Dr. Alec Holland, hidden away in the depths of a murky swamp, is trying to create a new species - a combination of animal and plant capable of adapting and thriving in the harshest conditions. Unfo...
Swamp Thing embellishes the mossy terrain yet restrained by its monstrous rubber suit budget. A classic tale of abominable creature falling in love with the aggressively independent damsel in distress. The glorifications of science, where experiments were intended to prevent world hunger, interrupted by the ruthless violence of man. Humanity’s inevitable greed transformed the enthusiastic scientist Holland into a humanoid plant beast known simply as “Swamp Thing”. Equipped with indescribable characteristics and photosynthesising regenerative abilities, he roams the swamps of Louisiana where he proclaims his duties as protector of the murky waters.
DC’s relatively unknown eponymous protagonist, whom arguably acquired its highest fame during the 70s, was certainly a risky endeavour considering audiences were only adversed to the studio’s most famous heroes Superman and Batman at the time. Yet horror director Craven discovered thematic continuities between this origin story and his previous cannibalistic slashers, believing that Swamp Thing would be the perfect candidate for further societal exploration. On set locations providing stark contrasts between the naturalistic swamp environment that Holland has become accustomed to, and his arch-nemesis Arcane’s richly lavished mansion where his tyrannical greed imprisons his guests. There is an intangible allurement to Craven’s adaptation that supplies the vast swamps with charm. An exercise in showcasing his ability to integrate action sequences and chaotic stunts within his supposedly dark tones.
Alas, the sparsely low-budget and existence of Universal’s superior creature feature ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’, ultimately left this comic book adaptation drowning in its shallow muddy waters. The story initially commenced with strong chemistry between Wise’s Holland and Barbeau’s gender reversed Cable (her character does not exist in the comics...), as they outline their official duties and explore the shrouded landscape. Then Arcane sends his paramilitary minions, led by a ‘Rambo’ lookalike, and Holland inevitably embraces the titular superhero. Unfortunately, that’s when Craven lost control of his own film. The central romance instantly dissipates, with the once dependable Barbeau now meandering the swamps like a confused gator as she awaits for her plant-based knight in mossy armour to rescue her now stupidly weak self. The antagonistic Arcane reduced to a mere one-dimensional villain whose own motives never power Swamp Thing’s responsibilities, eventually transforming himself into a rabid ferret? I don’t know. And the narrative itself held minimal attention, demonstrating montages of Swamp Thing walking between mangroves and forcing soldiers to become wet, without any contextual substance.
Durock’s prosthetic costume lacked finesse, with the paint often wearing off to reveal skin (particularly around his eyes) and the general bagginess of the suit highlighting its rubbery properties. His own mouth visibly moves underneath the costume’s intended mouthpiece, and the inability to disguise the attachment of components (specifically the gloved hands to the rubbery arms) diminished the initial menace of Swamp Thing as a character. Understandably, the budget was incredibly minimal. But when Universal uploaded the benchmark for amphibious humanoid creature features back in ‘54, there’s no excuse to not improve upon that.
Its shoddy technical detail only enhances the campiness of the film, which consequently relinquishes Craven’s proposed darker aesthetics. Especially since the creature himself failed to provide significant gory deaths, with Craven opting to showcase nudity instead. Swamp Thing may have a strange charm that characteristically grants this adaptation a soothing boat ride across the bogs of Louisiana. Yet the attention to detail was non-existent, ultimately producing a pedestrian creature feature that drowned in its own concept.
