The Stuff (1985)

(In French, On Cable TV, January 2020) If you’re familiar with writer-director Larry Cohen’s 1970s–1980s filmography, then The Stuff makes complete sense. Everyone else, though… be ready for a wild ride. Avowedly more satirical than horrifying, the movie revolves around a creamy-white substance oozing from the ground that is quickly marketed as America’s latest dessert sensation… until it turns people into mindless zombies. The commentary on consumerism may be a bit too obvious by now, but the B-movies goodness of seeing people consume and being consumed by the white stuff still remains a lot of fun. The Stuff squarely goes for the rich and still-untapped vein of what can be called social horror—in which everyone is doing things that are harmful to everyone. It also goes in places seldom seen in horror, such as industrial settings and possible complicity in the upper echelons of business. All good stuff, if you’ll pardon the expression. But even if The Stuff can remain a cult favourite, it’s still a bit too messy to be as effective as it could be. Even discounting the satirical intention, the plotting is messy and doesn’t sustain a lot of scrutiny. The zigzagging plot could have used some rigour, and the ending doesn’t quite knock it out of the park. Still, it’s memorable for more or less the right reasons: being dissatisfied with the narrative should not stop anyone from seeing The Stuff it its madcap glory.