If we define the modern superhero movie’s genesis being Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman, it’s kind of weird third in line for a Dc movie, after Superman II, was Swamp Thing. And not only that, the director of this franchise would have only three movies under his belt and all of them are very graphic horror movies, Like seriously, imagining a modern studio executive watching The Last House on the Left and saying, “Yes, this is who we want for our new comic book franchise,” is a pretty funny thought. A Nightmare on Elm Street, which would follow Swamp Thing, had that kind of winking fun in it that Craven became more known for. To be fair, his prior films do, too. The third act of The Last House on the Left basically turns into Home Alone as the criminals are slowly tortured by house booby traps. But, that gets a little lost when compared to the extremely brutal violence during the rest of that movie (Though, it is also kind of funny Donner had just come off The Omen when he made Superman. But comparing the tone of The Omen to The Hills Have Eyes is like comparing eating a nice steak dinner to eating a cracked, waterlogged tennis ball.)
It was October of 2021 and I was in the midst of my marathon of horror films. I was looking down a list of Wes Craven films I hadn’t seen, or hadn’t seen in a long time and came upon Swamp Thing, a movie I hadn’t seen since it was a constant on HBO in the ’80s. I wound up renting it on iTunes and it was one of the worst looking things I had ever seen. Worse than DVD quality. It was so bad most of the movie felt like just big blocky pixels, to the point I’m not sure why I watched the whole thing, but I did. (I think Shout Factory had a Blu out at this time that was fairly well received, but I did not own this Blu.)
MVD has, now, released a brand new 4K (which came out this week) and it’s a gorgeous thing. In a weird way it’s almost too good. There are times you can make out dirt and particles from filming on location in (at least what looks like) actual swamps in South Carolina. Anyway, I love it when a disc like this comes out and it feels like I’m watching a movie I’ve seen before for the first time. Especially a movie like Swamp Thing, which I find so bizarre that it exists in the first place. (And I’ll find it bizarre if James Mangold’s version actually happens.)
Speaking of bizarre, this set includes the longer, international cut. Now, I know I had never seen that, so that’s what I watched. Turns out, it’s barely longer, but there is a moment I was thinking, “I truly don’t remember this much nudity during Swamp Thing. Looking up the differences of the two cuts, well, yes, that’s about it.
Ray Wise (You know, Leland Palmer from Twin Peaks) plays Alec Holland, a scientist working on a formula that allows plants to grow quickly and almost anywhere. However, a side effect of the formula is it is extremely explosive. Adrienne Barbeau is Alice Cable, sent by the government to help with the project after one of the scientists disappears. Louis Jourdan (big fan of him in both Gigi and Octopussy) is having a great time as the evil Anton Arcane who wants the formula for himself, theorizing that it has supernatural abilities that can turn humans into hybrid super-fighters.
During Anton Arcane’s raid, Alec is doused with the formula, is set on fire, and jumps into the swamp, presumed dead. As you might tell from the title of the movie, he is not dead. He turns into the Swamp Thing, which is basically just Dick Durock walking around in a rubber suit that looks probably a little better than you’d expect. The rest of the movie is Swamp Thing punching bad guys as Anton Arcane keeps experimenting with the formula on his own henchmen and himself to some pretty gross results, which does have a feeling of Craven’s earlier work sprinkled in here. Also, it’s always funny to remind myself, “Oh, this is what a PG movie was in 1982.”
Honestly, I do think Swamp Thing was an interesting turn in Craven’s career. He had to find a way to display horror for mass audiences with only a recommendation for “parental guidance.” (I use “mass” lightly here because Swamp Thing apparently did so poorly at the initial box office that its gross is unknown. The movie only became a “success” after its seemingly daily run on cable.) And it is interesting Craven’s next movie, A Nightmare on Elm Street, would gross more than all his previous films combined. Swamp Thing is an oddity – but the good news is it’s never looked better.
You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.