Dude Bro Party Massacre III

Director(s) - Tomm Jacobsen (UpRoxx Video, 5-Second Films), Michael Rousselet (Uproxx Video, Birnkrant 616), and Jon Salmon (The Horn, Jeremy)
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "Don't let a bro see it alone"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     It's no secret that I love slashers.  I don't mind the meta-slashers from the 90s or the throwback slashers from recent years but I prefer the golden age of slashers.  I've seen my fair share of throwbacks over the years but very few really capture that 80s slasher vibe.  Sometime ago I ordered the 2015 horror comedy Dude Bro Party Massacre III from Scream Team Releasing.  The blu was a killer price and I couldn't pass it up.  This is one I've had on my radar for sometime and I couldn't leave empty handed.  While I was having the Scream Team marathon I decided this one would round out my viewing experience.  

     The film follows Brock (Owen) who is speaking with the school counselor about the murders at his frat house he witnessed.  On two separate occasions a woman in a mask known as Motherface killed his frat brothers and he was forced to stop them.  What he doesn't know is that the mother and daughter masquerading as Motherface was not the only one.  There is a sister still on the loose and she is pretending to be a school counselor.  She kills Brock and his twin brother Brent (Owen) changes schools to go to Brock's college and joins his frat to investigate his murder.  The frat gets suspended from the college when a prank goes wrong killing thousands of people so they retreat to a cabin in the woods.  Motherface follows and one by one the bodies pile up until Brent finally figures out who the real killer is.

     I heard a lot of mixed things about this one.  Horror friends on social media told me this one was amazing but a few of my close friends told me this one was a bit of a burner with stupid humor.  I love stupid horror movies so Dude Bro looked like a movie I would love...and it was.  The acting in this one is fucking perfect for the over the top parody of classic slashers.  The cast was tasked with bringing parodies of cliched slasher characters to life and they did an outstanding job.  They perfectly mock the characters you would typically find in 80s slashers and they do a marvelous job with it.  It looks like they were having fun on set and that fun transferred to the screen.  It was also cool to see a few faces from Video Game High School in the mix.  That show is extremely underrated and its nice to see some of the cast in other films.   The story for this one fully submerges itself in slasher clichés and the classic slasher formula of being wronged and seeking revenge.  With that being said, it turns the humor up to 11.  The humor in this finds its mark perfectly.  Sometimes it comes in the form of mocking television broadcasts in the 80s and other times it mocking slashers.  I loved the sense of humor in this one and it works very well for the film we get.  As for the story, it's not about who the killer but how the killer will kill next.  The film focuses a lot on the kills and the character's reactions to said kills.  I really liked that aspect especially for a parody.  Finally, the kills in this one are unforgettable and highly entertaining.  The kills are given work for the parody angle of the film but they also deliver some great practical effects and gore.  I'll be honest, I was not expecting this one to be a bloody and gory as it was.  The effects look great and some of the gags are funny but the gore is top notch.  Overall, Dude Bro Party Massacre III is everything I want in a slasher or a horror film in general.  The laughs hit hard but the gore hits harder.  Check it out.   

     

Horndog's Beach Party

Director(s) - Dustin Ferguson (Nemesis 5: The New Model, The Amityville Legacy) and Henrique Couto (Scarewaves, Babysitter Massacre)
Starring - Jared K. Admave (Relationship Status, Happy Face), David Thomas Newman (Troma Presents: Mulligan's Monsters, Hazing), and Daiane Azura (Mrs. Claus, O' Bloody Night)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Comedy
Tagline - "Bottoms up and tops down"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

      With my Sleazy Sunday upon me it was time to dive into another raunchy and sex filled adventure.  I have several I could go with.  I have a dozen or so Vinegar Syndrome releases I need to work through along with a few sexploitation flicks from Full Moon but this Sunday I decided to go with a more modern sleazy flick.  Last October I picked up Horndog's Beach Party from friend and filmmaker Henrique Couto.  I'm a fan of Couto's and I collect his films so I grabbed it for my collection.  It wasn't until I went to watch the film when I discovered it was co-directed by Couto and the main film itself was actually directed by Dustin Ferguson.  I was pretty excited to toss this one in and check it out this fine Sleazy Sunday.  

     The film follows two guys, Loren (Admave) and Stacy (Newman), who get an apartment for the weekend so they can party it up.  Sadly, their room is also promised to two women because the landlord thinks they are also women due to their names.   Loren and Stacy start to have a crush on the two ladies and try to empress them.  Standing in their way is their prude of a neighbor and two "bros" who are jealous they got the apartment and not them.

