Stuff - Ein tödlicher Leckerbissen

A workman discovers some mushy white foam at an petroleum refinery in Alaska, and he gets the urge to try it and surprisingly it's tastes really good. Soon enough, it's a top-selling American dessert product known as "The Stuff" and everyone just can't seem to get enough of it. Industrial saboteur Moe Rutherford is hired by some rival companies to dig up information on "The Stuff" and he learns that it strangely got by FDA tests with those who passed it disappearing. Moe with the help of Nicole the advertising designer for 'The Stuff ' and a young boy Jason, whose family became obsessed with the deadly substance. Discover that the addictive dessert is actually alive and taking over the body of whoever eats it.

Yummy! For those looking for some tasty schlock that's low in calories and is a complete throwback to 1950's Sci-Fi horror. Larry Cohen's "The Stuff" definitely leaves a sweet taste in your mouth. Despite it's familiarity with the likes of "The Blob" and "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers", the neat premise still manages to feel fresh, sharp and ambitious, because of the unpretentious fun that's generated. All of this shows up in Cohen's enthusiastically accomplished direction and ace timing, where his off-the-rocker style shines immensely. Like most of his films, the playfully witty script digs deep into a social commentary and the flavour of the month happened to be consumerism and it's grip on society. The irony suggested ending, paints it perfectly. Not all of it is light and goofball in tone, as there are some dark, moody and gooey inclusions to the fold. There's a heavy cartoon-like atmosphere cooked up within a few striking images of creepiness and the deliciously campy special effects are well staged for such a low-budget production. Pacing is judge accordingly to pull you in. Cinematographer Paul Gickleman fluidly shot the film and the lively music score by Dwight Dixon ticks along fittingly. Cohen also pens the colourful story, which is terribly fractured with vagueness and continuity problems, but it's quirky maniac humour, zany developments with a surprise or two and satire frame of mind goes a long way to covering that problem up. The fruity performances are acceptably apt to what's happening on screen. The always interesting performer Michael Moriarty is wickedly good as the smarting, downbeat industrial spy Moe Rutherford. Paul Sorvino provides some amusing comic relief as an high strung, off-the-boil right-wing Colonel. Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris, Danny O'Neal, Patrick O'Neal, Scott Bloom and Cohen regular James Dixon give splendid support too.

Even with some lapses within the story (due to probably the editing) and it being one of his lesser features, it's hard not to be infatuated by Cohen's outrageously delightful and creative treat for the taste buds.

This movie is a fun, interesting take on the horror genre of alien invasion and mind/body control made famous by the likes of "The Thing" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." It's also a great commentary on the dangers of mindless consumerism.

The Stuff is a rare find. It should be shown more because it examines an inner message. How a product known to be addictive can still influence people to buy it in mass quantities if properly marketed. A scary thought also blends into an entertaining movie. The Stuff is very reminiscent of the classic 50's "Sci-Fi" and horror flicks where some alien, monster, or bizarre life form, tries to take over the world, and it's up to the one or two people who haven't been "taken over" by the strange creature or "thing" to stop it.

What's even more interesting is how this movie examines society's obsession with food fads. Back in the 1950's ,when these types of B-grade horror films were produced, the diets and nutritional habits of the general public did not emphasize the importance of healthy eating like they do today. Our nation has been consumed over the years with a lot of "Stuff" (pun intended) in food consumption that causes such serious health concerns as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart problems.

An underlining message in this movie shows how companies can be motivated to maximize profits while ignoring heath risks. Just because something "tastes great" doesn't mean that it IS great. The acting in The Stuff is very campy, cheesy, and at times way over the top. But the hidden messages about America's compulsion with food consumption plays well here.

See The Stuff! It is a much better film than you would expect!

And just what IS The Stuff? Well, physically, The Stuff looks like marshmallow Fluff, but it's also as addictive as supercrack and as zombie inducing as an alien space pod. And it just happens to be the latest dessert craze to sweep our nation, in Larry Cohen's 1985 sci-fi satire "The Stuff." As other dessert manufacturers go belly up, industrial spy Michael Moriarty is hired to find out just what this Stuff is all about, and he is assisted by Andrea Marcovicci (a Madison Ave. exec who is pushing The Stuff) and by a Famous Amos-like character played by Garrett Morris. Paul Sorvino pops up toward the end as Col. Spears, who seems to head his own private army, and he too is instrumental in the fight against the deadly confection. Anyway, like The Stuff itself, "The Stuff" is fun to consume but leaves one wanting still more. It has an intriguing plot, and its satire on this country's rampant consumerism does work, but at the same time, there aren't enough exciting set pieces, and the film's joking tone fritters away any real sense of suspense. This movie might have worked a lot better if it had been more serious, and less tongue in (Stuff-stuffed) cheek. It doesn't quite hold together somehow--possibly the fault of the script or the editing--and though the film looks fine, with nice Blob-like Stuff FX, it still feels slapdash somehow. But wait till you see Abe Vigoda and Clara "Where's the Beef?" Peller do a Stuff TV commercial, and hear that catchy jingle ("Enough is never enough, of The Stuff"). Fun stuff indeed!

Neither an A nor a B flick, this is a C. The production and acting are so bad that they are good. There are multiple scenes where the extras/background actors are actually smirking, because they know how ridiculous this movie is.Yet, 34 years later, we are still discussing it. Some old guy at a mine sight discovers this white goo oozing up from the ground. What is the first thing he does? Why he tastes it, like any normal person would. Turns out this stuff is delicious and gets marketed as a desert. The stuff is highly addictive and does some very bad things to you if you ingest too much of it.This is a social commentary of consumerism and the fact that companies care more about their bottom line than they do the welfare of the people that buy their product, and on that front, the movie is pretty spot on. I would have loved to give this more stars, but the acting is just that bad. If you are not looking for a Gone With the Wind experience and just want to watch something that is so bad it is good, then check out The Stuff.