{"id":31675,"date":"2025-07-24T10:20:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T17:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=31675"},"modified":"2025-07-24T10:20:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T17:20:13","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-4k-ultra-hd-review-the-stuff-1985","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=31675","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! 4K Ultra HD Review: THE STUFF (1985)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD release with a bonus\nBlu-ray disc is currently available from Arow Video.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For genre film enthusiasts, Larry Cohen is a legendary\nfigure. The maverick independent moviemaker made a name for himself as a\ntelevision writer, before branching out into cinema. He made a huge splash with\nIt\u2019s Alive<\/em> (1974), following the title up with a couple of sequels, as\nwell as made-in-NYC efforts like God Told Me To<\/em> (1978), Q \u2013 The\nWinged Serpent<\/em> (1980) and Special Effects<\/em> (1984). Later, he wrote\nand produced the popular Maniac Cop<\/em> series. Many of his features have a\nunique perspective and an edge that you just don\u2019t see in Hollywood efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Stuff<\/em> (1985) was a memorable entry in the\nmoviemaker\u2019s catalog that also made a significant impression. It was previously\navailable as a Blu-ray release from Arrow Video, but is now arriving on 4K\nUltra HD with legacy extras and a few new elements, including a major new\naddition on the accompanying Blu-ray. If you like the film, you\u2019ll need to find\nyourself a copy of this edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This feature is a satirical horror film that pokes fun at\nconsumer culture and the food industry. The story begins with the titular\nproduct, The Stuff, being discovered and becoming an overnight sensation at\ngrocery stores. Apparently, it\u2019s a kind of ice cream\/yogurt that no one can get\nenough of. But no one knows exactly what it’s made of. Ex-FBI agent and\ncorporate spy David \u201cMo\u201d Rutherford (Michael Moriarty) is hired by the\npresidents of competing brands to find out the secret recipe for the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the meantime, young Jason (Scott Bloom) sees the\nsubstance moving around on its own in the family refrigerator. When he tries to\nwarn his parents and brother, they turn on him and begin showing signs of being\nunder the influence of The Stuff. As Rutherford continues his investigation, he\nteams with a junk food mogul Charles Hobbs (Garrett Morris) and the advertising\nexecutive Nicole (Andrea Marcovicci) promoting The Stuff. They all soon realize\nthat the food product is of alien origin, addictive, and once ingested, uses\nconsumers as hosts while it reproduces. In fact, after it\u2019s done, it leaves the\nhusk of its victim behind and moves on to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The concept allows for a great deal of humor and horror, and\nmuch of it works very well. Bits with Jason being tormented by his own family\n(who counter that while The Stuff may be alive, so is the bacteria in yogurt)\nare amusing and tense. Moriarty is always fun to watch as the corporate spy as\nhe tries to get a handle on what he’s dealing with. His interactions with\nMorris when they discover the real nature of The Stuff are hilarious to watch.\nThe promos used in the film, as well as the obsessive nature of consumers,\neffectively lampoons the industry. And the action, in which the creamy\nsubstance pours out of victims and chases down people in a manner similar to The\nBlob<\/em>, are creatively captured and a lot of fun to watch (particularly when\npouring out of the orifices of the individual being controlled).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This movie has a lot going for it and it is very\nunderstandable as to how it became a cult hit. The cast is exceptional, the\nstory unique, and the writing quirky and clever. On occasion, the film is even\nchilling (pardon the pun) and disturbing. It\u2019s a great little B-movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The new \u201cLimited Edition\u201d from Arrow Video is also\nextraordinary. The film first arrived on Blu-ray in 2016 with some impressive\nnew features. This time out, the original 35mm camera negative is presented in\n4K with an uptick in image quality. Admittedly, this is a low-budget picture\nand there is always going to be a bit of natural grain here and there, but\nnothing distracting. The sharpness has been improved, and many sequences\nfeaturing elaborate visual effects benefit greatly from the new presentation. This\nis a nice upgrade from the 2016 release that will impress all viewers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The extras include a film expert commentary track and an\narchival commentary from Cohen himself. Naturally, the older recording with\nCohen is extremely informative as he goes through the specific details of\nputting the film together and the challenges of making a movie on a limited\nbudget. He notes some of the excellent cast members and their appearances, like\nEric Bogosian, Paul Sorvino, Danny Aiello, and many more who took part in the\nproduction. The historian commentary also gives plenty of interesting facts and\ntrivia about the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great, nearly-hour long documentary from the previous\nedition is also included. This bonus features interviews with Cohen, as well as\ncast and crew, who share their experiences on-set as well as the legacy of the\nmovie. You\u2019ll hear some amazing stories from the participants. There is also a\n\u201cnewly edited\u201d feature containing extra interview footage with Cohen and\nproducer Paul Kurta which add a few enlightening details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is also a phenomenal feature-length documentary called\n42nd<\/sup> Street Memories<\/em> that goes over titles that were shot in\nthe same area of Manhattan during the 1970s and 1980s.  