In Swamp Thing (1982), Following the mysterious death of a scientist involved in a classified bio-engineering project in the southern swamps of the United States, Alice Cable, a government employee, arrives to take his place. She quickly discovers a malfunctioning swamp sensor, but her guide, Charlie, introduces her to project supervisor Harry Ritter, who hears rumors about a nefarious paramilitary leader, Anton Arcane, planning to take over their work. While Charlie updates Ritter, Alice meets Dr. Linda Holland and her brother, lead scientist Dr. Alec Holland, who takes her on a tour, highlighting the swamps’ natural beauty.
Upon returning to the site, Alice is reprimanded by Ritter and Charlie for distracting Alec. When she brings up the broken sensor, Ritter reveals that her predecessor was killed while trying to fix it. The team then notices a missing worker, and a loud noise prompts them to return to the lab, where Linda showcases her latest discovery: a glowing, explosive plant-based substance. Alec presents Alice with a hybrid plant-animal cell, his significant achievement. Later, Alec observes that Linda’s formula accelerates plant growth upon contact, leading to an excited kiss with Alice before she is sent to find Ritter in the control room.
Discovering the control room empty, Alice views security footage of Charlie being shot, just as paramilitary agents storm the lab. A man who resembles Ritter reveals himself as Arcane, and when he shoots Linda for trying to escape with the formula, Alec seizes the beaker but accidentally spills the chemicals, igniting himself. He rushes outside and plunges into the swamp to extinguish the flames, triggering a series of explosions in the water.
In the dead of night, Arcane’s henchmen ravage the location, erasing all traces of the team’s efforts. As dawn breaks, one of the henchmen seizes Alice and tries to drown her in the swamp, but a green, humanoid creature rescues her and pursues two of Arcane’s men. Meanwhile, Arcane and his secretary discover that Alec’s latest notebook is missing from the wreckage at his mansion. Alice rushes to a nearby gas station to call for assistance, where the operator connects her to Ritter, who claims he was called away before the attack occurred.
After disclosing that she took Alec’s final notebook, Alice waits for Ritter with Jude, the young gas station attendant, but Arcane’s men soon arrive, forcing her to flee into the forest. The Swamp Thing suddenly appears, scaring off the attackers, who are unable to harm it with their gunfire. Once they are gone, Alice tries to escape the creature, which hesitantly retreats into the trees. Jude finds her and takes her to a nearby cabin to change clothes, while Arcane orders his men to locate Alice, believing she can lead them to the creature.
Alice and Jude navigate their boat through the swamp until they arrive at the dock near the remnants of the laboratory. There, Alice spots the Swamp Thing among the debris, clutching Linda’s locket, prompting her to retreat to the boat with a determination to take Alec’s final notebook to Washington, D.C. Shortly after, several boats manned by Arcane’s men converge on them, drawing the creature out from its concealment. Despite their attempts to subdue it with gunfire and grenades, the Swamp Thing orchestrates a complex boat collision.
Arcane, intrigued yet wary of the creature’s intelligence, instructs his top henchman, Bruno, to persist in the search. Just as Alice urges Jude to flee with Alec’s notebook, she hears his cry for help but is captured before she can respond. The Swamp Thing discovers Jude’s lifeless form and, using a greenish glow from its hand, revives him. Upon regaining consciousness, Jude recognizes the creature as Alice’s ally and entrusts it with the notebook. Meanwhile, on Arcane’s boat, Alice manages to throw her captor, Ferret, overboard and swims to shore. Once on land, she encounters the Swamp Thing, which calls her name.
Ferret retaliates by severing the creature’s arm with a machete, but the Swamp Thing swiftly retaliates, killing Ferret and causing Alice to faint. She later awakens in the creature’s embrace, receiving an orchid plant as a gift. The Swamp Thing speaks to her, revealing its identity as Alec. Subsequently, Alice goes for a swim while the creature watches from the shore. After she dresses, Arcane’s men track her down, ensnare the Swamp Thing in a net, and seize the final notebook.
That evening, Arcane hosts a formal dinner party to celebrate his successful replication of the Hollands’ formula, inviting Alice to join. Shortly after raising a glass to the promise of immortality, he discloses that he has secretly administered the first dose to Bruno, who then begins to convulse violently. As Bruno’s massive frame shrinks to half its original size, he develops pointed ears and a deformed skull. Arcane confines him in a dungeon with the Swamp Thing, questioning the creature about the experiment’s failure. The Swamp Thing explains that the formula does not enhance strength but rather magnifies a person’s inherent traits, indicating that Bruno’s inherent timidity led to his reduced form.
After imprisoning Alice in the dungeon, Arcane retreats to his study to consume a glass of the formula. A ray of sunlight streaming through the door regenerates the Swamp Thing’s lost arm, enabling it to escape along with Alice and Bruno. Meanwhile, Arcane undergoes a transformation into a monstrous, boar-like creature and makes his way to the dungeons, only to find that his captives have fled through an underwater passage back to the swamp. Later, Alice and the Swamp Thing surface from the water, pursued by Arcane’s beast, which wounds Alice with a sword.
The Swamp Thing revives her, prompting Alice to warn him about Arcane, whom he ultimately defeats. As the creature prepares to leave, Alice implores him to stay and assist her in restoring his work. He declines but assures her he will return soon. Shortly after, Jude appears from the trees and embraces Alice as they watch the Swamp Thing disappear into the marsh.
Detail Swamp Thing (1982)
BioskopKaca21 – Swamp Thing is a 1982 American superhero film directed and written by Wes Craven, inspired by the DC Comics character created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. The narrative follows scientist Alec Holland, portrayed by Ray Wise, who becomes the creature known as Swamp Thing, played by Dick Durock, after a laboratory incident instigated by the villainous Anton Arcane, portrayed by Louis Jourdan. Throughout the film, he aids Alice Cable, played by Adrienne Barbeau, while confronting the malevolent Arcane. The film gained popularity on home video and cable, leading to a sequel titled The Return of Swamp Thing in 1989.
The majority of the filming of Swamp Thing took place in Cypress Gardens, Moncks Corner, South Carolina. Wes Craven took great pride in completing the film within the scheduled timeframe and adhering to the budget of $2.5 million.
While crafting the screenplay, Wes Craven drew inspiration from Werner Herzog’s 1974 film The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, which was initially titled Every Man for Himself and God Against All. A line from this film is delivered by a mercenary to the character Bruno, who shares a name with the lead character portrayed by Bruno Schleinstein, known as Bruno S.
The comic adaptation of the film Swamp Thing appeared as Swamp Thing Annual #1, featuring a script by Bruce Jones and artwork by Mark Texeira and Tony DeZuniga.
