The Stuff is a particularly memorable eighties cult movie made by veteran B-movie director Larry Cohen (God Told Me To, Q: The Winged Serpent, It’s Alive). It was a perennial HBO late-night flick of the era and a big video store “midnight movie” section favorite, although I personally saw it for the first time in the hallowed halls of Joseph Papp’s Public Theater, during a festival of Cohen’s films. The Stuff is the story of a parasitical, possibly sentient frozen yogurt-like substance that bubbles out from the ground, and tastes great. It’s addicting, even. Everyone who tries it just can’t get enough of The Stuff…

But are they eating The Stuff or is The Stuff eating them?
 

 
The Stuff was made on a low budget in 1985 with familiar faces like Garrett Morris (from the original cast of SNL), Paul Sorvino, Danny Aiello, Brooke Adams and Andrea Marcovicci. It has several fake commercials that looked quite real for the time cut in throughout the movie that ramp up the camp value considerably. So does a brief uncredited cameo appearance by a then unknown Patrick Dempsey. Grey’s Anatomy‘s future “Dr. McDreamy” here plays a drug dealer who trades in The Stuff. (Eric Bogosian and Mira Sorvino are also seen briefly, but uncredited in the film).
 

 
The House of Self-Indulgence blog described The Stuff as: “A cautionary tale for all those who enjoy consuming dessert products on a regular basis, The Stuff is a hokey horror farce that manages to skewer everything from mindless consumerism to cold war paranoia, and yet, still be a movie about homicidal yogurt not from outer space.”

Elsewhere on the web I saw the film described as “yogurt product comes to life, causing devastation.” That pretty much nails it.
 

 
The Stuff is as much an inspired anti-consumerist, anti-shitty food rant as it is a horror film. That’s why it’s so much fun. Check it out, it’s one of the better made, more entertaining 80s cult movies out there. It’s actually way smarter than the trailer below indicates. The Stuff is often seen on Netflix streaming and on YouTube in several parts, or you can buy The Stuff on Amazon.