Swamp Thing (1982 film)

Last updated

Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing 1982 poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Wes Craven
Written byWes Craven
Based on
Swamp Thing
by
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Robbie Greenberg
Edited byRichard Bracken
Music by Harry Manfredini
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Swampfilms [1]
Distributed by Embassy Pictures [1] (United States)
United Artists (international, through United International Pictures)
Release date
  • February 19, 1982 (1982-02-19)
Running time
91 minutes
(U.S. theatrical version)
93 minutes
(uncut international version)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.5 million [2]

Swamp Thing is a 1982 American superhero film written and directed by Wes Craven, based on the DC Comics character of the same name created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. It tells the story of scientist Alec Holland (Ray Wise) who is transformed into the monster known as Swamp Thing (Dick Durock) through laboratory sabotage orchestrated by the evil Anton Arcane (Louis Jourdan). Later, he helps a woman named Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau) and battles the man responsible for it all, the ruthless Arcane. The film did well on home video and cable and was followed by a sequel, The Return of Swamp Thing , in 1989. [3]

Contents

Plot

After a scientist is mysteriously killed while assisting a top-secret bioengineering project, government worker Alice Cable arrives at the bogs to serve as his replacement. Alice immediately notices that one of the team's swamp sensors has malfunctioned and Harry Ritter reveals that her predecessor was attempting to repair it when he was killed. Charlie tells Ritter a rumor about an evil paramilitary leader named Anton Arcane, who intends to hijack their operation. Alice introduces herself to Dr. Linda Holland and her brother, lead scientist Dr. Alec Holland, who takes her on a tour and encourages her to admire the beauty of the swamps.

After noting the disappearance of one of their workers, the group hears a loud bang and returns to the laboratory, where Linda shows off her recent breakthrough: a glowing, plant-based concoction with explosive properties. Sometime later, Alec notices that droplets of Linda's formula spawned rapid plant growth on the surfaces they touched. Suddenly, a group of paramilitary agents attack her and raid Alec's laboratory. A man resembling Ritter steps forward, but pulls off his mask and reveals himself as Arcane. When Arcane shoots Linda for attempting to escape with the formula, Alec grabs the beaker, but trips, causing the spilled chemicals to set him on fire. He runs outside and dives into the swamp to extinguish the flames as a series of explosions burst from the water.

Overnight, Arcane's henchmen destroy the premises and remove all evidence of the team's work. At dawn, a henchman captures Alice and attempts to drown her in the swamp, but a green, humanlike creature rescues her. Meanwhile, in his mansion, Arcane and his secretary realize that Alec's most recent notebook is missing. Alice runs to a nearby gas station to telephone her employers for help; the operator connects her to Arcane, who, posing as Ritter, claims to have been called away from the site before the attack. After revealing she stole Alec's last notebook, Alice waits for Ritter's return alongside the young gas station attendant, Jude, but Arcane's men arrive and chase her through the forest. Suddenly, the green humanoid creature, referred to as the Swamp Thing, appears and again scares the pursuers away and Alice escapes.

Alice and Jude boat around the swamp until they reach the dock near the laboratory wreckage. Multiple boats of Arcane's men close in on Alice and Jude, luring the creature from its hiding place among the reeds. Despite their bullets and grenades, the Swamp Thing engineers an elaborate boat crash. Moments after instructing Jude to escape with Alec's notebook, Alice hears the boy cry out in distress, but she is kidnapped before she can reply. The Swamp Thing finds Jude's lifeless body and presses a hand against his head, creating a greenish glow which instantly revives him. Regaining consciousness, Jude realizes the creature is a friend of Alice's and gives it the notebook for safekeeping. On Arcane's boat, Alice throws her kidnapper, Ferret, overboard, then dives into the water and swims ashore. Once on land, Alice bumps into the Swamp Thing, which calls out her name. Ferret chops off the Swamp Thing's arm with a machete, but the creature easily crushes Ferret's skull, causing Alice to faint. She awakens in the monster's embrace. The Swamp Thing speaks to her, and she recognizes it as Alec. Arcane's men follow her, capture the Swamp Thing in a net, and retrieve the final notebook.

