Main Cast: Louis Jourdan, Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise, David Hess, Nicholas Worth
Release Year: 1982
Country: US
Run Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Director Wes Craven, who went on to fame as the force behind blockbuster horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, departed from his favorite genre to film this unique cult classic -- a spoof on the mad scientist movies of the 1950s. Adrienne Barbeau stars as Alice Cable, a government agent sent to replace a man who has disappeared while guarding a secret experimental lab in the middle of the Louisiana bayous. Dressed in heels and a skirt, Cable professes unease at her strange new surroundings, but she is soon wooed by Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise). Holland is working on a concoction that combines plant and animal cells. Arcane (Louis Jourdan) is the criminal mastermind who is trying to steal the secret recipe for the potion. When Arcane and his mercenaries break into the government camp, they kill Holland's sister Linda (Nannette Brown) and the scientist is accidentally doused with his own formula and bursts into flames, then dives into the swamp. Arcane's men pursue Cable, but she is rescued by a mysterious green man. It takes several rescues for her to understand that the Swamp Thing (Dick Durock) is Dr. Holland, transformed by his own formula. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
Review
Although Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben's masterful reworking of the DC Comics Swamp Thing mythology didn't begin until after the film was completed, writer/director Wes Craven still had the original 1970s comic to work with. The moody tale of an outcast plant man, the book featured the broodingly beautiful artwork of horror mainstay Berni Wrightson. Instead of going for gothic atmosphere, however, Craven and company opt for a slightly campy riff on '50s horror matinees. The results are watchable enough, but they lack both the fiendish glee of Creepshow (another 1982 horror throwback starring Adrienne Barbeau) and the Grand Guignol power of the comic book. Arcane, the grotesque scientist villain of the comic, is transformed into a debonair millionaire arch-fiend, while Abigail, his put-upon niece, becomes ass-kicking government agent Alice Cable, who has no ties whatsoever to Arcane. The interplay between Barbeau's no-nonsense Cable and deadpan teen sidekick Jude (Reggie Batts) is a lot of fun, but the actual monster-mash elements of the film fall flat, thanks to cheap makeup effects. There's never any doubt that Swamp Thing is a guy in an ill-fitting rubber suit, and Craven doesn't do enough to transform such anachronisms from a liability into a strength. The tongue-in-cheek production design -- from knowingly cheesy wipes to gorgeous exteriors of the swamp itself -- looks great, especially on DVD, but as soon as the title character turns up, this is basically a hokey-looking nostalgia exercise. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Dick Durock - Swamp thing; Don Knight - Ritter; Al Ruban - Charlie; Mimi Craven - Arcane's Secretary; Tommy Madden - Little Bruno; Ben Bates - Arcane Monster; Bill Erickson - Young Agent; Dov Gottesfeld - Commando
Credit
Rhoda Neal - Art Director, Patricia Bolomet - Costume Designer, Bennett Choate - Costume Designer, Paul A. Simmons - Costume Designer, Todd Corman - First Assistant Director, Wes Craven - Director, Richard Bracken - Editor, Al Ruban - Executive Producer, Harry Manfredini - Composer (Music Score), William Munns - Makeup, Ken Horn - Makeup Special Effects, William Munns - Makeup Special Effects, Esther Mercado - Makeup Special Effects, Deborah Shankle - Makeup Special Effects, Robb Wilson King - Production Designer, David Nichols - Production Designer, Robin Goodwin - Cinematographer, Michael E. Uslan - Producer, Benjamin Melniker - Producer, Ted Duncan - Stunts, Tony Cecere - Stunts, Ted Duncan - Stunts Coordinator, Wes Craven - Screenwriter, Tony Cecere - Second Assistant Director
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,[1] Craven substituted his usual focus on the problems of the family and society for pure entertainment.[2] Nevertheless, Muir points out, 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.[3]
In 2009 it was announced that Joel Silver will direct the remake of the movie, the storybook is written from Akiva Goldsman.[4]
References
^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.
