THE STUFF (1985)
“The Stuff,” a 1985 horror-satire written and directed by Larry Cohen, skewers consumerism with a gooey twist. Michael Moriarty stars as David “Mo” Rutherford, a quirky ex-FBI agent turned industrial spy, hired by ice cream moguls to uncover the secret behind “The Stuff,” a mysterious, addictive dessert outselling their brands. Marketed as a zero-calorie treat found bubbling from the earth, The Stuff—white, yogurt-like, and alive—hooks consumers, including young Jason (Scott Bloom), who sees it move in his fridge and tries to warn his family, only to watch them turn into hollowed-out “Stuffies.”
Mo teams with Nicole (Andrea Marcovicci), a PR exec who once promoted The Stuff, and infiltrates its Georgia mining site, where workers worship the substance like a cult. Meanwhile, Jason flees his zombified kin, linking up with Mo and Chocolate Chip Charlie (Garrett Morris), a snack-food rival whose business crumbles under The Stuff’s rise. They discover it’s a parasitic organism that consumes hosts from within, leaving shells parroting slogans like “Enough is never enough.” The trio storms the operation, aided by Colonel Spears (Paul Sorvino), a paranoid militia leader Mo cons into torching the site with flamethrowers.
In a fiery climax, Mo and Nicole expose The Stuff on live TV, force-feeding its CEO (Abe Vigoda) his own product until he oozes to death, sparking a public revolt. Jason burns a warehouse stash, but a coda hints at black-market Stuff persisting. Shot with Cohen’s guerrilla flair—real locations, practical goo effects—the film blends B-movie thrills with sharp social commentary on addiction and corporate greed. Critics praised its originality, though some found the tone uneven. Moriarty’s deadpan charm and the Stuff’s creepy allure make it a cult classic, oozing ’80s paranoia and dark humor.