     I'm not too familiar with the films of Dustin Ferguson but I had seen a few here and there.  Not enough to really form an opinion on his films but I am a fan of Couto's.  Before I tossed in Horndog I could say I only disliked one of his other films.  Now I have to say I dislike two and I must admit I don't like this feeling.  Henrique is such a genuinely nice guy and I hate giving negative reviews but Horndog's was just not for me.  The acting in this one is not that bad but some of the character needed a little more direction.  Most of the cast has a pretty impression track record so I know they can act yet some of the scenes are awkward to watch.  The same cannot be said for the Sister Sadie Safeword segments.  J. Ania Lupa is pretty funny in her role and seems very comfortable in front of the camera.  The story for this one really tries to capture the fun of the sex comedies from the 80s but struggles.  The movie has a lot of fat that could be trimmed down.  We get more scenes that has very little to do with the story than we do import scenes centered around it.  The scenes are clearly there for filler to extend the running time which only hurts the film.  The remaining films that go with the story are void of action or sleaze.  You expect some sort of build up or excitement like you would see in films like Porky's, Animal House, and even American Pie.  Sadly, you don't get it and the few little bits of humor we do get are lackluster as well.  Finally, no blood or gore for those of you waiting for it.  This is a straight forward comedy flick that struggles with the comedy portion.  Overall, Horndog's Beach Party is a missed opportunity.  Maybe if the film had better comedic timing or a story that was more fluid but it's a rough watch as it is.  I cannot recommend this one.  

Mad Santa

Director - Bruce Blain
Starring - Bruce Blain (Riverdale, Arrow), David Bloom (iZombie, Almost Human), and Chloe Cruz (Deadline)
Release Date - 2019
Genre - Horror
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Halloween is fast approaching so now is a good a time as any to check out a Christmas horror flick, right? A few days ago I was asked to check out and review a new horror short from director and actor Bruce Blain.  The short, Mad Santa, is a little out of season this time of year but I love a good horror short.  Thanks Bruce for sending this one my way to check out for Horror Society!

     The film follows a disgruntled mall Santa (Blain) who was passed over for the job.  He decides that those responsible, directly and indirectly, should pay for his short comings.  He then kidnaps them and then kills them for ruining his holiday season.

          I fucking love holiday themed horror movies.  Halloween is obviously my favorite but Christmas horror a easily my second.  As much as I love Halloween I find myself turning more and more into Clark Griswald as I get older.  I love the Christmas season and Christmas horror really gets me in the Christmas spirit as weird as that sounds.  Mad Santa is a fun short that uses the run time effectively and works for what it is.  The acting in this is pretty much a one man show.  Director Bruce Blain takes on the main role as the "mad Santa" and delivers some serious dialogue.  He really dedicates himself to the role and he's pretty much the only one with any real screen time.  I believe this short is one of two things.  Either Blain wanted to step behind the camera for once and try his hand at directing OR used this short as an opportunity to make his own sizzle reel.  Either way, it fucking works and he does an outstanding job.  The story for this one is short and sweet.  It makes great use of time and the viewer does not get filler scenes that do nothing for the story and extend the film's running time.  I liked the story for what it's worth but at times it does feel a little like a Christmas themed torture porn minus the extreme horror.  I can dig that but it wouldn't have worked if the movie was longer than what it was.  Finally, we do get a little blood but all the fun takes place off camera.  This short would have been perfect if we got to see some of the carnage unfold with decent practical effects.  Overall, Mad Santa is intense at moments and extremely fun.  I highly recommend checking this one out.  

The Dark Military

Director - Loren W. Lepre (The Thinker, Pennsylvania Hardcore)
Starring - R. Marcos Taylor (Baby Driver, Straight Out of Compton), Loren W. Lepre, and Gina Marie Scholl (The Listing, The Grievance Group)
Release Date - 2019
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "The hunt is on"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     My Scream Team Releasing marathon continues as I check out a movie I completely forgot I bought.  Sometime ago STR was running a special where it was buy two or three movies and get one free.  I needed a couple to finish my collection at the time so I took advantage of the sale.  After I grabbed the few I needed there was one more film left and I could get it for nothing as part of the promotion.  I watched the trailer and it seemed cool so I tossed it in my cart and grabbed it.  While I was checking out these other releases I thought it would be the perfect time to check this one out as well.

