stuff’s advertising lead Nicole (Andrea Marcovicci), plot to destroy the factory mining The Stuff. This ultimately sees them teaming up with an independent militia led by Paul Sorvino and battling Stuff-addled hordes. While the film’s blending of horror and humor doesn’t always gel, and the film’s scares never quite tops the scene where Jason’s family tries to force him to eat the stuff, there’s a glut of oddness and gross out moments. The Stuff is ultimately a rather charming blend of social message and creature feature that feels like an 80s take on the monster movies of the 50s.

Scare Factor: 1/5 While more strange than scary, The Stuff is a memorable blending of genres with some fascinating and committed creative decisions. “Enough is never enough.”