The Stuff

The Stuff (1985)

Are you eating it... or is it eating you?

Amalgamated Dairies hires David Rutherford, an FBI man turned industrial saboteur, to investigate a popular new product called “the Stuff,” a new dessert product that is blowing ice cream sales out of the water. Nobody knows how it’s made or what’s in it, but people are lining up to buy it. It's got a delicious flavor to die for!

Date of release
1985-06-14
TMDB
6.0 / 10 (564)
Runtime
1h 26m
Genres
Horror, Science Fiction, Comedy
Director
Larry Cohen

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Filmed in: New York City and New Jersey

The Stuff is a 1985 American science fiction horror film written and directed by Larry Cohen and starring Michael Moriarty, Garrett Morris, Andrea Marcovicci, and Paul Sorvino. The film follows the discovery of a mysterious, sweet, and addictive substance becoming a popular dessert in the United States but soon begins attacking people and turning them into zombies. Cohen cited consumerism, unhealthy foods, and potentially hazardous products as his influences for writing this film's story.

Production

On April 15, 1983, the Hollywood Reporter reported that the film was originally going to be titled Stuff! and the budget would be $10 million. Shooting for the film started in August 1984 and ended in September of that year. Filming locations included New Paltz, New York, New York City, and Los Angeles. Post-production began in January 1985 at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles and continued into the summer.

Multiple puppets were used to simulate the deaths of characters who had become hosts of The Stuff. Four models of Garrett Morris's head were made for Charlie's transformation sequence, one of which Cohen still claimed to own. When The Stuff was eaten on screen, Tofutti, yogurt, and whipped cream were used. For visual effect, mashed potato flakes, polyurethane foam, and firefighting foam were used.

The script was an original story by Cohen. He commented on consumerism in the United States and called some of the products being sold "damaging". He said that he frequently read about product recalls because of these products "harming people" and cited unhealthy foods as an example of this phenomenon. He cited the consumption of "junk food" and its effects as his influence. He questioned how this consumption could be detrimental.

Cohen wanted to cast Arsenio Hall as "Chocolate Chip Charlie" W. Hobbs, since he thought he was not only a good actor but also a rising star. The executives at New World Pictures, however, wanted someone more recognizable and thus cast Garrett Morris instead. Morris did not enjoy working with Cohen; in a "Random Roles" section at The A.V.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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