The Stuff [DVD]

The Stuff … there’s never enough, 30 Mar 2004

By 

M. Williams “Ghost Writer” (Cardiff) –

  

The stuff is an alien substance of sorts, found bubbling out of the ground in small towns across the United States. It looks like ice-cream, tastes great and, once it takes hold of you it becomes addictive and deadly. But what is its secret ingredient?

Enter Michael Moriarty (A Return to Salem’s Lot), who is hired as an industrial saboteur by representatives of a food company to find out just what makes the stuff so addictive. As the stuff becomes more readily available, the people selling it are no longer content to merchandise it through through the smaller outlets. They begin to advertise it nationwide.

David ‘Mo’ Rutherford (Moriarty)tracks the stuff across country, with Nicole (Andrea Marcovicci) and a young boy, Jason (Scott Bloom), witnessing its effects on the population. During their efforts they are assisted by Col. Malcolm Grommett Spears (Paul Sorvino) and the wacky cookie entrepreneur, Chocolate Chip Charlie (Garrett Morris, Saturday Night Live). As the film progresses, it becomes impossible to know just who to trust, and resisting the stuff becomes increasingly difficult. The more you consume, the harder it becomes to resist.

Larry Cohen has become a hero to those whose intersts are in cult horror/sci-fi films, having turned out classics like ‘A Return to Salem’s Lot’, ‘The Ambulance’, and ‘Q: The Winged Serpent’. This is his fourth collaboration with actor Michael Moriarty, and it is well worth the money. ‘The Stuff’ contains comedy, action, science fiction, and horror – a combination of ‘The Blob’ and ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’, with Cohen’s crazy sense of humour thrown in for good measure.

Bonus features on this edition include an informative audio commentary with director, Larry Cohen, TV spots, theatrical trailer, and widescreen presentation.

Buy it! You’ll be addicted

Ghost Writer

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Consumer Nightmare, 30 Sep 2010

By 

Mr. Jonathon T. Beckett “vampire lover” (Dracula’s Crypt) –

  

  

Everybody is going mad for ‘The Stuff’, the nations’ favourite taste. Discovered bubbling out of the ground by a miner, it soon becomes a hugely popular dessert, hogging supermarket shelves and earning itself a chain of eateries. The Ice Cream lobby, afraid of the popularity of this new product, hire industrial spy, and one time F.B.I Agent David ‘Mo’ Rutherford to investigate and discredit the popular pud. Things take a sinister turn however when Mo discovers that their is a web of secrecy surrounding the ingredients and the production of The Stuff, and soon he realises there are those who would wish to silence him. Meanwhile, very strange things start to happen to those who over indulge in the irresistable goo.
If you can get over the fact that the menacing ‘creature’ in the film resembles a lake of Ice Cream, then you should find this hilarious film to be great fun. It’s a sort of cross between Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and a sharp satire on consumerism and fast food. The factory scenes are very reminiscant of the superb BBC/Hammer adaptation of Quatermass II.
The fact is, although it does borrow liberally from the past, it has a style all of its own. It may be a mixing of genres but above all it’s a comedy. A very funny one at that. One major reason for the films’ success is another great performance from Cohen regular Michael Moriarty. He plays Mo with a southern drawl and a goofy, slightly volatile temperament. Paul Sorvino also deserves a mention, as he’s quite brilliant as militia man Colonel Spears.
Whilst it might not be the cast iron classic that Cohen’s other features such as ‘Q- The Winged Serpent’ and ‘God Told Me To’ are, but for me it’s probably the most enjoyable of all Cohen’s films. Just to mention the special effects that were painstakingly ctreated by Jim Dankforth. As Cohen comments himself in the commentary, now we live in a digital age the day of the stop motion animator is numbered.
A highly enjoyable film.. 5 out of 5. I’d also recommending talking to whichever seller you buy this from, as my copy at least was All Regions, unlike the Region 1 label Amazon’s product info gives it

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