Product Details

• Actors: Louis Jourdan, Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise, David Hess, Nicholas Worth
• Directors: Wes Craven
• Writers: Wes Craven, Bernie Wrightson, Len Wein
• Producers: Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: August 1, 2000
• Run Time: 91 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0792846362
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,413 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Horror vet Wes Craven wrote and directed this campy swamp romp adapted from the DC Comic of the same name. Adrienne Barbeau stars as cleavangelically blessed government agent Alice Cable, sent to the bayou to guard the brilliant Dr. Alec Holland. Holland is using recombinant DNA to create "a plant with an animal's aggressive power for survival." Let's hope none of that volatile secret formula gets spilled! Swamp Thing is an unusual mix of monster movie and superhero flick, but definitely an enjoyable ride. Craven deliberately uses comic-book-style wipes and transitions to keep us from taking anything too seriously, and Louis Jourdan keeps up the tone with his camp performance as the evil Arcane. Also keep an eye out for young Reggie Batts in a terrific deadpan performance as Jude, the helpful gas station attendant. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Definite Guilty Pleasure!, August 21, 2001

By 

"maxkimus" (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swamp Thing (DVD)

I first saw Swamp Thing on HBO waaay back in the early eighties. As a young teen male with my nose constantly buried in comic books, I was certainly part of the target demographic for this low-budget Wes Craven adventure. Admittedly, I didn't think too much of Wes's efforts; It seemed pretty bland, not colorfully action-packed like the comic book, and silly all at the same time. However, it did have the not-inconsiderable presence of Ms. Barbeau(Mrs. Carpenter), whom I had seen the year before in Escape From New York and The Fog, when she had her image(and figure)indelibly burned into my long-term memory. In regards to this new DVD, I have to say that the 30 seconds of restored bathing sequence is a pleasant surprise, especially since it is mentioned nowhere on the case. It should also be noted that more <gratuitous> nudity was re-inserted into the party sequence at Arcane's mansion, and the DVD should have been re-rated from PG to UNRATED(at least PG-13, possibly R) to account for these changes. Additionally, the new widescreen (albeit non-anamorphic) transfer is the best this film's ever looked, and I must say I have a new appreciation for it. What I remembered as being a bland film of murky and monochrome green and brown, now seems to be much more vibrant thanks to DVD. One last quibble...as a general rule, MGM needs to use the original press art for its movie releases. Although I can live with the cover for SW, I prefer the painting of Swampy carrying Cable in her white nightgown. At the very least, they could include the art in the "Collector's Booklet".

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Romp in the Swamp!, February 4, 2001

By 

Bill W. Dalton (Santa Ana, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swamp Thing (DVD)

This DVD is sorely lacking in special features. All you get is the movie trailer, (which is unintentionally funny as the voice-over narrator intones "Adrienne Barbeau....an outrageous pair!" Well, she does look great in a tight sweater!) a language selection, a scene index, and a leaflet with some background material.

The movie, though, is great and in widescreen format. Wes Craven departs from his usual gore to make a comic book hero into a comic book movie, with lots of action and derring-do. There's even a poignant love story. It's a fast moving romp in the swamp.

Adrienne's nude bathing scene has been restored in this DVD version. For some reason it was edited out of the U.S. theatrical release, although not the European version. But now the complete movie is available, and I recommend this DVD to all Adrienne Barbeau fans, all Wes Craven fans, and all comic book fans.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't Confuse This Edition With The Pulled One, July 26, 2005

By 

Sean Byron (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swamp Thing (DVD)

The prior edition that was pulled from shelves has the topless scene of AB. So if your a fan of hers you may want to pony up for the banned copy. If you think this will drive your copies value down in price (if you own the original copy) think again. For whatever reason when a new edition comes out that deletes prior edition's content the value for the original edition goes up.

That said, this is a typical B movie from the 80's. If your not into rare copies and don't care about the deleted scene, this is your chance to get a copy cheap.