Now, kids: yours truly has taken an awful lot of flack over the years for my love of certain genre films, but one of the biggest I gave up trying to defend a decade or two ago was 1982's Swamp Thing.
Written for the screen and directed by the late Wes Craven, I saw the film multiple times in theaters, and I did so not because I thought it was the best thing to hit the silver screen ever. I did so because it kinda/sorta came along at a point in my life when my love of genre entertainment had been firmly cemented, and I damn near fell in love with anything that looked like what I thought a comic book movie should look like. No, it was never perfect. No, it was never something that should be necessarily emulated. But it was good. It was wholesome. It represented to me the possibilities of bringing a comic book to life in a way that might please fans and those just discovering comic book films, and -- even though it's filled with imperfections -- it deserves to be celebrated.
Well, wow ... what better way to celebrate it than giving this 1980's gem some new life with an incredible collection of special features on home video?
MVD is spearheading those efforts, and I just received the press release regarding their upcoming July re-issue of this nifty little flick. It's being -- literally -- packed to the green gills with an assortment of extras new and old; and I couldn't be happier to share the news with you about it today. I'll be doing the obligatory cut-and-paste below, and I challenge you to show me a genre classic getting this measure of love out there in cyberspace today. It's jaw-droppingly awesome ... and well overdue.
Just take a look ...
Written for the screen and directed by the late Wes Craven, I saw the film multiple times in theaters, and I did so not because I thought it was the best thing to hit the silver screen ever. I did so because it kinda/sorta came along at a point in my life when my love of genre entertainment had been firmly cemented, and I damn near fell in love with anything that looked like what I thought a comic book movie should look like. No, it was never perfect. No, it was never something that should be necessarily emulated. But it was good. It was wholesome. It represented to me the possibilities of bringing a comic book to life in a way that might please fans and those just discovering comic book films, and -- even though it's filled with imperfections -- it deserves to be celebrated.
Well, wow ... what better way to celebrate it than giving this 1980's gem some new life with an incredible collection of special features on home video?
MVD is spearheading those efforts, and I just received the press release regarding their upcoming July re-issue of this nifty little flick. It's being -- literally -- packed to the green gills with an assortment of extras new and old; and I couldn't be happier to share the news with you about it today. I'll be doing the obligatory cut-and-paste below, and I challenge you to show me a genre classic getting this measure of love out there in cyberspace today. It's jaw-droppingly awesome ... and well overdue.
Just take a look ...
MVD ENTERTAINMENT GROUP IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE SWAMP THING, LICENSED FROM MGM, FOR RE-RELEASE IN NORTH AMERICA ON BOTH 4K ULTRA HD AND BLU-RAY FORMATS
ON JULY 25, 2023
THE RELEASE INCLUDES BOTH THE ORIGINAL PG RATED THEATRICAL CUT, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NORTH AMERICA, THE UNRATED INTERNATIONAL CUT
Swamp Thing is a 1982 American superhero horror film written and directed by Wes Craven (A Nightmare On Elm Street, Scream), based on the DC Comics character of the same name created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. It tells the story of a brilliant scientist, Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise, Robocop) and a government agent, Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau, John Carpenter’s The Fog) who have developed a secret formula that could end world hunger and change civilization forever. Little do they know, however, that their arch nemesis, Arcane (Louis Jourdan, Octopussy) is plotting to steal the serum for his own selfish schemes. Looting the lab and kidnapping Cable, Arcane douses Holland with the chemicals and leaves him for dead in the swamp. Mutated by his own formula, Holland becomes “Swamp Thing” - a half human/half plant superhero who will stop at nothing to rescue the beautiful Cable and defeat the evil Arcane ... even if it costs him his life.
Released theatrically in 1982 and featuring a supporting cast that includes David Hess (The Last House on the Left), Nicholas Worth (Barb Wire) and Dick Durock as “Swamp Thing” (who reprised the role in the 1989 sequel The Return of Swamp Thing and the 1990 – 1993 “Swamp Thing: The Series”), SWAMP THING became a cult hit upon its release on home video back in the 1980’s and its countless airings on cable television in the 80’s and 90’s. Critic Roger Ebert loved the film, giving it three out of four stars saying, “Swamp Thing had already won my heart before its moment of greatness, but when that moment came, I knew I'd discovered another one of those movies that fall somewhere between buried treasures and guilty pleasures.”
With classics such as The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes under his belt, following Swamp Thing, screenwriter and director Wes Craven’s career skyrocketed as he became a master of the horror genre with both the smash hit A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream franchises, along with cult classics such as Deadly Friend, The People Under The Stairs, Shocker and more. According to John Wooley’s 2011 book “Wes Craven: A Man and His Nightmares,” regarding his experience on Swamp Thing, the late director was quoted as saying, “Swamp Thing was an extraordinary experience because it was the first time I was given a budget that was decent. It was the first time I had a really good cast, and it was the first time I was shooting on location in a really beautiful area. So, it was very pleasurable in that sense. The downside was that it was an extremely difficult shoot because we were in a swamp, and it was hot, and there were mosquitoes and snakes and alligators. It was just an extremely difficult environment to work in, but we had a lot of fun.”
Overseeing Swamp Thing for the MVD Rewind Collection was MVD’s Director of Acquisitions Eric D. Wilkinson, who says, “As the producer of all things 'Rewind,' I couldn’t be more proud of this release. We licensed the title from MGM more than a year ago and my first order of business was to clear the rights of the 'unrated international cut' so we could release it here in North America. Adrienne Barbeau was lovely and gracious and her management team was a pleasure to work with. MGM gave us access to the film materials and we worked closely with Duplitech overseeing the 4K high definition 16-Bit scan of the original camera negative along with the remastering and restoration of both versions of the film. I then proceeded to license the rights to all of the great archival supplemental material which includes a commentary from director Wes Craven, a second commentary from makeup effects artist William Munns, interviews with actors Adrienne Barbeau and Reggie Batts, along with comic book writer / editor Len Wein (who created Swamp Thing for DC Comics), archival making of featurettes, documentaries and more. Of course we have our 'Retro-VHS' themed packaging for Blu-ray, and because this is our first 4K Ultra HD format release,
we’ve created a sister brand I’m calling MVD Rewind’s 4K LaserVision Collection with a new line-look that pays homage to RCA’s long retired SelectaVision VideoDisc format from the early 1980’s. With a new Swamp Thing movie on the horizon from DC Studios from Executive Producer James Gunn and writer James Mangold, our timing couldn’t be better to reintroduce fans to this classic film with a definitive version on both Blu-ray and Ultra HD formats.”
Released theatrically in 1982 and featuring a supporting cast that includes David Hess (The Last House on the Left), Nicholas Worth (Barb Wire) and Dick Durock as “Swamp Thing” (who reprised the role in the 1989 sequel The Return of Swamp Thing and the 1990 – 1993 “Swamp Thing: The Series”), SWAMP THING became a cult hit upon its release on home video back in the 1980’s and its countless airings on cable television in the 80’s and 90’s. Critic Roger Ebert loved the film, giving it three out of four stars saying, “Swamp Thing had already won my heart before its moment of greatness, but when that moment came, I knew I'd discovered another one of those movies that fall somewhere between buried treasures and guilty pleasures.”
With classics such as The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes under his belt, following Swamp Thing, screenwriter and director Wes Craven’s career skyrocketed as he became a master of the horror genre with both the smash hit A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream franchises, along with cult classics such as Deadly Friend, The People Under The Stairs, Shocker and more. According to John Wooley’s 2011 book “Wes Craven: A Man and His Nightmares,” regarding his experience on Swamp Thing, the late director was quoted as saying, “Swamp Thing was an extraordinary experience because it was the first time I was given a budget that was decent. It was the first time I had a really good cast, and it was the first time I was shooting on location in a really beautiful area. So, it was very pleasurable in that sense. The downside was that it was an extremely difficult shoot because we were in a swamp, and it was hot, and there were mosquitoes and snakes and alligators. It was just an extremely difficult environment to work in, but we had a lot of fun.”
Overseeing Swamp Thing for the MVD Rewind Collection was MVD’s Director of Acquisitions Eric D. Wilkinson, who says, “As the producer of all things 'Rewind,' I couldn’t be more proud of this release. We licensed the title from MGM more than a year ago and my first order of business was to clear the rights of the 'unrated international cut' so we could release it here in North America. Adrienne Barbeau was lovely and gracious and her management team was a pleasure to work with. MGM gave us access to the film materials and we worked closely with Duplitech overseeing the 4K high definition 16-Bit scan of the original camera negative along with the remastering and restoration of both versions of the film. I then proceeded to license the rights to all of the great archival supplemental material which includes a commentary from director Wes Craven, a second commentary from makeup effects artist William Munns, interviews with actors Adrienne Barbeau and Reggie Batts, along with comic book writer / editor Len Wein (who created Swamp Thing for DC Comics), archival making of featurettes, documentaries and more. Of course we have our 'Retro-VHS' themed packaging for Blu-ray, and because this is our first 4K Ultra HD format release,
we’ve created a sister brand I’m calling MVD Rewind’s 4K LaserVision Collection with a new line-look that pays homage to RCA’s long retired SelectaVision VideoDisc format from the early 1980’s. With a new Swamp Thing movie on the horizon from DC Studios from Executive Producer James Gunn and writer James Mangold, our timing couldn’t be better to reintroduce fans to this classic film with a definitive version on both Blu-ray and Ultra HD formats.”
