PopHorror Let's Get Scared
It’s true. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. Case in point… revisiting a film you’ve seen umpteen times, including the cinema savviness you’ve gained in the interim, makes it all the more fun. Swamp Thing, recently released as part of MVD Visual’s Rewind Collection, is a warm and fuzzy trip down memory lane.
Swamp Thing (1982) Synopsis:
After a violent incident with a special chemical, a research scientist is turned into a swamp plant monster.
Here’s a look at the trailer!
Written and directed by horror icon Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Swamp Thing was, in true Craven fashion, an attempt to stretch his legs and forge a new path in his career. By all accounts, this was a conscious effort to leave all of his normal subtext and style in the file cabinet and write a script merely to entertain. Not to convey a message, no social commentary, just a fun watch. And with Swamp Thing, he succeeded!
Putting together a great ensemble cast featuring: Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, and you know what? Any self-respecting horror fan should know, at the very least, half of the horror films she’s been in…) as Alice Cable, Ray Wise (Robocop, Digging Up The Marrow) as Dr. Alec Holland, and Louis Jourdan (Octopussy) as the evil Arcane.
Schlepping them all down to actual swampland in South Carolina, Craven did the impossible by delivering a comic book/superhero film on time, and with a $2.5 million budget. Try doing that today! That’s probably the catering budget for a modern DC or Marvel film. And c’mon, Dick Durock (Stand By Me) in a painfully obvious rubber suit is just charming as Hell!
The true fun in revisiting Swamp Thing, besides that it’s an endearing and unabashedly campy film, is noticing the little things. Knowing what you know now, this makes it a very cool watch. I saw this film probably 50-60 times, as it was one of those that ran on HBO every five minutes or so when I was like 14. I’ve owned a DVD for years (because I’m a completist nerd), but never actually sat down and watched it, so the new, super clear edition from MVD was welcome.
Ray Wise was actually YOUNG at one point in his career! Conversely, Adrienne Barbeau must be a vampire because she hasn’t aged at all! David Hess (Last House on the Left) managed to make his usual Wes Craven’s Childhood Bully-inspired role surprisingly fresh! Nicolas Worth (Hell Comes To Frogtown) was in everything! As was Mimi Craven (The Grand Tour). And why didn’t the fantastic Reggie Batts (Jude) have a career in film after this?
Fortunately, most of this is answered in the exhaustive special features of this two-disc set. Both the Blu and 4K have the PG-rated theatrical cut (91 min.) and the unrated International cut (93 min.) which features a rare topless scene from Barbeau (14-year-old me definitely didn’t know THAT existed!). And, there’s virtually every special feature from all the previous editions ported over and converted to HD, including some new commentaries.
Everything is packaged in a cool slipcover (complete with faux creases) with some Bernie Wrightson-inspired artwork, and a neat little mini poster. Collectors will definitely want to add this to their shelves, and die-hard fans of this film will not be disappointed—Swamp Thing never looked this good. Right in the feels…
The Swamp Thing 4K Rewind Collection is available now from MVD Visual at your favorite retailers.
