Stuff, The (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Sep 26, 2025
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Larry Cohen

Release Date(s)

1985 (July 22, 2025)

Studio(s)

New World Pictures (Arrow Video)

Film/Program Grade: B
Video Grade: A
Audio Grade: A-
Extras Grade: A

arrowvideo.com

Review

Given that commercialism and consumerism are a never-ending facet of society, Larry Cohen’s 1985 science fiction horror comedy The Stuff seems to only get better with age. Dawn of the Dead had taken an external look at consumerism while still operating as a horror film, but The Stuff went internal... literally. There’s seemingly no end to what human beings can and will become addicted to, no matter how it affects them, and Larry Cohen’s sideways examination of Corporate America taking full advantage of that was too much even for its distributor, New World Pictures. The film was cut down before its release, but still managed to eke out “cult classic” status.

Excavators in a quarry discover an unknown bubbling white substance seeping out of the ground, and after one of them voluntarily gives it a taste, it’s extracted and sold by a corporation as “The Stuff.” It’s incredibly successful, but unknown to the public is that it’s actually an alien substance that turns its hosts into subservient beings, intent on infecting everybody. Mo (Michael Moriarity), a man hired by The Stuff’s main competitor, investigates its origin and discovers what it really is. Meanwhile, the young Jason (Scott Bloom) attempts to convince his family whose already heavily addicted to The Stuff that it’s alive, but winds up running away from home and teaming up with Mo. Along with former advertising executive Nicole (Andrea Marcovicci), they infiltrate the factory where it’s being packaged in order to find a way to destroy it before it takes over everyone in the world. Also among the cast are Garrett Morris, Paul Sorvino, Danny Aiello, Patrick O’Neal, Alexander Scourby, Russell Nype, and Rutanya Alda; with special appearances by Brooke Adams, Laurene Landon, Tammy Grimes, Clara Peller, Abe Vigoda, Jason Evers, Mira Sorvino, and Patrick Dempsey.

The Stuff is not a particularly good film in the sense that it’s thoroughly well acted with top notch special effects. What makes it entertaining are the oddball, almost off-the-cuff performances, mixed with unusual dialogue, and special effects that venture into schlock territory and beyond. Some of the effects work quite well, including a scene in which a man is plastered against the wall by The Stuff, but others, including the optical-laden finale, hold up less and less the more definition the image receives. Knowing that it had a fairly tight budget, it deserves some credit for what it manages to achieve. At the same time, the choppiness of the edits don’t do it any favors either, which is partially due to New World Pictures insisting on it being re-cut prior to its theatrical run.

The film owes a lot to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, both the 1956 original and the 1978 Philip Kaufman remake, in both its ideas and its imagery. Consumers of The Stuff basically become pod people, even Jason’s parents and sibling whose behavior is also reminiscent of Invaders from Mars, especially in their attempt to get Scott on board with them. Then there’s Michael Moriarty, a Larry Cohen regular who always seemed to be in a movie of his own making, which Cohen always fully embraced. His line delivery and mannerisms can be anachronistic when it comes generating suspense, but in truth, no one should be taking The Stuff all that seriously in the first place. It’s an obvious satire, one that attempts to remind us that even if something is absolutely terrible for us, no one will be able to dissuade us from endangering ourselves or those around us in order to get it. In other words, good sense doesn’t always prevail.

The Stuff was shot by cinematographer Paul Glickman on 35mm film with Panavision cameras and lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Arrow Video debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K restoration of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in Dolby Vision and HDR10, finished photochemically, authored by David Mackenzie of Fidelity in Motion and Leroy Moore of The Engine House Media Services, QC’d by Pixelogic, and encoded to a triple-layered BD-100 disc. Arrow’s UHD upgrade offers excellent compression with no visible artifacts and a bitrate that mostly sits between 80 and 100Mbps, frequently soaring beyond that. This release also corrects the framing of Arrow’s previous Blu-ray, presenting the film in its proper 1.85:1 container. There’s a heavy yield of grain on display due to the film stock used at the time, which can be variable, but its handled well here given that this appears to be a somewhat hands-off approach in terms of grain management. Saturation is also much-improved over previous releases, especially when it comes to flesh tones, which are much more natural. The HDR grades boost the palette and deepen black levels, allowing for more balanced contrast. It’s also very crisp and organic, with only the optically-achieved shots appearing softer than the other material. Outside of a thin line running down the center of the frame at the 40:12 mark, lasting for several seconds, and minor speckling here and there, it’s a clean and stable picture, easily topping its 1080p predecessor.