That evening, Arcane invites Alice to a formal dinner party celebrating his duplication of the Hollands’ formula. Moments after giving a toast to prospective immortality, Arcane reveals that he secretly slipped the first dose to Bruno, who begins to convulse. The hulking man's body shrinks to half its size as he grows pointed ears and a misshapen skull. Arcane locks him in a dungeon alongside the Swamp Thing, asking the latter why the experiment failed. The Swamp Thing reveals that the formula does not produce strength, but instead amplifies a person's natural qualities, explaining that Bruno's timidity caused his diminished stature.

After locking Alice in the dungeon with them, Arcane returns to his study and drinks a glass of the formula. A beam of sunlight emitted through the door re-grows the Swamp Thing's missing arm, allowing the creature to free itself, Alice, and Bruno. Upstairs, Arcane transforms into a hairy, boar like beast, and descends to the dungeons. There, he discovers that his captives have escaped through an underwater tunnel leading back to the swamp. Sometime later, Alice and the Swamp Thing emerge from the water, followed closely by Arcane, who stabs Alice with a sword. The Swamp Thing revives Alice then kills Arcane. The creature turns to leave, but Alice pleads for him to stay so that she can help him rebuild his work. He refuses, but promises to return to her soon. Moments later, Jude emerges from the trees and embraces her as they watch the Swamp Thing lumber away through the marsh.

Cast

Production

Filming

Filming occurred primarily on location in Cypress Gardens, Moncks Corner, South Carolina. [4] Wes Craven was proud in delivering the film on time and on budget at $2.5 million. [5]

Writing

In writing the film, Wes Craven referenced Werner Herzog's 1974 film The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser which was originally called Every Man for Himself and God Against All. [6] Another mercenary says the line to the character named Bruno. In Enigma, the lead character was played by Bruno Schleinstein (credited as Bruno S.).

Release

Home media

Swamp Thing was released on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD and Blu-ray.

In August 2000, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released the film on DVD in the United States. Though the DVD was labeled as being the PG-rated, domestic cut of the film, MGM had inadvertently used the 93-minute international cut of the film which contained more nudity and sexual content than the US theatrical cut. This DVD edition also erroneously lists the release date as 1981, instead of 1982. In May 2002, a Dallas woman rented the disc from a Blockbuster Video store for her children and reported this discrepancy. [7] MGM recalled the disc and reissued it in August 2005, with the US theatrical cut as originally intended. [8]

Swamp Thing was released in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack by Shout! Factory on August 6, 2013. [9] The set features the 91-minute cut of the film presented in high definition widescreen format, along with bonus content including interviews with Adrienne Barbeau, Len Wein, and Reggie Batts, as well as commentary tracks with Wes Craven and makeup artist Bill Munn. [9] [10]

In the UK the 93-minute cut was released on Blu-ray by 88films on March 25, 2019.

MVD Entertainment Group released an Ultra HD Blu-ray edition of Swamp Thing in 2023, which includes both versions of the film. [11]

Reception

Critical response

Swamp Thing received mixed to positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 60% based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Unabashedly campy -- often to its detriment -- Swamp Thing is not without its charms, among them Adrienne Barbeau as the damsel in distress". [12] Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars. [13]

Author John Kenneth Muir notes that Swamp Thing differs in many respects from Craven's usual work, in that Craven's intent was to show the major Hollywood studios that he could handle action, stunts and major stars. [14] Craven substituted his usual focus on the problems of family and society for pure entertainment. [15] Nevertheless, Muir points out that some of Craven's usual themes and images do appear in Swamp Thing. For example, as in The Last House on the Left (1972), and The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Craven shows a close connection between the landscape and his characters. [16]

PopMatters journalist J.C. Maçek III wrote: "As much fun as this film can be (and it often is), it's equally often difficult to ignore that Swamp Thing ultimately is, at core, a rubber-suit monster movie". [17]

DVD Talk rated the film as 3 stars of 5 stars as "Recommended". [18]

Other media

Comic book adaptation

The film was adapted in comic form as Swamp Thing Annual #1. The adaptation was written by Bruce Jones and illustrated by Mark Texeira and Tony DeZuniga.

Sequel

A sequel entitled The Return of Swamp Thing was released in 1989. [17]

Television series

In July 1990, USA Network premiered the Swamp Thing television series. This saw Dick Durock reprising his role using a modified version of the Return of Swamp Thing costume. The series took a deliberate turn away from the campy themes of its 1989 film predecessor and leaned toward the darkness of Wes Craven's version. It lasted into 1993 with a total of 72 episodes.

Animated series

A short-lived animated series was also produced concurrently. It does not share continuity with either the films or live-action series.

Cancelled Reboot and Upcoming Reboot

In 2009, Joel Silver planned to produce a reboot of the Swamp Thing film franchise from a story written by Akiva Goldsman. [19] In April 2010, Vincenzo Natali was confirmed to direct, [20] but in May he decided to delay the Swamp Thing reboot to pursue other projects. [21]

In January 2023, a new reboot was announced as part of the DC Universe (DCU) franchise by James Gunn. [22]

Other appearances

Adrienne Barbeau made a guest appearance in the episode "Long Walk Home" of DC Universe's 2019 Swamp Thing series.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swamp Thing</span> Fictional character, an elemental creature in the DC Comics Universe

Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The character first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century. The character found perhaps its greatest popularity during the original 1970s Wein/Wrightson run and in the mid-late 1980s during a highly acclaimed run under Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. Swamp Thing would also go on to become one of the staples of the Justice League Dark, a team featuring magical superheroes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrienne Barbeau</span> American actress (born 1945)

Adrienne Jo Barbeau is an American actress and author. She came to prominence in the 1970s as Broadway's original Rizzo in the musical Grease, and as Carol Traynor, the divorced daughter of Maude Findlay on the sitcom Maude (1972–1978). In 1980, she began appearing in horror and science fiction films, including The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981), Creepshow (1982), and Swamp Thing (1982). She also provided the voice of Catwoman in the DC Animated Universe. In the 2000s, she appeared on the HBO series Carnivàle (2003–2005) as Ruthie.

<i>The Hills Have Eyes</i> (1977 film) 1977 American horror film directed by Wes Craven

The Hills Have Eyes is a 1977 American horror film written, directed, and edited by Wes Craven and starring Susan Lanier, Michael Berryman and Dee Wallace. The film follows the Carters, a suburban family targeted by a family of cannibal savages after becoming stranded in the Nevada desert.

<i>Basket Case</i> (film) 1982 film by Frank Henenlotter

Basket Case is a 1982 American horror film written and directed by Frank Henenlotter in his feature directorial debut. Produced by Edgar Ievins, the film stars Kevin Van Hentenryck as Duane Bradley, a young man who seeks vengeance on the doctors and nurses who performed an unwanted surgery that separated him from his deformed conjoined twin brother Belial, whom Duane hides in a large wicker basket.

Anton Arcane is a supervillain appearing in American comic books by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Swamp Thing #2, and was created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson. He is the archenemy of Swamp Thing, the protagonist of the comics.

<i>They</i> (2002 film) 2002 American supernatural horror film, directed by Robert Harmon

They is a 2002 American supernatural horror film, directed by Robert Harmon and starring Laura Regan, Ethan Embry, Dagmara Dominczyk, Jay Brazeau, and Marc Blucas. The plot is centered on a group of four adults experiencing night terrors and attempting to deal with the fallout from their prior childhood experiences. The film was produced by Ted Field and Tom Engleman; Wes Craven served as one of its executive producers and was its presenter.

Nancy Thompson (<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i>) Main character in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series

Nancy Thompson is a fictional character in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. She first appears in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) as a teenager hunted in her dreams by enigmatic serial killer Freddy Krueger. In this film, she was portrayed by Heather Langenkamp—who reprises the role in the sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). Langenkamp later portrayed a fictional version of herself who embodies the role of Nancy in Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). A reimagined version of the character, Nancy Holbrook, is portrayed by Rooney Mara in the 2010 remake.

