The Return of Swamp Thing

The Return of Swamp Thing is a 1989 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jim Wynorski, it is a sequel to the 1982 film Swamp Thing, having a lighter tone than its predecessor. The film has a main title montage that consists of comic book covers set to Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born on the Bayou", and features Dick Durock and Louis Jourdan reprising their roles as Swamp Thing and Anton Arcane respectively, along with Sarah Douglas and Heather Locklear.

Synopsis
After her mother's mysterious death, Abigail Arcane (Heather Locklear) travels to the Florida swamps to confront her evil stepfather, Dr. Anton Arcane (Louis Jourdan), who had been resurrected after his death in the first film. In an attempt to stave off the effects of aging, Dr. Arcane, assisted by Dr. Lana Zurrell (Sarah Douglas), combines genes from various swamp animals and human beings, creating an army of monsters known as Un-Men. Dr. Arcane tries to use his stepdaughter Abby in his genetic experiments until she is rescued by Swamp Thing (Dick Durock), a scientist previously transformed into a bog creature after a confrontation with the evil doctor.

Cast

 * Dick Durock as the Swamp Thing
 * Louis Jourdan as Anton Arcane
 * Heather Locklear as Abigail Arcane
 * Sarah Douglas as Dr. Lana Zurrell
 * Joe Sagal as Gunn
 * Ace Mask as Dr. Rochelle
 * Rex Pierson as Rochelle Mutant
 * Monique Gabrielle as Miss Poinsettia
 * RonReaco Lee as Omar
 * Daniel Taylor as Darryl Hallenbeck
 * Ralph Pace as Sheriff Beaumont
 * Timothy Birch as Clyde
 * Alex Van as Gurdell
 * Christopher Doyle as Leechman
 * Tony Sears as Harry Dugan
 * Bill Eudaly as Withered Chuck
 * J. Don Ferguson as Bob
 * Cockroach Bob as Himself
 * Tony Cecere as Conklin
 * Jim Grimshaw as Morty
 * Albert B. Cooper IV as Taxi Driver
 * Kevin Schmidt as Lab Technician

Reception
The Return of Swamp Thing received negative reviews from critics. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 44% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 3.9/10.

Vincent Canby of The New York Times gave a negative review, proclaiming the film "is intended for people who missed the 1982 Swamp Thing and don't want the bother of renting the videocassette." He added that it "means to be funnier than it ever is" and "contains scenes of violence, most of which are so unconvincing as to be less scary than an average comic book."

A writer for Time Out gave a somewhat neutral review, stating "Wynorski is well-versed in double-bluffing his audience, denying them the chance of balking at dreadful special effects by implying that the ineptitude is deliberate. He opts for cheap nostalgic laughs and camp '50s sci-fi scenery; depending on whether you find this funny, you'll either smile knowingly or gasp in disbelief." Another positive review was from Roger Ebert. He gave the movie a "thumbs up" when Gene Siskel did not in the talk show Siskel &amp; Ebert &amp; the Movies.

Before his death a year later, Dick Durock stated in a 2008 interview, "They tried in The Return of Swamp Thing to make it comedy, campy, and that's tough to make that work. I think [for the TV series] they kind of gave up on that idea and got back to the darker side of the character as he was written in the comic book."

Kathleen Norris published a poem referring to this movie ("The Return of Swamp Thing") in her book Journey: New and Selected Poems 1969-1999 (2001).

Heather Locklear won the Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performance in the film.

Novelization
Peter David wrote a novelization of the film. Disappointed with the script, David rewrote large chunks of the story. To his surprise, the producers enjoyed the changes and allowed the book to see print as-is.

Home Media
RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video released the film in 1989 on VHS.

The film was issued on DVD by Image Entertainment, with a commentary by Wynorski which suggests that some of the film's humor was not as intentional as it seems and that Wynorski had a degree of contempt for the material. The DVD also includes two environmental public service announcements for television recorded with Durock in character and the two children featured in the movie. The PSAs aired in certain markets in 1989.

Warner Bros. re-released the film in April 2008 on DVD. On May 15, 2017, a Blu-ray edition was released by the British label Screenbound Pictures.

MVD Entertainment Group released the film on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack May 8, 2018, as part of their MVD Rewind Collection line. The DVD extras will be ported over along with a new commentary track and interviews with Jim Wynorski, composer Chuck Cirino, and editor Leslie Rosenthal, an interview with executive of Lightyear Entertainment Arnie Holland, plus a remastered 2K HD transfer.

Television Series
In July 1990, USA Network premiered the Swamp Thing television series. This saw Dick Durock reprising his role using a modified version of the Return of Swamp Thing costume. The series took a deliberate turn away from the campy themes of its 1989 film predecessor and leaned toward the darkness of Wes Craven's version. It lasted into 1993 with a total of 72 episodes.