Director: John McNaughton
Screenplay: Stephen Peters
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards and Bill Murray
Year: 1998
Duration: 108 min
Country: USA
BBFC Certification: 18
Director John McNaughton is one fascinating filmmaker. Originally getting his start by writing, producing and directing 1986’s Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a film plagued with controversy at release for being too violent and disturbing. It ended up in the hands of BBFC head James Ferman, who insisted on trimming almost two minutes from the runtime and it wasn’t until February 2003 that the film saw an uncut release in the UK. Suffice to say, McNaughton was familiar with pushing boundaries when it comes to his art. Other films of his include 1991’s The Borrower and 1993’s Mad Dog and Glory, both never reaching the cult status that Henry had obtained in the years prior. But in 1998, McNaughton would return to the spotlight for his biggest commercial hit yet.
Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) is a high school guidance counsellor who’s loved by most in Blue Bay until a wealthy student of his, Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards) accuses him of sexual assault. A man with a squeaky clean image is tarnished overnight, but with the help of sleazy lawyer Kenneth Bowden (Bill Murray), he begins work on clearing his name. To go any further with a plot synopsis would ruin the fun of Wild Things, as it’s crucial that you experience the events as the characters do, but let me tell you now, it’s quite a ride. On paper, it sounds like the film should be a serious courtroom drama, taking the subject matter seriously but McNaughton instead takes the premise and turns it into a campy affair, full of twists and turns when you least expect them. Kevin Bacon plays Sergeant Ray Duquette, the man assigned with the case, and from the first moment he’s on screen, you can tell he’s playing it up more than usual. Bacon was quoted calling the screenplay “the trashiest thing he had ever read” but nonetheless loved it and ended up executively producing the film.
It’s a film that surely won’t be to everybody’s tastes, constantly pulling the rug from under the viewer and hoping they’re as shocked, intrigued and entertained as the cast and crew clearly were whilst making the film. Neve Campbell gives a delightful performance as Suzie Toller, another student accusing Lombardo of the same crime and like Bacon before, she understands the material well-enough that it’s a joy to see her whenever she’s on screen. Same goes for Denise Richards, Matt Dillon and Bill Murray (in an incredibly memorable performance), all giving performances that may not be career-bests, but work perfectly for the material given.
If you’re in the mood for a film that’s sleazy, campy, unafraid to go to absurd levels to keep you entertained, then Wild Things is for you. Over time, like Henry, it’s developed a cult audience of its own, even producing three direct-to-DVD sequels with progressively more ridiculous titles. The fourth instalment’s called Wild Things: Foursome, and if that’s not an indicator of the trashiness you’re in for, I don’t know what is.
Film: 
Wild Things was released by Arrow Video on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray on May 23, 2022. The film looks absolutely stunning on 4K UHD. I chose to watch the original Theatrical Version and was blown away by the implementation of HDR, gorgeously complimenting the sun-soaked atmosphere of Miami and delivering a pitch-perfect clarity to the image. With a healthy average bitrate of 86.27 Mbps, there’s never a moment where the image looks too compressed. If you’re a fan of the film, it’s never looked better. One thing to note, the J-card included with the limited edition states that the original uncompressed stereo audio is included, but the disc itself only contains the DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track. Fans hoping to hear the original audio track will be disappointed, but the 5.1 track sounds crisp, clear and I found no issues with it.
The following special features are included:
– New 4K restorations of both the Original Theatrical Version and the Unrated Edition from the original camera negatives by Sony Pictures Entertainment
– 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
– Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
– Exclusive new audio commentary by director John McNaughton and producer Steven A. Jones
– Commentary by director John McNaughton, cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball, producers Steven A. Jones and Rodney Liber, editor Elena Maganini and score composer George S. Clinton
– Exclusive new interview with John McNaughton
– Exclusive new interview with Denise Richards
– Electronic press kit featurette
– An Understanding Lawyer outtakes
– Trailer
– Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anne Billson and Sean Hogan
– Double-sided fold-out poster
– Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley
Highlights of the special features include the two new interviews with director John McNaughton and actor Denise Richards.
In the interview with John McNaughton, which runs for around 26 minutes, he explains how Wild Things came about from his desire to make a commercial success and how Mandalay Entertainment allowed him to create the film he wanted to. He describes the original screenplay as “near-perfect” and mentions how little was really changed from the page. John talks about how at the time, the two big-selling subjects were sex and violence, so he was going to “give you all the sex and all the violence you’ll ever want to see”. He goes on to discuss how the full-frontal nudity from Kevin Bacon came about, with his editor complaining about how little male nudity was in the film, with female nudity and suggestive sequences being at the forefront. After bringing the inclusion of the scene up to Bacon, he said “It’s fine” to remain in the film. Overall, it’s a fun interview that’s worth checking out.
The 14 minute Denise Richards interview is a delight. Richards speaks about how she auditioned three times after shooting Starship Troopers. She touches on how she wanted to keep her character grounded in reality and still remain likeable through, as well as her experiences with the scenes which involved nudity. Joining the crew late, she recalls how nervous she was to be working with big stars such as Neve Campbell and Kevin Bacon. As a relative unknown at the time, it was an experience that excited her. She speaks highly of McNaughton, stating he was nervous to film some of the more explicit scenes which made Richards feel more comfortable. Despite the serious subject matter of the film, Richards states that the shoot was a really fun time and she loved shooting in Florida.
I didn’t get a chance to check it out, but new to this release is an audio commentary with director John McNaughton and producer Steven A. Jones.
Archival special features include the 1997 on-set interviews, which run about 4 minutes long and is an entertaining viewing, mainly due to how dated its presentation style is. There’s an old audio commentary with director John McNaughton, cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball, producers Steven A. Jones and Rodney Liber, editor Elena Maganini, and score composer George S. Clinton. An Understanding Lawyer is 30 seconds of unused outtakes from a scene with Bill Murray that are pretty hilarious. The theatrical trailer is also included alongside an image gallery.
Physical goodies include a double-sized fold-out poster, a booklet which runs about 58 pages with two essays, information on the cast and crew, production stills and information about the transfer. It’s your typical Arrow Video booklet, give or take and those interested in learning more about the film won’t be disappointed. I was a particular fan of Anne Billson’s essay. Six lobby cards are also included. All of this is nicely packaged in a hard-case that house the majority of Arrow Video Limited Editions.
Arrow Video delivers a top-notch release of this cult classic that should be pleasing to both collectors and fans alike. The film may not be for everybody, but it’s hard to deny the effort that went into this release. Highly recommended.
Disc/Packaging: