Directed by: Wes Craven
Written by: Wes Craven, Len Wein, Bernie Wrightson
Starring: Louis Jordan, Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise
1 Hour, 31 Minutes
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The credits roll over scenes of the swamp. It’s a quiet, peaceful place, and then the helicopter lands. On board is Alice Cable, a reporter, who is coming to the swamp to assist Dr. Alec Holland, a scientist who is researching something to do with plants, but it’s so secret even the boss doesn’t understand. He’s got a whole research lab where he works with his sister.
The soldiers capture and kill one of Holland’s helpers with a poisonous snake. Holland has been recalled to Washington, but he hasn’t been told yet. They want him and “the substance” back where they can keep their eyes on him.
Holland wants to take Cable out into the swamp to show her around. He loves the swamp, and to him, it’s a thing of beauty. When they return from checking on a broken sensor, they find that the latest batch of stuff that Linda, Holland’s sister, was cooking up is literally explosive.
Holland explains that he is working on genetically combining animal and vegetable DNA. They find a huge jump in progress; it’s a breakthrough.
As Cable goes to tell Ritter, she sees on the monitor that the camp is under attack. The base is quickly overrun. Ritter reaches up and pulls off his mask; underneath is Arcane. Linda is killed, and Holland is knocked down with the substance, which explodes and sets him on fire. He runs out of the building in flames and falls into the swamp.
Arcane orders “No witnesses,” but Cable sneaks out the back and hides in the swamp. She’s still captured. They take her out in a boat and drown her, but Swamp Thing rises out of the water and rescues her. The men shoot at him, but they all miss because of plot armor.
Arcane wants to replicate the formula, but he only found six of the seven notebooks. Cable escapes from the men chasing her and runs into Jude, a kid who runs a convenience store. She calls Ritter, who is really Arcane, and tells him she has the notebook. They chase her some more, but Swamp Thing intervenes, throwing men every which way.
Arcane wants the notebook and the Swamp Thing. He thinks Holland found the secret to immortality. The next morning Cable and Jude take out a boat and look for Holland/Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing finds his sister’s locket, and it looks like he may remember her somewhat. Cable retrieves the notebook.
The soldiers catch up with Swamp Thing, and shoot him a ridiculous number of times, but the bullets and grenades have very little effect. He manages to steal a boat and crash into a second boat, sinking them both. Arcane realizes Swamp Thing is intelligent.
Jude is killed, but Swamp Thing heals him. He gives the final notebook to Swamp Thing. Cable tells Ferret, “I don’t mind the swamp, it’s the slimy things that crawl out from under the rocks that I can’t stomach.” Ferret cuts off Swamp Thing’s arm, and then Swamp Thing kills Ferret.
Swamp thing talks to Cable, and she realizes it’s Alec Holland under there. Next, we get a completely gratuitous nude scene of Cable taking a swamp-bath. Arcane catches them both and the notebook as well.
We switch scenes to Arcane’s home, and along with it, a party with another nude scene. He drinks a toast to Bruno, who captured the monster and the notebook.
Bruno asks “When will we see the results?” No, he’s given the first dose to Bruno. Bruno convulses and becomes a mousy dwarf. He sees that Holland has kept his mind and gained the strength, why doesn’t Bruno have that strength? Holland explains that the serum only amplifies your essence; it makes you more of what you already are.
Arcane likes that idea a lot, so he drinks the formula. He expects to be a thing of great beauty and intelligence. Meanwhile, in the dungeon, Swamp Thing finds a beam of sunlight that lets him grow his arm back. Arcane turns into a monster. Bruno helps them escape the dungeon, but they have to fight Arcane first. Arcane stabs Cable, and Swamp Thing beats him down with a tree stump. He manages to heal Cable and then stabs Arcane with his own sword.
Commentary
I saw this in the theater when it came out, and a few times on reruns since, but I don’t remember any nudity, and there were two explicit scenes in this now.
The swamp and the scenery look very real; wherever they shot this, it was well-done. The Swamp Thing suit looks a lot like a wetsuit with some stringy vines and leaves glued on. Arcane’s monster suit is far worse, like something out of the 1960s Star Trek. Arcane’s soldiers and henchmen are all comic book-level stupid. Cable and Swamp Thing always seem to be within scream-range; she yells, and he hears her; every time.