As I was sitting down to watch The Return of Swamp Thing (1989), it dawned on me that I’d never seen it before. If I did, I had absolutely no recollection of any of it, which I felt was a bit strange. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the original film and watched the first season of the original television series. This film is an entirely different beast than the 1982 original film directed by horror legend Wes Craven. Seven years later, B-movie maverick Jim Wynorski lands the job and hits it right out of the park.
After the death of her mother, Abigail Arcane (Heather Locklear) heads to Florida to talk with her stepdad, the notorious Dr. Anton Arcane (Louis Jordan). Arcane lost his life several years ago, but with modern science, he was resurrected by his team, led by Dr. Lana Zurrell (Sarah Douglas). Together they’ve been conducting experiments, splicing human DNA with that of swamp animals, creating unique-looking creatures.
Dr. Arcane believes that Abigail is the perfect candidate to continue his research into reversing the effects of aging, but his old enemy, Swamp Thing (Dick Durock), emerges from the bog to save her and possibly put an end to his nemesis once and for all.
The Return of Swamp Thing is everything the first film is not. The original was a bit darker in tone, but this one is fun, wholesome, and a real campy treat. Durock is still the best iteration of the Swamp Thing character, and he’s so good at it that you barely even notice he’s in full makeup.
With a $4 million dollar budget, Wynorski had some extra cash to throw around, and the practical creature effects are so damn good. The effects team really hit a home run with their unique monsters that are grotesque and beautiful examples of why it will always trump CGI. The creature effects were created by the Todd Masters Company, with Dean Gates on Makeup Effects and Creature Supervisor. Jordan doesn’t skip a beat as he and Locklear give an innocent and determined performance.
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The film feels like a live-action cartoon and a solid DC adaptation. Where the first movie veered pretty far from the source material, this one follows closer to the comics while still being its own entity. The 4K transfer has a vibrant and clean image, especially during night scenes which is always a plus.
This two-disc set from MVD Visual and Lightyear features quite a few bonus features, most of which were originally released on the MVD Rewind release of the Blu-ray, which is included with the 4K disc. The new features are available on that disc, which include an interview with producer Michael E. Uslan and a RiffTrax music video for “Your Ever-Lovin’ Swamp Thing” by The RiffTones.
If you already have the Blu-ray, I don’t think there’s a real need to upgrade unless you’re a hardcore collector. If you’ve been holding off and need a copy of The Return of Swamp Thing, the 4K Ultra disc is a beautiful release and breathes new life into this wonderful little cult classic.
 has been released on 4K Blu-ray by MVD Rewind and it is a fun, campy treat for fans!){kind=link}