8 Horror Movies With Surprising Deeper Meanings
7. The Stuff Is About Mindless Consumption
The Stuff is another movie in a long line of 80s horror films that made no money and was rediscovered by hungry horror fans long after its debut. Surprisingly, its scathing commentary on advertising and health is more relevant today than it was in 1985.
The Stuff is about the titular food product that has found its way into every refrigerator in America thanks to an extensive marketing campaign and The Stuff’s strange addictiveness. Unfortunately, The Stuff is alive and after you consume enough of it you turn into a zombie and eventually white goo explodes from your face as you melt. It is up to a little kid and a former FBI agent to stop The Stuff, because...the 80s.
If by the third act there was any question as to what this movie was actually about, director Larry Cohen answers it when a shack-style restaurant dedicated to selling The Stuff, conveniently located between two popular fast food establishments, explodes.
The Stuff is a stand in for any product that has been marketed to the general public regardless of health concerns, from sugary cereals to cigarettes. The symbolism isn’t exactly subtle, but it is clever, unfortunately timeless and gory-good fun.
Is anyone else craving fast food?