One of a number of Stephen King adaptations produced by movie mogul Dino De Laurentis, Sometimes They Come Back (1991) premiered on US television in 1991 to little fanfare. But, years later, it as become a minor cult favorite, and has spawned two direct-to-video sequels. It’s easy to see why.
Sometimes They Come Back is a very affecting film, with a notable and touching performance by Tim Matheson, as a school teacher running away from the ghosts of a childhood trauma involving a bunch of older bullies and the death of his older brother. Returning thirty years later to his hometown as a husband and father, he tries to settle in and focus on starting a new life. But soon, ghosts from his past invade his life, in the form of a bunch of bullies with a striking resemblance to the ones who killed his brother thirty years ago, and who start terrorizing him and his students.
What makes the film work are a number of things: Matheson’s invested and heartfelt performance, an engaging script that astutely captures Stephen King’s voice and serves as a greatest hits collection of his main motifs, and tight direction by genre veteran Tom McLoughlin (aided by stylish cinematography by Bryan England).
But what marrs the film to a degree are the horror elements, which are poorly handled, and come off as hokey and intrusive. Schlocky make-up effects also don’t help matters. As a psychological thriller with supernatural overtones, the film works pretty well. But when the film focuses on the gang of bullies and their otherwordly abilities, it falters, with the shift in tone jarring, to say the least.
Still, there’s much to like about Sometimes They Come Back, as this is a compelling, occasionally heartfelt, and pretty atmospheric supernatural thriller, and, despite its faults, is sure to please Stephen King fans.
Trivia: The film was shot both for a theatrical release overseas and a TV premiere in the US on CBS. This explains the film’s top notch cinematography and the film’s careful compositions, which were framed for a 2.35: 1 theatrical aspect ratio.
Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.
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