Swamp Thing (1982) Review: A Different Craven

Swamp Thing is Wes Craven’s love letter to the classic rubber-suit monster movies in the form of a campy and colorful superhero movie.

Like any good superhero story, Swamp Thing begins with an experiment gone wrong. Shortly after Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau, of The Fog) arrives at the research outpost in an unmapped swamp, Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise, of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me) finally makes his scientific breakthrough: a glowing, neon green substance that grows plants on anything it touches. When his arch nemesis, the Nietzsche-quoting Dr. Anton Arcane (Louis Jourdan, who brings the same energy to the role that he brought to his James Bond villain performance in Octopussy) hears of this discovery, he raids the lab with his mercenaries to steal the formula. The unavoidable happens: Holland is doused in the liquid and thought to be left for dead.

Arcane takes Alice with him in case she might be of help to replicate the substance, but on their way back a creature attacks them from within the swamp and saves Alice. Arcane is initially confused: Where is this beast coming from, and how is it so smart? The answer is, of course, that Holland survived the accident but was turned into a sentient plant monster; he has become Swamp Thing (Dick Durock). While he manages to save Alice, Arcane still escapes with the notebook that reveals the secrets of Holland’s research. The job isn’t done yet.

At the heart of the film is the romance between Alice Cable and Dr. Alec Holland, who becomes Swamp Thing. It plays a bit like The Beauty and the Beast without any hope for the beast to become human again, or maybe a less horny version of The Shape of Water (though unlike modern superhero movies, this one isn’t scared of nudity). Either way, it’s a tragic love story about a monster whose humanity stays intact. A small moment, but maybe one of the most affecting in the film, is when Swamp Thing just gently cups a pink flower in his hand and admires its beauty.

It’s clear Swamp Thing didn’t have a huge budget, and it shows throughout the movie. This isn’t the perfectly polished blockbuster we’re used to from superhero movies these days. The rubber suit used for the titular creature in particular looks quite cheap, but Wes Craven and his cinematographer Robbie Greenberg know how to make a good-looking movie even under those conditions. There are shots of sun rays falling through the foliage onto the water in the mist-covered swamp that are breathtaking. The smart use of nature, in particular plants, found throughout Swamp Thing doesn’t require a high budget but simple ingenuity. Another small touch that costs no money but brought a smile to my face every time were the wipe transitions that felt like you were reading a comic book.

Swamp Thing is an imperfect movie. It could have used a bigger budget, the emotional beats don’t entirely work, and it’s just a bit of a campy mess. But it’s such a unique film in both Wes Craven’s filmography and superhero cinema. The love for the genres he’s working in here is palpable, and despite the ridiculousness of some elements (the final showdown is against a humanoid pig beast that fights using a medieval sword), there’s a sincerity to what’s happening that is missing from so many modern superhero films. I’m sure the upcoming Swamp Thing film will go in a completely different direction, but I’m happy this is the one Wes Craven decided to go with.

Swamp Thing (1982) is now available to watch on digital and on demand, and to own on DVD and Blu-Ray.

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