The Stuff 4K UHD + Blu-ray

Larry Cohen's The Stuff (1985) covers a lot of ground, the most obvious target being '80s consumerism and our cultural fixation on excess—cleverly embodied by the film's phony product tagline: "Enough is never enough!" In this particular instance, we're talking about a sentient goo that bubbles up out of the ground and is sold to the American public as a deliciously addictive dessert—The Stuff—accompanied by a series of catchy jingles, TV commercials, and colorfully appealing packaging. It's an ingenious satire of one of our most obvious social weaknesses. But, as critic Kim Newman points out, Cohen's films always sound brilliant on paper; it's a much bumpier road translating his high-concept ideas to the screen.

Corporate spy David "Mo" Rutherford (Michael Moriarty) is hired to discover the secret recipe behind The Stuff by a consortium of worried ice cream executives. The first red flag? All the FDA officials who gave the product their stamp of approval are now deceased or missing. And the only man willing to talk (Danny Aiello, in a brief cameo) is suspiciously afraid of his own dog—who's hooked on The Stuff too.

With the help of an ad executive (Andrea Marcovicci), a chocolate-chip cookie magnate (Garrett Morris), and a 10-year-old kid who suspects the truth, the trio uncovers what Americans don't want to hear: their favorite low-calorie dessert is actually eating them alive.

While the idea is a satirical dream come true, Cohen doesn't always follow the logical path. A self-described "jazz artist of the cinema," the director goes off on narrative tangents, chooses bizarre riffs on the main theme, and allows lead actor Michael Moriarty (Law & Order) to improvise at will—creating a main character who feels like he's on an extended day pass from a psych ward. Of course, that's also what makes The Stuff so wonderfully unpredictable.

As a Blob-like riff on genre clichés, the script should almost write itself (and the film does feature several VHS-era effects like exploding heads and melting faces), but Cohen seems to purposefully mess with the monster movie format. Not a straight comedy, but far from a traditional creature feature, The Stuff often falls victim to its own narrative eccentricities—Paul Sorvino’s appearance in the third act as a gung-ho conspiracy nut who nearly takes over the film being the most egregious example. As it all heads toward a series of miniature effects and exploding towers of slime, one wishes Cohen had made the rest of the film as smart and savvy as the fake commercials he used to sell his imaginary man-eating yogurt.

Arrow’s new two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray should do wonders for its reputation either way. The brand-new 4K restoration is like a digital head cleaner, bringing out details and colors you never imagined were there. There are a few archival extras—like a 60-minute documentary that gives Cohen a chance to explain his intentions and work ethic (even he admits he’s hell to work for)—but the new additions are the main purchase point. Besides the new reversible sleeve and collector’s booklet, there’s a new commentary track, a new featurette, and an early, pre-release cut with 30 minutes of extra footage and an entirely different music score, exclusive to this limited edition.

Now that’s how you upgrade!