This started out as a run-of-the-mill Hollywood squabble. Defendant Larry Cohen wrote, directed and executive [**2] produced “The Stuff,” a horror movie with a dash of social satire: Earth is invaded by an alien [*556] life form that looks (and tastes) like frozen yogurt but, alas, has some unfortunate side effects - it’s addictive
and takes over the mind of anyone who eats it. Marketed by an unscrupulous entrepreneur, the Stuff becomes a big hit. An industrial spy hired by ice cream manufacturers eventually uncovers the terrible truth; he alerts the American people and blows up the yogurt factory, making the world safe once again for lovers of frozen confections.
Effects may license, sell or give away for nothing its remaining rights in the special
effects footage. Those rights may not be particularly valuable, of course: “The Stuff” was something less than a blockbuster, and it remains to be seen whether there’s a
market for shots featuring great gobs of alien yogurt oozing out of a defunct factory. On the other hand, the shots may have much potential for use in music videos.
