Swamp Thing (1982)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Wes Craven

Writers:

Wes Craven (writer)
Len Wein (comic book)

Release Date:

30 July 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Science transformed him into a monster. Love changed him even more!

Plot:

After a violent incident with a special chemical, a research scientist is turned into a swamp plant monster.

Plot Keywords:

Swamp | Scientist | Monster | DC Comics | Cult Director

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Louis Jourdan	...	Dr. Anton Arcane
Adrienne Barbeau	...	Alice Cable
Ray Wise	...	Doctor Alec Holland
David Hess	...	Ferret
Nicholas Worth	...	Bruno
Don Knight	...	Harry Ritter
Al Ruban	...	Charlie
Dick Durock	...	Swamp Thing
Ben Bates	...	Arcane Monster
Nannette Brown	...	Dr. Linda Holland
Reggie Batts	...	Jude
Mimi Craven	...	Arcane's Secretary (as Mimi Meyer)
Karen Price	...	Karen
Bill Erickson	...	Young Agent
Dov Gottesfeld	...	Commando

Runtime:

91 min | USA:93 min (DVD version) | Australia:89 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG (original rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-18 (DVD rating) | Belgium:16 (video rating) | UK:PG (self applied cut TV rating) | Germany:12 | Australia:M | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Swampfilms

Trivia:

WILHELM SCREAM: Can be heard as Swamp Thing throws a thug out of his speed boat.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Swamp Thing performs his veggie-magic healing trick on Cable, curing her wound where she was stabbed. Remarkably, those pesky blood stains on her shirt also vanish.

Quotes:

Little Bruno: [Bruno has just been taken to the dungeon by another guard after drinking the formula] Some friend you are!
Commando: Sorry, Bruno. It's every man for himself; God against all.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Welcome to Primetime (1999) (V)

Amplification of Each's Essence

I really have an affection for this truly campy, cheaply-made, cheesy film from the early 80's. Wes Craven, before he hits it real big, obviously has some directorial flair, but there is a lot here that is atypical of his work. The special effects are really cheap, I mean, aside from the Swamp Thing outfit, everything else is very badly done from the hideous, cowardly midget to the overblown, terrible outfit of another "fearsome" monster that personifies the very essence of evil - or so we are told. It would be very easy to dissect this film for all of its obvious faults, but what I do like is that it has that feel of an old sci-fi film from years gone by - good vs. evil. It has some decent acting and set locations. Louis Jourdan plays the suave villain as well as anybody and David Hess(Last House on the Left fame) plays a despicable henchman with few peers. And Adrienne Barbeau? She bares it and is beautiful in all forms of undress as her cleavage barely manages to stay on as she runs through swampland. She plays Alice Cable, a love interest for the Swamp Thing, a creation of serendipity and scientific experimentation. The story, loosely based on a comic book, is liberally dosed with action, inane dialog, and what you would expect for a film of this ilk, but all enjoyable. I enjoyed the character of Jude too, played with an innocence to acting(and perhaps talent) that few films would allow but comes off I think. Besides, Adrienne Barbeau is in it - this is one of the few times I really would like to have Cable!