Spawn (1997) Limited Edition 4K UHD Review

4 star restoration of an action packed guilty pleasure.

Spawn is a 1997 American supernatural thriller film, based on the Image Comics character of the same name. It is directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé (The Boxcar Children) and was his feature directorial debut.

It is available to own on Limited Edition 4K UHD from 6th October 2025, courtesy of Arrow Video.

“In the name of the people and things of Hell, I dub thee… Spawn, general of Hell’s armies. Arise, Your Crispness! Arise, Duke of Deep-Fried! Sultan of Sizzling! Emir of Ooey-Gooey!”

U.S. Marine Corps Force Recon Lieutenant Colonel and CIA operative Al Simmons (Michael Jai White – Falcon Rising, Black Friday) is starting to have moral qualms about his work. He is proved right when he is assigned by his superior Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen – Anne of Green Gables, The Departed) to infiltrate a biological weapons plant in North Korea. Wynn has arranged to have him killed by top assassin Jessica Priest (Melinda Clarke – Nikita (TV Series)). He is set on fire by Wynn, causing the plant to explode and awakens in Hell.

Here he meets the devil, Malebolgia (Frank Welker – Transformers: The Last Night (voice)) who offers him a deal. If he agrees to lead his army in the upcoming armageddon, he will be allowed to return to Earth and see his wife, Wanda Blake (Theresa Randle – Bad Boys, Space Jam). However, a devil can’t be trusted and when he returns as a Hellspawn he discovers that five years have passed and Wanda, believing him dead, is now married to his best friend Terry (D.B. Sweeney – Extraction, The Cutting Edge), who is acting as step father to his daughter Cyan (Sydni Beaudoin – 13 Going on 30).

He is conflicted, as the demon Clown (John Leguizamo – Super Mario Bros., Moulin Rouge!) encourages him to head down the path towards evil, fueled by his need for revenge on Wynn.

He also befriends a young homeless boy named Zach (Miko Hughes – Pet Sematary, Apollo 13) and a former Hellspawn called Cogliostro (Nicol Williamson – Excalibur, Return to Oz), who urges him to use his new found powers for good. Which side will he choose?

“A hospital? Have you looked in a mirror lately, burnt man walking? Even the entire cast of “E.R.” couldn’t put you back together again.”

Spawn was generally poorly received on it’s initial release and perhaps that was largely due to the fact that in the late nineties, the rise of the anti-hero in film had yet to start. It is in fact a very entertaining origin story, which benefits from a great cast, most notably John Leguizamo, whose outrageous portrayal of the Clown absolutely steals the show and brings the whole thing together. It might not be the best film ever made, but it is great fun and that’s all that matters.

Spawn is a very enjoyable film to watch and has benefited greatly from this 4K restoration. There are some excellent visuals and the practical effects look great, the CGI not so much unfortunately. It is quite a dark film, but the extra detail really helps to show all the action. There is also a relentless and noisy soundtrack which sounds great too.

With lots of special features, this delicious slice of nostalgia is well worth adding to your collection.

“Shocked and amazed at the wonders of necroflesh? You’re not alone. For a limited time only, you too can have this handsome epidermis for the eensy price of your soul and a buttload of pain.”

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

4K restorations of both the Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films
Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by John Torrani
Double-sided foldout poster featuring two original artwork options

DISC 1 – DIRECTOR’S CUT

4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio and lossless stereo audio options
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary with comic book expert and podcast host Dave Baxter
Audio commentary with Todd McFarlane, Mark A.Z. Dippé, Clint Goldman, and Steve Williams (1998)
Hell’s Perfect Son, a brand new interview with actor Michael Jai White
Spawn Support, a brand new interview with actors Melinda Clarke and D.B. Sweeney
The Devil’s in the Details, a brand new interview with animatronic creature and special makeup effects artists Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero
The Devil’s Music, a brand new interview with music supervisor Happy Walters
Order Out of Chaos, a brand new interview with editor Michael Knue
Todd McFarlane: Chapter & Verse, an archival featurette from 1998 in which Spawn creator Todd McFarlane reflects on how the film adaptation stacks up against his original comic book vision
The Making of Spawn, archival behind-the-scenes featurette
Preview: Todd McFarlane’s Spawn – The Animated Movie
Theatrical trailer
Scene-to-storyboard comparisons
Original Todd McFarlane sketches
Spawn concept and sketch gallery