     The film follows a group of serial killers, known as The Dark Military, who want to make Halloween scary.   They organize a live stream where contestants compete to survive the night but what they don't know is that this live stream is a competition among the Dark Military to kill everyone involved with it within their allotted time frame.

       

     I honestly didn't know what to expect when I tossed this one in but the trailer looked fun in a Running Man meets Battle Royale way but the film was anything but that.  I really wanted to like the film but I just couldn't get into it.  The acting in this one is up and down.  I absolutely have the hots for Marie Scholl now.  Her character is a complete bad ass and her performance is amazing.  If there is a stand alone film with her you can count me in.  With that being said, the rest of the Dark Military was cheesing it up way too hard on screen.  Their rants were almost like shoot interviews for a local wrestling show.  This especially was true for director Loren W. Lepre's character.  When he would talk I was expecting him to end each sentence with "brother."  My biggest hang up with the cast is the victims.  Viewers typically want some to live but these characters are so annoying and their personalities lacking that the viewer was waiting for them to die.  We wanted to watch them suffer and the kills we get were not brutal enough.  The story for this one is somewhat cool but other parts are extremely cheesy and not in a fun Killer Klowns from Outer Space kind of way.  The group killing people to make Halloween scary again is pretty lame BUT the Running Man style live stream was pretty fucking clever.  The film struggles, at least in my eyes, to determine which course it wants to go.  A serious horror film for a modern age or a cheesy "make Halloween mean something again" horror film with professional wrestlers.  If you look passed all that we get a film that also struggles with it's pacing.  The segments where the killers are being interviewed tossed throughout the film cuts down on any momentum the actual story builds on itself.  The movie literally trips over it's own feet.  These segments need left on the cutting room floor.  Finally, the film doesn't shy away from the blood but the kills are taken from the viewer and delivered off camera.  We get some solid practical effects and plenty of blood with some guts.  The kills are not as brutal as the film would lead you to believe but the effects are nice to look at.  Overall, The Dark Military has a story I could really get behind but the delivery is just all wrong.  It's a struggle to watch at times and not as violent as you would expect.  

Bong of the Living Dead

Director - Max Groah (Carpool, Never Say Dead)
Starring - Tiffany Kiely (Born Again, The Sleeper), Eric Boso (American Undead, The Necklace with the Picture of The Devil on It), and Daniel Alan Kiely (Last Halloween, Horrors of War)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "The end is high"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was in high school and college and I couldn't get enough no-budget zombie movies.  I fucking loved them and was always on the hunt for ones I had never seen before.  Sadly, 2010 saw the television adaptation of the comic The Walking Dead and the popularity of the show spawned thousands of rip off films that focused more on the human drama during the apocalypse rather than the zombies.  I've stepped away from my beloved sub-genre due to the huge influx of boring ass zombie movies the last few years but there is one or two that comes along that really draws my attention.  Sometime ago Scream Team Releasing released the 2017 zombie comedy Bong of the Living Dead on blu.  Not to be confused with another zombie comedy Bong of the Dead (which I enjoy).  I went ahead and picked up a copy in hopes of checking it out when I could make the time for it.
     The film follows a group of stoners who spend their days at their days and their evenings getting high.  They often fantasize about the zombie apocalypse and what they would do if they are ever in the presence of the living dead. Their dreams come true when the undead invade their neighborhood.  Things start out fun with lots of prepping and smoking but as the weed starts to vanish they quickly realize that the glamor of the movies is anything but fun.  Now they must fight the growing horde outside to get to a safer place but that is easier said than done.
     I tend to enjoy most stoner comedies and some of my favorite horror films are horror comedies.  Serious or extreme horror films usually bore the fuck out of me.  They try too hard to be "extreme" and skip on story and character development.  When I first saw the release of the Bong of the Living Dead my imagination took over and I couldn't wait to see how funny it was.  It was entertaining but the humor fell flat and the story just wasn't doing it for me.  The acting in this one is one of the highlights of the film.  The cast works so well together and they really get into their roles.  It's not often you find a film where the entire cast works so well together.  Sadly, their performances are overshadowed by their dull characters.  The characters are painfully generic and what you would expect from a stoner comedy from the late 90s.  Sadly, they don't really bring anything to the film.  You could literally change their personalities and the film would still work for what it is.  They could be a frat, sorority, minor league baseball team, and so on and the film would still work.  The characters, unlike other stoner horror flicks, have very little to do with the story.  The story for this one has it's moments but struggles to find itself.  When I tossed this one in I was expecting to check out a funny stoner horror flick with some zombies.  Sadly, the humor is few and far in between and the same can be said about the zombies.  The movie focuses WAY too much on the fact that the characters smoke pot that it forgets to toss in some humor to lighten the mood and the zombie scenes are oddly missing for a zombie flick.  Don't get me wrong, we do have some joke tossed in here and there but they are very inconsistent and the scenes with zombies don't really pick up until the last 20 minutes of the film or so.  I did like the nods to other zombie films.  They were subtle and they worked.  Finally, this one has several kills and some decent practical effects.  The kills are forgettable and standard for a zombie flick but the effects were entertaining.  With that being said, the zombies are inconsistent.  Some looked great while others were not so.  Overall, Bong of the Living Dead had the potential to be something unforgettable but in the end it was the film's devotion to pot that prevented it from achieving just that.  The film reminded me a lot of the mid 2000 zombie flicks you could pick up from Brain Damage Films.  It's a fun watch but the lack of plot and painfully boring characters makes it one I don't see myself revisiting anytime soon.

