Written by Hombre Divertido
Sometimes They Come Back never should have shown up in the first place.
There have been numerous incarnations of Stephen King stories in theaters and on television, but few have been as poorly executed as this 1991, ninety-three minute, made-for-television bomb directed by Tom McLoughlin from a teleplay by Lawrence Konner.
The story makes little sense, plods along, and is filled with one dimensional performances. Tim Matheson and Brooke Adams, who must have been taking the only roles they could get at the time, look trapped by a script that leaves them nowhere to go.
As a couple returning to the town where Jim Norman (Matheson) grew up, and suffered through a childhood that included the death of his older brother in an accident initiated by a group of stereotypical hoods from the fifties, Jim and Sally (Adams) along with their son (Normally you would list an actors name in parenthesis after referring to the character, but Robert Hy Gorman, who played the son, would probably thank me if I didn't), have returned in hopes of starting over. They need the fresh start due to some violence issues that are never completely revealed that Jim had in his previous teaching job.
So Jim settles into his new teaching job, until his students start dying, and are replaced in class by new kids who just happen to be the same hoods involved in the death of Jim’s brother. The hoods drive a car that not everyone can see and are out for revenge.
The questions as to how they are coming back, why they are coming back, and how they intend to get revenge take far too long to answer, and when the answers come, they make little sense other than "don’t forget your keys."
Though the special effects and make-up are adequate for a B-movie, and the introduction of the one hood (The always wonderful William “Larry” Sanderson) who escaped death in the accident teases the audience with what appears to be an interesting detour, it all eventually leads nowhere.
Recommendation: Some short stories are short for a reason, and should be left that way. There is simply not enough here to warrant ninety-three minutes. Apparently there is a 1996 sequel titled Sometimes They Come Back Again featuring what I am sure are mind-blowing performances by Hilary Swank and Alexis Arquette, so renting the two should make for a nice afternoon nap.
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