RELEASE DETAILS:
MVD LaserVision Collection #1
TITLE: Swamp Thing (2-Disc Collector’s Edition) [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray]
SKU: MVD12567UHD
UPC / Barcode: 760137125679
MSRP: 49.95
STREET DATE: 7/25/2023
DISC 1: SWAMP THING 4K LASERVISION COLLECTION – SPECIAL FEATURES:
• 2023 4K Restoration (16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative) of both the US Theatrical PG Version and Unrated International Version of the film presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio in Dolby Vision / HDR
• Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, Spanish Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Wes Craven moderated by Sean Clark (Theatrical / PG Version)
• Audio Commentary with Makeup Effects Artist William Munns moderated by Michael Felsher (Theatrical / PG Version)
• Collectible “4K LaserVision” Mini-Poster of cover art
• Limited Edition “4K Laservision” Slipcover (First Pressing Only)
DISC 2: SWAMP THING REWIND COLLECTION BLU-RAY – SPECIAL FEATURES:
• 2023 HD Restoration of both the US Theatrical PG
Version and Unrated International Version of the film presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Wes Craven moderated by Sean Clark (Theatrical / PG Version)
• Audio Commentary with Makeup Effects Artist William Munns moderated by Michael Felsher (Theatrical / PG Version)
• DTS-HD Audio 2.0 Mono, Spanish Mono Audio
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Tales From the Swamp" (Remastered) with Actress Adrienne Barbeau (HD, 16:56)
• "Hey Jude" with Actor Reggie Batts (HD, 14:30)
• "That Swamp Thing" with Len Wein, Creator of Swamp Thing (HD, 13:19)
• "Swamp Screen: Designing DC's Main Monster" featurette (HD, 20:32)
• "From Krug to Comics: How the Mainstream Shaped a Radical Genre Voice" featurette (HD, 17:34)
• Posters & Lobby Cards - Photo Gallery
• Photos from the Film - Photo Gallery
• William Munns’ Behind the Scenes Pictures - Photo Gallery
• Behind the Scenes Photos by Geoffrey Rayle – Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:31)
• "REGION A" LOCKED
MVD Rewind Collection #51
TITLE: Swamp Thing (Collector’s Edition) [Blu-ray]
SKU: MVD8554BR
UPC / Barcode: 760137855484
MSRP: $39.95
STREET DATE: 7/25/2023
SWAMP THING MVD REWIND COLLECTION BLU-RAY – SPECIAL FEATURES:
• 2023 HD Restoration of both the US Theatrical PG Version and Unrated International Version of the film presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Wes Craven moderated by Sean Clark (Theatrical / PG Version)
• Audio Commentary with Makeup Effects Artist William Munns moderated by Michael Felsher (Theatrical / PG Version)
• DTS-HD 2.0 Mono Audio, Spanish Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Tales From the Swamp" (Remastered) with Actress Adrienne Barbeau (HD, 16:56)
• "Hey Jude" with Actor Reggie Batts (HD,14:30)
• "That Swamp Thing" with Len Wein, Creator of Swamp Thing (HD, 13:19)
• "Swamp Screen: Designing DC's Main Monster" featurette (HD, 20:32)
• "From Krug to Comics: How the Mainstream Shaped a Radical Genre Voice" featurette (HD, 17:34)
• Posters & Lobby Cards - Photo Gallery
• Photos from the Film - Photo Gallery
• William Munns’ Behind the Scenes Pictures - Photo Gallery
• Behind the Scenes Photos by Geoffrey Rayle – Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:31)
• Two-Sided Artwork
• Collectible MVD Rewind Collection Mini-Poster
• Limited Edition Slipcover (First Pressing Only)
• "REGION A" LOCKED
About MVD Rewind Collection
MVD Rewind Collection is MVD’s exclusive collector’s brand and boutique label of classic movie and retro physical media releases best described as “cult classics and more from the video store” in special edition Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD collector’s sets in collectible packaging loaded with special features.
