10 Film Sequels That Went In Wildly Different Directions

4. The Return Of Swamp Thing

Wes Craven helmed a version of Swamp Thing in 1982. Casting Twin Peaks' Ray Wise as the before and the magnificently-named Dick Durock as the after, Craven pitted this unfortunate scientist who hybridized himself with a chemical formula against Louis Jordan's deranged colleague slash adversary. It didn't make much of an impression, sinking back into the mire from which it had risen.

Jim Wynorski went for broke six years later, taking Durock's slimey avenger on a spoofy journey in The Return Of Swamp Thing. Jordan had perished at the end of the first film but no matter. A vague explanation later and he was back in action. Only Swampie and schwing-able sidekick Heather Locklear could stop him.

Whereas Craven had delivered a workmanlike but eerie couple of hours, Wynorski figured his project should be a laugh fest, though no laughs were forthcoming from critics. It carried on the narrative without adhering to its ancestor, a fatal mistake in a genre watched like a hawk by legions of over-analyzers.