DVD Review: Sometimes They Come Back

Way back in 1974, Stephen King wrote a story called Sometimes They Come Back. It was originally published in the collection called Night Shift. It also included tales such as Battleground, Lawnmower Man, and Children of the Corn. All of which have been turned into big and small screen creations. The most successful was the hour long Battleground that opened the Nightmares Dreamscapes mini-series in 2006. It was a brilliant hour that starred William Hurt and had no dialogue. Back to the movie at hand. In 1991 Sometimes They Come Back was brought to the small screen to amazingly boring effect.

Stephen King's stories are notoriously difficult to adapt to the big screen. For every one that is successful, or at least halfway decent, there is a handful that fail to deliver on any level. Sometimes They Come Back is one of those failures. As I watched it, I got to wondering why it has been so historically difficult to adapt King. I enjoy his work, although I haven't read anything new of his in years. The one thing I can think of is that his writing is best left up to the imagination, moreso than many other writers. When you read a King story it can conjure up some very strong visuals in the mind that are nearly impossible to live up to. So, when you ultimately see the film it can be nothing but a letdown. I know that the two works should be judged separately, I have been saying that for years. However, the combination of ingrained visuals while reading the story combined with the generally poor quality of the films, it is a no-win situation.

Sometimes They Come Back is not one of King's better stories, making it a questionable choice for a movie, theatrical or TV, to begin with. What works on the page can wind up being downright silly on the screen. That is what happens here, the movie is silly. Beyond that, it is flat out boring. The lack of logic that flows freely throughout is nearly impossible to ignore.

Let's lay out the facts of the case. Jimmy Norman (Tim Matheson) is tormented by his past, but before we can get to the past, we must deal with the present. Jimmy, along with his wife (Brooke Adams) and son, move back to his hometown to take a job teaching at the local high school. Money issues and some anger management problems cost them their life in the big city. Jimmy never wanted to return home, too many bad memories. You see, Jimmy idolized his older brother, Wayne. One day the two are heading out and bump into the local bullies. This fateful meeting ends with them brutally killing Wayne before dying in a burst of flames when their hot rod is struck by a train.

Back in the present, Jimmy is attempting to adjust to life as a teacher. All seems to be going OK until Jimmy's students start disappearing, only to be replaced by new kids transferring up from Milford. These new students just happen to be the spitting images of the greaser punks that killed his brother so many years ago. They have come back to finish the job and gain their revenge. It is up to Jimmy to protect his family and himself from those who have come back.

I mentioned the logic issues. For example, did anyone notice the coincidence that when a student goes missing that a new one is ready to take his/her place? Or how about wondering why they looked as if they stepped out of Grease? If that isn't enough, how come there does not seem to be any real interest in discovering what happened to the missing kids? Did the new transfers have transcripts? Why did no one notice that there was no town called Milford? Did anyone know that their local cemetery was called Milford? Did no one else notice the kids didn't have reflections? Did anyone else notice the magically appearing, flame spewing hot rod? Is there no end to the questions? I give up. Frankly, I'm surprised I stayed awake long enough to think of all those questions.

The TV movie was directed by Tom McLoughlin, who has spent the vast majority of his career on the small screen. The notable exception is probably the highlight of his career, in 1986 he directed Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. His direction is rather dull and straight forward, never creating any worthy atmosphere or terribly memorable scenes. The acting is no better. From Matheson and Adams on down to the supremely goofy laughs of the greaser punks. They were either boring or annoying with no middleground.

Audio/Video. Both are probably the best since it aired back in 1991, but it still doesn't look all that great. There are no digital issues, but everything looks just a little soft and the sound is a touch to the hollow side.

Extras. Nothing. Not even a trailer.

Bottomline. This is just bad. It is an all around lackluster project with poor acting and writing. I cannot recommend this to anyone outside of those who already like the movie, and I know it has its fans. For you, here is a decent DVD copy of it. For the rest of you, there are plenty of better films you could be spending your time with. Would you believe this spawned not one, but two sequels? (Sometimes They Come Back Again and Sometimes They Come Back for More)

Not Recommended.