About MVD Entertainment Group
MVD Entertainment Group is an independent studio and full service entertainment distribution company, exclusively representing an extensive catalog with thousands of audio and visual products and content for digital, VOD and packaged media worldwide.
MVD LaserVision Collection #1
TITLE: Swamp Thing (2-Disc Collector’s Edition) [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray]
SKU: MVD12567UHD
UPC / Barcode: 760137125679
MSRP: 49.95
STREET DATE: 7/25/2023
DISC 1: SWAMP THING 4K LASERVISION COLLECTION – SPECIAL FEATURES:
• 2023 4K Restoration (16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative) of both the US Theatrical PG Version and Unrated International Version of the film presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio in Dolby Vision / HDR
• Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, Spanish Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Wes Craven moderated by Sean Clark (Theatrical / PG Version)
• Audio Commentary with Makeup Effects Artist William Munns moderated by Michael Felsher (Theatrical / PG Version)
• Collectible “4K LaserVision” Mini-Poster of cover art
• Limited Edition “4K Laservision” Slipcover (First Pressing Only)
DISC 2: SWAMP THING REWIND COLLECTION BLU-RAY – SPECIAL FEATURES:
• 2023 HD Restoration of both the US Theatrical PG
Version and Unrated International Version of the film presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Wes Craven moderated by Sean Clark (Theatrical / PG Version)
• Audio Commentary with Makeup Effects Artist William Munns moderated by Michael Felsher (Theatrical / PG Version)
• DTS-HD Audio 2.0 Mono, Spanish Mono Audio
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Tales From the Swamp" (Remastered) with Actress Adrienne Barbeau (HD, 16:56)
• "Hey Jude" with Actor Reggie Batts (HD, 14:30)
• "That Swamp Thing" with Len Wein, Creator of Swamp Thing (HD, 13:19)
• "Swamp Screen: Designing DC's Main Monster" featurette (HD, 20:32)
• "From Krug to Comics: How the Mainstream Shaped a Radical Genre Voice" featurette (HD, 17:34)
• Posters & Lobby Cards - Photo Gallery
• Photos from the Film - Photo Gallery
• William Munns’ Behind the Scenes Pictures - Photo Gallery
• Behind the Scenes Photos by Geoffrey Rayle – Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:31)
• "REGION A" LOCKED
MVD Rewind Collection #51
TITLE: Swamp Thing (Collector’s Edition) [Blu-ray]
SKU: MVD8554BR
UPC / Barcode: 760137855484
MSRP: $39.95
STREET DATE: 7/25/2023
SWAMP THING MVD REWIND COLLECTION BLU-RAY – SPECIAL FEATURES:
• 2023 HD Restoration of both the US Theatrical PG Version and Unrated International Version of the film presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Wes Craven moderated by Sean Clark (Theatrical / PG Version)
• Audio Commentary with Makeup Effects Artist William Munns moderated by Michael Felsher (Theatrical / PG Version)
• DTS-HD 2.0 Mono Audio, Spanish Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Tales From the Swamp" (Remastered) with Actress Adrienne Barbeau (HD, 16:56)
• "Hey Jude" with Actor Reggie Batts (HD,14:30)
• "That Swamp Thing" with Len Wein, Creator of Swamp Thing (HD, 13:19)
• "Swamp Screen: Designing DC's Main Monster" featurette (HD, 20:32)
• "From Krug to Comics: How the Mainstream Shaped a Radical Genre Voice" featurette (HD, 17:34)
• Posters & Lobby Cards - Photo Gallery
• Photos from the Film - Photo Gallery
• William Munns’ Behind the Scenes Pictures - Photo Gallery
• Behind the Scenes Photos by Geoffrey Rayle – Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:31)
• Two-Sided Artwork
• Collectible MVD Rewind Collection Mini-Poster
• Limited Edition Slipcover (First Pressing Only)
• "REGION A" LOCKED
About MVD Rewind Collection
MVD Rewind Collection is MVD’s exclusive collector’s brand and boutique label of classic movie and retro physical media releases best described as “cult classics and more from the video store” in special edition Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD collector’s sets in collectible packaging loaded with special features.
About MVD Entertainment Group
MVD Entertainment Group is an independent studio and full service entertainment distribution company, exclusively representing an extensive catalog with thousands of audio and visual products and content for digital, VOD and packaged media worldwide.
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