Abominable

Director - Ryan Schifrin (Tales of Halloween, The Tiffany Problem)
Starring - Matt McCoy (True Detective, Six Feet Under), Haley Joel (Damages, Crash Landing), and Christien Tinsley (Felon)
Release Date - 2006
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Think big"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I hit high school my horror obsession was in full force.  I was still collecting tapes but I had a new love in DVDs along with recording made for television Sy-Fy flicks on tape and then converting them to DVD with my DVD burner.  This was a big hobby of mine and I that was the only way to get a lot of shitty movies that was never made available for purchase after the airing.  The year after I graduated the film Abominable aired on television.  I can't remember the channel but I'm fairly certain it was a Sy-Fy channel premier.  Either way, I recorded the film on tape and then lost it when my collection was stolen while in college.  Sometime after that I found the film on DVD when a Movie Gallery near my college was going out of business.  This is a film I've watched several time since the original airing and when MVD announced a blu release in their MVD Rewind Collection line I knew I had to review it.  Thank you MVD for sending this one my way!

     The film follows Preston Rogers (McCoy) who is now paraplegic after a hiking accident where he lost his wife.  As part of is rehabilitation he is going to a cabin deep in the woods with his caregiver to get over his fear of the forest.  The cabin beside him is being rented by a group of women having a bachelorette party for the weekend.  Things start off innocently enough but Preston is still uneasy.  He notices the phone lines down near the cabin and soon he spies something menacingly wondering around the cabin with the woman in it.  Soon after one of them goes missing and he gets a better look at the beast.  The bigfoot like creature takes the girl deep into the woods.  Preston is unable to chase due to his handicap and is forced to try to contact the home next door to tell the others that she was taken.  His plan fails and they start looking for her.  Soon, one by one they fall victim to the beast leaving just one woman and Preston.  The two are able to get together and work together to survive the hellish night before the beast can brutally murder them like he did all the others.  

     I know this film is far from perfect and suffers from several flaws but I still find myself thoroughly enjoying it.  I'm a sucker for horror flicks centered around cryptozoology and the fact that this film has nods to other famous cryptids really adds some additional entertainment to me.  The acting in this one is not the best but poorly written characters are at fault and not the cast.  The characters are rough to like and difficult to root for.  Their personalities all clash and we get no character that you want to see live.  They are all equally annoying and you look forward to their demise.  The story for this one is simple but works for what it is.  When you have bigfoot crushing people with his feet we don't need a story that is complex or thought provoking.  We get some suspense and a lot of bigfoot action.  The biggest downside to the story is the lack of character development.  We get several characters tossed as us with similar personalities and very few redeeming qualities.  Finally, we get several deaths and a bigfoot costume that I love.  The deaths are bloody with some decent enough practical effects and I absolutely love the bigfoot costume.  It's easily one of my favorites.  Overall, Abominable is far from perfect but I can't deny how fun it is.  I've watched it several times since my first viewing and I can see myself throwing it in several more.  Horror fans and fans of bigfoot horror need to grab this on blu now from MVD.  

Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God...Be Back by Five

Director - Richard Schenkman (Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, The Man from Earth)
Starring - Jon Cryer (Pretty in Pink, Hot Shots!), Rick Stear (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Warrior Class), Rafael Baez (New York Undercover, Shanghai Noon)
Release Date - 1998
Genre - Drama/Comedy
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

   

     I tend to tell people I'm a product of the 80s but in actuality I grew up in the 90s.  I was born in the mid 80s and over the years I've been pretty obsessed with that decade but I did my growing up in the 90s.  I often rented films from the 80s or early 90s but movies and shows from the time was always playing on the television.  In middle school I started my love for horror but I did find an interest in the 90s dramatic feel good films like Forrest Gump, Michael, Powder, What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and Phenomenon.  Most horror fans scoff at the idea of liking films like these but I thoroughly enjoy them and often give them a spin when I find myself in a rut.  Sometime ago MVD released the 1998 dramedy Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God...Be Back by Five on blu as part of their MVD Rewind Collection.  This was a new one on me and I couldn't wait to check it out.  Thanks MVD for sending this one over.

     The film follows two lifelong friends, Daniel (Cryer) and Stan (Stear), who hear that their friend Richie (Baez) had a mental breakdown following the death of his kid sister and is living under the boardwalk at Coney Island.  They leave their jobs for the day under the guise that Danie's grandmother has died and go to Coney Island in hopes of finding their old friend.  Along the way they reminisce about the fun times they had as kids, how they met each other, when they started drifting apart, and how adulthood is a struggle.  When they are not reminiscing about old times they are meeting the different people that make up the Coney Island crowd during the off season.  

     I was an absolute cinephile in the 90s.  The later part of the decade saw my focus switch to horror but I was still very conscience to other genres.  With that being said, Went to Coney Island is a film I had never heard of until the MVD announcement.  I rushed to watch the trailer which is something I rarely do before reviewing a movie.  It looked like a fun late 90s drama with some light humor tossed in and it was for the most part.  The acting in this one is the highlight of the film.  Cryer and Stear are absolutely fantastic together.  Their chemistry on screen is amazing and their characters really hit the viewer hard.  We all know someone like one of these two characters or we are one of the two.  They contrast perfectly and give the film a nice different look than most cookie cutter flicks of the time.  The supporting cast is fantastic as well.  The characters may not be as well written but they do a great job in the scenes.  The story for this one struggles at times but works in the end.  The movie sales itself as a dramatic comedy but the movie never really fully explores either.  The comedy, when we do get it, is far from funny.  In fact, there was a few times that the jokes almost felt like they were added last minute with no thought as to how they would play out in the scene.  Also, the drama just does not feel all that dramatic.  You watch the characters go on their journey but you never get that drama feeling like many of the other films from that time.  The story is very compelling but has difficulty determining what genre it belongs to.  Finally, this one has no practical effects for horror hounds.  It does have a bleak backdrop of the Coney Island boardwalk in the winter but that is as far as you can go with that.  Overall, Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God...Be Back by Five is a fantastic watch but don't expect a film that will leave you feeling fulfilled.  The story is solid for what it is and the cast is amazing but I don't see myself revisiting this one.  You can check the film out now on blu from MVD.  

     

      

     

The Return of Swamp Thing

Director - Jim Wynorski (Not of This Earth, The Lost Empire)
Starring - Louis Jourdan (Swamp Thing, Octopussy), Heather Locklear (Firestarter, Scary Movie 5), Sarah Douglas (Conan the Destroyer, Superman)
Release Date - 1989
Genre - Action/Sci-fi/Horror
Tagline - "America's favorite super hero is back"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      It's rare that you come across a sequel better than the original but it does happen occasionally.  Some of my favorite films are actually sequels that are better than the originals.  It doesn't always happen but it can.  When I was younger I watched Swamp Thing several times and remembered liking it.  As I got older I thought I had watch the 1989 sequel a few times.  Sometime ago MVD released The Return of Swamp Thing on blu as part of their MVD Rewind Collection.  I tossed it in and quickly realized I had never seen this film and must be confusing it with an episode of the live action television show.  Either way, it was a treat to check this out on blu.  Thank you MVD for sending this one my way.

       The film follows Abby (Locklear) who visits her estranged step-father Arcane (Jourdon) to discuss matters around her late mother.  Arcane survived his battle with Swamp Thing in the previous film and has returned back to his unmutated self.  He has a lab hidden under his mansion and is still running experiments on the serum that created Swamp Thing.  He has created several monsters with his experiments and a few of them has escaped into the swamps nearby causing havoc.  Arcane uses his step-daughter to further his experiments when it is revealed she has the same DNA sequence as her mother but Swamp Thing intervenes and the two try to stop Arcane once and for all.