Audio is included in English 2.0 mono LPCM with optional subtitles in English SDH. The previous Blu-ray release by Arrow featured single channel mono, but there doesn’t appear to be much difference between the two tracks aside from the split. Dialogue is always perfectly clear, with plenty of boost for sound effects and score. It’s also a clean and balanced track, perfectly suited to support the film’s aural tableau, such as it is.

The Arrow Video 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of The Stuff sits in a black Amaray case alongside a 1080p Blu-ray containing a pre-release version of the film, along with a double-sided insert featuring new artwork by Chris Barnes on one side (which is also included on the slipcover) and artwork taken from the UK quad theatrical poster for the reverse. Unfortunately, the memorable US theatrical artwork isn’t represented anywhere. Also included is a 32-page insert booklet containing cast and crew information, the essays Flavour of the Month: Consumerism and Reagan’s America in Larry Cohen’s The Stuff by Daniel Burnett, Enough Is Never Enough: Food, Cult Horror and Larry Cohen’s The Stuff by Joel Harley, restoration information, production credits, and special thanks. The following content is included on each disc:

DISC ONE (UHD – MAIN FEATURE)

Commentaries:
- David Flint and Adrian Smith
- Larry Cohen
Can’t Get Enough of The Stuff: Making Larry Cohen’s Classic Creature Feature (HD – 52:09)
Enough Is Never Enough: An Interview with Larry Cohen and Paul Kurta (HD – 16:44)
42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Notorious Block (HD – 81:45)
Original Trailer (Upscaled SD – 1:34)
Alternate Trailer (Upscaled SD – 1:10)
TV Spot (SD – :31)
Arrow Trailer (HD – 1:33)
King Cohen Trailer (HD – 2:39)
Image Gallery (HD – 11 in all)

DISC TWO (BD – PRE-RELEASE VERSION)

Pre-Release Version (HD – 118:49)

This release massively expands upon Arrow’s 2014, 2016, and 2019 Blu-ray releases, offering a more robust extras package. The new audio commentary with writers and critics David Flint and Adrian Smith is refreshingly critical, as well as entertaining. In an era when lawyers at certain studios continue to trim content out of audio commentaries, it’s nice to hear a couple of people have actual opinions about something without being censored. Granted, nothing that they say is shocking, but it’s an honest conversation about the pros and cons of the film in question. Arrow has also rescued Larry Cohen’s audio commentary from the 2000 Anchor Bay DVD release. Aside from some pauses, it’s always great to hear Larry Cohen talk about his work, and this track is no exception.

Can’t Get Enough of The Stuff is an excellent documentary about the making of the film with Larry Cohen, producer Paul Kurta, author and critic Kim Newman, mechanical makeup effects artist Steve Neill, and actress Andrea Marcovicci. Enough Is Never Enough features interviews with Larry Cohen and Paul Kurta, which were previously filmed for the documentary King Cohen. 42nd Street Memories is another excellent documentary, this time devoted to the history of one of New York City’s most famous (and infamous) streets. It offers a multitude of interview subjects, among them Larry Cohen, William Lustig, Frank Henenlotter, Samuel M. Sherman, Joe Dante, Lynn Lowry, Tom Holland, Lloyd Kaufman, and Greydon Clark, among many others. Last is the film’s original trailer, an alternate trailer, a TV spot, Arrow’s trailer for the film, a trailer for King Cohen, and an Image Gallery containing 11 images of production and promotional photos.

The second disc contains an early, pre-release version of the film that contains over 30 minutes of additional footage, as well as a different score. It was sourced from a 35mm print held at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences film archive. It’s also the first time this cut of the film has been made publicly available anywhere. While certainly not perfect visually, it’s been restored to look its best by Arrow Video. Outside of some deleted moments, there are also many extended bits and the re-arrangement of scenes, which emphasize relationships and the satire more than the theatrical cut. It’s not necessarily a “director’s cut,” but it’s a little closer to Larry Cohen’s intentions for the film, and is arguably the better version of the two as it’s the more accomplished version. It’s presented with English mono LPCM audio and optional subtitles in English SDH.

While this is a stellar set of bonus materials, a few things have not carried over. The previous Arrow Video Blu-ray releases also contained a Trailers From Hell commentary by Darren Bousman, while the 2023 German Blu-ray release by WMM included an open matte version of the film. The Region 4 Australian DVD release by Monster Pictures also included an audio interview with Larry Cohen, and a video interview with Cohen by Mick Garris.

Like many Larry Cohen projects, The Stuff may be an acquired taste (no pun intended), chiefly due to its off-kilter nature. It’s had more resurgence in recent years as younger generations have discovered it for its satire and not necessarily its horror elements. Arrow Video’s 4K Ultra HD release definitely improves upon all previous releases, including their own. If you’re a fan of the film, this comes highly recommended, especially for the pre-release cut.

- Tim Salmons

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