Main Topic: The Stuff

Following on from our discussion of food and horror last episode, we’re taking a look at Larry Cohen’s 1985 film The Stuff. Cohen blended horror, social satire, and absurd comedy to create one of the stranger mainstream releases of the decade, lampooning America’s growing obsession with guilt-free snack foods and the intrusive ways in which they were marketed.

As well as discussing the film itself, and how it might inspire our games, we’ll talk a little about Larry Cohen himself and what made him such a unique filmmaker.

Our Guest Host

We are delighted to welcome Cuppycup back to the Good Friends!

Cuppycup is the creator and producer of Ain’t Slayed Nobody and Push the Roll with Ross Bryant, both part of the Push the Roll umbrella. His work in actual play has earned an ENnie Gold Award, Golden Lobe, AudioVerse Awards, and a place in the EN World Actual Play Hall of Fame. Across his shows, Cup blends horror, comedy, and sound-rich production, with a special love for Call of Cthulhu and stories where bad decisions only make things better.

He can be heard as a player on Push the Roll with Ross Bryant. Find him on pushtheroll.com or via Instagram or Bluesky.

• Strange NPCs: Louis Wain
• Theme Parks and Horror
• Something Wicked This Way Comes
• Food and Horror

Links

Things we mention in this episode include:

• Larry Cohen
• Casablanca (1942)
• King Cohen (2017)
• I Killed Bette Davis by Larry Cohen
• The Invaders
• Columbo
• Bone (1972)
• Black Caesar (1973)
• Blaxpoitation
• Hell Up in Harlem (1973)
• Phone Booth (2003)
• Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)
• Guerrilla filmmaking
• God Told Me To (1976)
• Penny dropped off the Empire State Building

• The Ambulance (1990)
• Roger Ebert’s review of The Stuff
• Uncut version of The Stuff
• It’s Alive (1974)
• Basket Case (1982)
• The Exorcist (1973)
• Street Trash (1987)
• Troll 2 (1990)
• Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
• They Live (1988)
• Michael Moriarty
• “Lakeview” on Ain’t Slayed Nobody
• FDA approval versus European approval of food additives

• Fluff
• Cool Whip
• Low fat food conspiracy theories
• Frozen yoghurt
• Halo effect
• Ultra-processed foods
• Eric Bogosian
• Special Effects (1984)
• Famous Amos
• Saturday Night Live
• Ralph Nader
• Unsafe at Any Speed by Ralph Nader
• The Black Phone (2021)
• “And the Rockets Red Glare” by Jacqueline Bryk
• Clara Peller
• Pulp Cthulhu
• The Blob (1958)

• “The Meat Trade” on Ain’t Slayed Nobody
• Nobel 808 plastic explosive
• Gatehouse location
• Alex Jones
• Fluoridation conspiracy theories
• Peoples Temple
• Heaven’s Gate
• The Thing From Another World (1951)
• Public Access
• “The Colour Out of Space” by HP Lovecraft
• Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
• “New Life” on Glass Cannon
• “Side Effects May Include” on Push the Roll With Ross Bryant
• “The Dare”
• “The Dare” on Ain’t Slayed Nobody
• Stranger Things

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