    I was shocked by how much more I enjoyed this one over the first film.  I remember checking out the cartoon as a kid and really liking it and I was under the impression I had seen this one before but I clearly had not.  With that being said, why had I not seen this superior film?   The acting in this one is solid but the main characters are not what glues the viewer to screen.  Viewers are watching for the mutants and the fight scenes over the petty characters and confusing discontinuity errors.  The story for this one dives deeper into what fans really want...mutants fighting and explosions.  The science-fiction angle around the film is a little weak and filled with huge plot holes but those are easily overlooked for the fun monsters fighting scenes and all the action.  We moved from a goofy looking film with the first to a goofy sounding film in the second and that is something I can live with.  Finally, this films has superior practical effects over the first film.  Swamp Thing looks tremendously better and the other creatures are fucking fantastic.  I loved their look and how they put me in mind of The Guyver.  I loved the effects and would have loved some gore with it.  Overall, The Return of Swamp Thing is one of the few times when the sequel is better than the original.  The movie is fun and one I would really enjoy watching in a setting with a bunch of friends and beer.  Check it out now on blu from MVD.          

Swamp Thing

Director - Wes Craven (The Hills Have Eyes, A Nightmare on Elm St.)
Starring - Louis Jourdan (Fear No Evil, Octopussy), Adrienne Barbeau (Escape from New York, The Fog), and Ray Wise (Jeepers Creepers 2, Twin Peaks)
Release Date - 1982
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi/Action
Tagline - "Science transformers him into a monster. Loved changed him even more!"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

    I'm a product of my childhood.  I didn't have the perfect childhood and because of that I was raised by the television and video store.  I was constantly renting different movies from the video store along with watching movies on shows like USA Up All Night, MonsterVision, and anything else like it.  It was during this time that I watched the original Swamp Thing film a few times but I can't remember if it was on television when I first saw it or on VHS.  Either way, I watched the first film several times and with the sequel on blu for MVD Rewind Collection I decided to revisit this one before I review the follow up.
     The film follows a doctor (Wise) who is deep in the swamp trying to perfect his chemical that combines elements of plant with that of animals but a mercenary team hired by the evil Arcane (Jourdon).  Arcane plans on stealing the doctor's notes and using his findings to make himself immortal.  During the mercenaries attack the good doctor is set on fire by his creation and he plunges himself in the swamp water but his body is never retrieved.  Arcane is able to get 6 of the 7 notebooks of the doctors but Alice (Barbeau) survives the raid and takes the 7th with her.  Now Arcane and his men are desperately searching for her and everytime they get close to her she is saved by a creature living in the swamp that they dub Swamp Thing.  Eventually Alice uncovers that it is the doctor and he was transformed into the creature when the chemical was spilled on him.  The two work together to stop Arcane and his men but are too late. Arcane is able to recreate the formula and uses it on himself turning him into a werewolf like creature forcing Swamp Thing to fight someone that is now equal strength as him.
     I remember really enjoying this one as a kid but it did not hold up well after all these years.  I can safely say that it has been over 15 years since I last watched this one and it will be sometime again before I toss it in again.  Director Wes Craven is a filmmaker that I either really love his films or I dislike them.  Swamp Thing is the only film of his that I can say is the middle ground.  The acting in this one is funny at times and awkward at others.  Honestly, the cast makes the film extremely campy which is where most of the fun comes from but it is strange watching legends on the screen deliver some of the cheesiest performances of their career.  The story for this one has so many plot holes and incosistencies that I'm shocked it was directed by Wes Craven.  With that being said, I could see this popping up as a double feature with other cheesy action films of the 80s and early 90s.  I would love to see this in a double feature at a drive-in with some of these forgotten 80s action flicks that you find in the cheap DVD box sets at Wal-Mart.  It's far from perfect but still entertains.  Finally, The effects, like most of everything else with this film, is hit or miss.  I've never liked the look of the original Swamp Thing in this film.  His costume sags at certain parts of the body which makes it look even cheaper than it is.  We don't get any blood and gore but the prosthetic make up does miss it's mark with a lot of the creatures in this one.  Overall, Swamp Thing is a huge nostalgia trip for a lot of us.  It's fun and super cheesy but it does have a lot of problems that many just won't admit.  I still recommend it if you haven't seen it.