<i>The Hills Have Eyes Part II</i> 1984 film by Wes Craven

The Hills Have Eyes Part II is a 1985 American horror film written and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Tamara Stafford, Kevin Spirtas, John Bloom, Michael Berryman, Penny Johnson, Janus Blythe, John Laughlin, Willard E. Pugh, Peter Frechette and Robert Houston. The Hills Have Eyes Part II is the sequel to the 1977 film. The film was produced by Barry Cahn, Jonathan Debin, and Peter Locke.

<i>Someones Watching Me!</i> 1978 television film directed by John Carpenter

Someone's Watching Me! is a 1978 American made-for-television horror film written and directed by John Carpenter and starring Lauren Hutton, David Birney and Adrienne Barbeau. The film was made immediately prior to Carpenter's theatrical hit Halloween; it was produced by Warner Bros. and aired on NBC on November 29, 1978.

<i>The Return of Swamp Thing</i> 1989 film by Jim Wynorski

The Return of Swamp Thing is a 1989 American superhero film based on the DC Comics' character of the same name. Directed by Jim Wynorski, it is a sequel to the 1982 film Swamp Thing, having a lighter tone than its predecessor. The film has a main title montage consisting of comic book covers set to Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born on the Bayou", and features Dick Durock and Louis Jourdan reprising their roles as Swamp Thing and Anton Arcane respectively, along with Sarah Douglas and Heather Locklear.

The Un-Men are a group of fictional characters in the DC/Vertigo Comics universe. Created by the writer/artist team of Len Wein and Berni Wrightson, the Un-Men made their first appearance in 1972, in issues #1–2 of the original Swamp Thing comic book series. The characters made subsequent appearances in later issues of Swamp Thing and its successor series, The Saga of the Swamp Thing, and in the 1994 five-issue Vertigo miniseries, American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men. In August 2007, Vertigo launched The Un-Men, a monthly comic book series chronicling the further exploits of these characters. 13 issues of that title were published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abby Holland</span> Fictional comic book character in the DC Comics Universe

Abigail Arcane Cable Holland is a fictional comic book character in the DC Comics Universe. She is the spouse/partner of Swamp Thing and the mother of Tefé Holland. Holland's psychic powers include empathy, telepathy and telekinesis. She first appeared in Swamp Thing #3 and was created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson.

<i>Swamp Thing</i> (1990 TV series) American science fiction television series

Swamp Thing is an American superhero television series based on the Vertigo/DC Comics character the Swamp Thing. It debuted on USA Network on July 27, 1990, and lasted three seasons for a total of 72 episodes. It was later shown in reruns on the Sci Fi Channel.

<i>Swamp Thing</i> (1991 TV series) Animated television series

Swamp Thing is an animated television series based on the Vertigo/DC Comics superhero character Swamp Thing. The series is short-lived, with the pilot episode airing on October 31, 1990 followed by four additional episodes airing weekly from April 20 to May 11, 1991. It aired on YTV from 1991 to 1993 in Canada. Produced by DIC Animation City, the series corresponded with Kenner's Swamp Thing action figure collection released in 1990. Despite the animated series' brief run, various merchandise was also produced in 1991 resulting in the only significant marketing platform ever created for the character. This is the final animated series from DC Comics to not be produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Cable</span> Comics character

Matthew Joseph Cable is a character appearing in DC Comics' Swamp Thing series. Introduced in Swamp Thing in November 1972, he was created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson. Years later, the character dies and is later resurrected as Dream's raven in Neil Gaiman's rendition of The Sandman.

The character the Swamp Thing has appeared in seven American comic book series to date, including several specials, and has crossed over into other DC Comics titles. The series found immense popularity upon its 1970s debut and during the mid-late 1980s under Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben. These eras were met with high critical praise and numerous awards. However, over the years, the Swamp Thing comics have suffered from low sales, which have resulted in numerous series cancellations and revivals.