Cohen participates\nas an interviewee for this title, as well as other filmmakers working in the\nindustry at the time. It\u2019s pretty much impossible to watch this picture and not\nend up with a long list of other titles to catch up on or revisit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, there are a ton of trailers and other promo\nmaterials on this set that are incredibly entertaining to watch,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, we get the bonus Blu-ray. This disc contains the\nnever-before-seen early cut of the film. It\u2019s a full 30-minutes longer and\nfeatures an entirely different score. Some believe that this may be a superior\nversion of the movie. First off, the picture quality on the disc is\nsurprisingly strong. The source is a 35mm print that was in the possession of\nthe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. You\u2019d never guess this was\njust a pre-release print based on the way it looks here. While it isn\u2019t as remarkable\nas the 4K disc, everything looks consistently impressive and the overall\nappearance of this \u201clost\u201d version of the picture is much better than\nanticipated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, what\u2019s different about this version? There is an\nextended TV ad for the product The Stuff that is very elaborate. It\u2019s\nimpressive enough that the whole thing really should have been included in the\nfinal cut. Additionally, there are plenty of scene extensions, including a\nlonger conversation about secret formulas like that of Coca-Cola. There is a\nlengthy date scene between Rutherford and Nicole as the two get closer while\nalso trying to get a read on each other\u2019s knowledge of the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was also very amused by an extended scene in a car when\nRutherford helps Jason escape from his parents. In the final cut, there is a\nfunny gag about the kid having had to eat shaving cream to fool his family into\nthinking he was consuming the product. In order to cheer him up, Rutherford\nadds a very long joke involving a bear and a rabbit. It is a completely\nunnecessary bit that involves the lead character simply telling an extended\njoke in order to get someone to smile, but it is fun to watch. Some of the\naction towards the close is also extended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a great time viewing the longer cut. I\u2019m not sure that\nit\u2019s superior, but it is a lot of fun. Truth be told, there\u2019s probably a\nversion somewhere in the middle that would be my ideal cut of the film. No\nmatter what one\u2019s reaction might be to this particular cut, it is incredible to\nsee and any horror enthusiast will be amazed by all the additional footage.\nThis is a real find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as with other Arrow Video releases, this \u201cLimited\nEdition\u201d comes with a booklet with essays, slipcover and reversible sleeve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you enjoy 1980s horror with a sharp satirical streak, The\nStuff<\/em> is a winner. The latest edition boasts an even more impressive\npicture and comes loaded with incredible bonuses. And the accompanying Blu-ray\nwith a rare early version of the film is worth the price alone. Anyone with an\nappreciation for the genre and the work or Larry Cohen should pick this release\nup as soon as possible. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD release with a bonus Blu-ray disc is currently available from Arow Video. For genre film enthusiasts, Larry Cohen is a legendary figure. The maverick independent moviemaker made a name for himself as a television writer, before branching out into cinema. He made a huge splash with It\u2019s Alive (1974), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":31681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[117,1366,1836,4660,7212,8113,9319,9624,12082,13030,13812,14766,17693,17796,22327,22328,22329,22330,22331,24477,24615],"class_list":["post-31675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-117","tag-andrea-marcovicci","tag-arrow-video","tag-comedy","tag-extended-cut","tag-garrett-morris","tag-horror","tag-ice-cream","tag-larry-cohen","tag-manhattan","tag-michael-moriarty","tag-new-york","tag-satire","tag-scott-bloom","tag-the-stuff","tag-the-stuff-4k-ultra-hd","tag-the-stuff-4k-ultra-hd-review","tag-the-stuff-limited-edition","tag-the-stuff-review","tag-workprint-version","tag-yogurt"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31675\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}