6) Swamp Thing (1982)
Swamp Thing first appeared in DC’s House of Secrets series in 1971 and told the tragic tale of Alex Olsen, a once happily-married scientist who becomes a plant/human hybrid after being betrayed by his best friend and dumped in a swamp. It was tragic and genuinely heartbreaking, and right away this was monster became a tragic anti-hero worth rooting for. Following the success of the story, DC commissioned a standalone saga dedicated to the monstrosity, and the story of Swamp Thing was finally underway.
When Swamp Thing was given its own series, the protagonist’s surname was changed to Holland and he was depicted as a more heroic figure. The series would go on to find massive critical acclaim and success with Alan Moore’s unique iteration in 1984, but for Wes Craven’s eponymous film, he’d go back to the plant’s roots for inspiration, while taking a few liberties to present the story in his own vision.
In this version, Alec Holland is played by the always awesome Ray Wise, a man who’s transformed into a plant creature of an experiment which causes him to run afoul the evil Arcane (Louis Jordan), who has his own nefarious plans for the experiment and for Holland, culminating in one of the great cinematic showdowns of mad science movies.
By today’s standards, Swamp Thing feels dated. The film even felt slightly hampered by its low budget in 1982. That said, it is a strong character piece with some solid performances (Ray Wise is never bad), outstanding creature make-up and an authentic swampland location which adds to the murkiness of it all. Overall, it’s just a damn fun movie from one of the greatest genre directors of all-time in one of his most overlooked outings.
The 1989 sequel, The Return of Swamp Thing, on the other hand, is trashy, camp and ridiculous, but it’s a pot of gold in terms of pure entertainment and laughs.