<i>Justice League Dark</i> (film) 2017 film directed by Jay Oliva

Justice League Dark is a 2017 American adult animated science fantasy superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Home Video. Featuring the DC Comics team of the same name created by Peter Milligan and Mikel Janín, the film is the 28th of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies and the eighth of the DC Animated Movie Universe. Unlike most installments in the DC Animated Universe Movies series, Justice League Dark features an original premise. The film stars Matt Ryan as John Constantine, Camilla Luddington as Zatanna and Jason O'Mara as Batman. Ryan and O'Mara reprised their respective roles from previous media. It was released on Digital HD on January 24, 2017, and on DVD and Blu-ray on February 7.

<i>Batman and Harley Quinn</i> 2017 film directed by Sam Liu

Batman and Harley Quinn is a 2017 American animated superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. It is the 30th film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, and is directed by Sam Liu and written by Jim Krieg and Bruce Timm. It premiered on July 21, 2017 at San Diego Comic-Con and was released into participating theaters for one night only on August 14, 2017. The film was released on digital on August 15, 2017 and on DVD and Blu-ray on August 29.

<i>Swamp Thing</i> (2019 TV series) American superhero television series

Swamp Thing is an American superhero television series created by Gary Dauberman and Mark Verheiden for DC Universe, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The series follows medical doctor Abby Arcane encountering the eponymous Swamp Thing, a plant-elemental creature who fights malevolent forces around a Louisiana swamp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alec Holland</span> Fictional character in DC Comics

Alec Holland is a fictional character in comic books published by DC Comics. He is most notably a character in the various Swamp Thing series.

References

  1. 1 2 "Swamp Thing (1982) - Credits". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  2. ↑ Muir, John Kenneth (2008). The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television, 2d ed. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 599. ISBN   9780786437559.
  3. ↑ Chris Bumbray (November 18, 2021). "Swamp Thing (1982) – DC Films Revisited". JoBlo.com . Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Movies Filmed Here – Cypress Gardens".
  5. ↑ Muir, John (February 24, 2004). Swamp Thing (1982). McFarland. ISBN   9780786419234. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2019.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. ↑ Phipps, Keith. "Swamp Thing". The Dissolve. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  7. ↑ Blockbuster's snafu outrages Dallas Mother, "Lubbock Online", May 5, 2002.
  8. ↑ Swamp Thing DVD Review Archived 2020-11-15 at the Wayback Machine , "DVD Talk", August 20, 2005.
  9. 1 2 "Shout! Factory". www.shoutfactory.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Swamp Thing Blu-ray". Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  11. ↑ Hunt, Bill. "Our exclusive 4K Ultra HD catalog update for early 2023 is here with news of Avatar, Abyss, Dragonslayer, Swamp Thing, African Queen, Maltese Falcon & much more!". thedigitalbits.com. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Swamp Thing (1982)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2021. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  13. ↑ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1982). "Swamp Thing". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  14. ↑ Muir, John Kenneth (1998). "Swamp Thing (1982)" in Wes Craven: The Art of Horror. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. ISBN   0-7864-0576-7, p. 95.
  15. ↑ Muir (1998), p. 90.
  16. ↑ Muir (1998), p. 91.
  17. 1 2 Maçek III, J.C. (August 6, 2013). "'Swamp Thing' Rises out of the Swamps for a Blu-ray that Is Better than the Sum of Its Parts". PopMatters . Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  18. ↑ Gross, G. Noel (September 3, 2000). "Swamp Thing". DVD Talk . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Swamp Thing" Makes Akiva Goldsman's Heart Sing Archived 2020-11-15 at the Wayback Machine , DreadCentral.com, October 21, 2009.
  20. ↑ "Vincenzo Natali Talks Swamp Thing". August 28, 2012. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  21. ↑ Vincenzo Natali says no Swamp Thing 3D movie anytime soon Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine , "Beyond Hollywood", May 12, 2010.
  22. ↑ Kit, Borys (February 1, 2023). "James Mangold in Talks to Tackle Swamp Thing Movie for James Gunn, Peter Safran's DC Studios". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.