Review

Jim Norman takes his wife and son back to the small town he grew up in cause he has a new job teaching at the local high school. Hinted at in the movie, Jim may have an issue with violence, and this looks like last chance hotel. Naturally, this being an adaptation of a Stephen King story, the hotel has cockroaches in the form of three JDs returned from the grave. Seems they killed Jim's older brother and died during the act, our hero the reason why.

As Jim's favorite students start dying, to be replaced by dead JDs, things go on the boil as the final confrontation looms. Can Jim face his fears or will history be repeated? Something approaching a movie ensues. Ready to transfer from Milford?

Seemed like in the 1980s and 1990s there was a whole rush of movies based on Stephen King novels and short stories. The Maine dude only had to drop his shopping list and some arse wipe would turn it into a movie. The penultimate result was of course a couple of franchises based on 30 odd pages King turned out. What's memorable about them is that they quickly descended into rubbish, see later entries in the Children of the Corn series of movies - okay strike that see from movie two. Here we are dialing into another franchise that didn't quite have the same level of awareness for good reason.

Director Tom McLoughlin is restricted from the word go as this movie is the ginger headed cousin of the industry, a Tele-movie, hence bringing into play all sorts of constraints, budget being the lest of them. A promising concept is effectively gutted by the medium and at best a 50/50 result is what McLoughlin is aiming for. He is restricted in terms of gore, scare tactics, T&A etc, due to the requirement of the Channels being able to sell hamburgers to you. Do you want fries with that? No, I actually wanted a decent horror romp of a movie, thanks for the offer.

McLoughlin has a story to tell us here, and darned if he's not going to bore us to death in doing so via flashbacks. Normally I'm cool with this technique, as it gradually unfolds the background story, and gets us headed in the right direction with what's happening currently. But come on, how many flashbacks do you actually need already! A couple would have been sufficient to be honest; the Director is laboring things as the flashbacks glacially tell us what went down in the hood twenty or so years previously. What about Jimbo's current state of mental health, and where's the needed storyline to explain exactly why Jim needs the teaching job in his old stomping ground. Exactly what went down in Chicago? McLoughlin isn't telling us, hence I wasn't on side with Jim facing the sins of the past. The dude has violence issues, and you will just have to take that for granted as there's zero depth put into rounding that aspect out.

Another Stephen King adaption, naturally its going to be terrible

So basically you have two major issues confronting you with this movie before you even begin to delve into the horror aspects. The structure is woefully lop sided, and the background story which McLoughlin and writers seem to think will add to the mystery is to slow to really have you wanting to find out the answers. Add in the fact that Jim's wife and son provide the idiot factor required by teen horror lite and you are left with a complete shambles that only really has interest in making you wonder why this was made in the first place. There have been some cinematic atrocities committed in the name of Stephen King, but heck this one is going beyond the call of duty and really does present the bottom of the barrel.

Scare tactics are pretty much null and void in this movie. To call it a safe attempt at the midday movie of the week would be a better indication of this aspect, than Director McLoughlin trying to scare the panties off you. Insert one scene of some pretty yucky dead dudes and a couple of deaths and that's all she wrote. Blood drenched this movie ain't, which is surprising considering McLoughlin is a Friday the 13th alumni having previously helmed Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Okay so previously I've pointed out that some of the best horror movies ever made were sans gore, but come on McLoughlin your resolution is going to be Jim facing up to his fears and going head to head with JDs, some claret needed to be spilt here. As it happens, there's no feeling of danger involved in this movie, it's sanitized for god alone knows what audience the movie was made for. You have either of two paths to go with a revenant, vengeful ghost for the horror challenged, fill of mind-blowing tension and terror, or blood dripping mayhem. McLoughlin is too weak a director for the former, and is restrained from the later. Scratch horror elements from the equation, this movie isn't going anywhere near the concept.

There were a few scenes in the movie that really summed things up for me. Ghosts don't cast reflections in mirrors, uhmm besides that being a Vampire trait; didn't anyone else besides Jim like notice that development? Apparently not and why this idea was used remains a mystery which isn't of pressing need of an answer. The amazing disappearing, reappearing hot rod, blow some pretty impressive flames out of its exhaust system. Must have been ghost flames as nothing got burnt or even singed throughout the movie. And finally ghosts can't enter churches, once again isn't this a Vampire trait, McLoughlin and team sure aren't trying to indicate our deaders are demons or anything. Another useless scene that gets injected and then left hanging.

Overall an uneven and barely functioning effort from McLoughlin that does however have a few funny moments, unfortunately for the Director he wasn't trying for humor with them.

Tim Matheson (Jim) manages to look tired and a tad apprehensive right through the movie. Maybe he just got told his contract involved appearing in a sequel or something. Matheson phones in his performance and banks a cheque. Not a career highlight, but he probably thought no one would bother watching the movie anyways, so what the heck. Brooke Adams, the ineffective wife Sally, managed to irritate the hell out of me, simpering does not equate to acting Brooke, go back to doing Television - oh wait!

The rest of the cast manage to not look directly at camera, and besides the teeth grinding laughter of the JDs nothing is memorable from any of the bit players. A quick refresher on who got parts in this movie failed to elicit any "A" grade talent we could laugh at. Damn, that's always good value in these low budget horror flicks, looking at you Kevin Bacon.

T&A was restrict to, well nothing really. Sometimes has a lot of school scenes, where's my gratuitous girls locker room input McLoughlin? The gals get nothing either, so guess we are on an equal opportunity vibe here.

Terry Plumeri did a mediocre score that must have taken all of ten minutes to compose during a coffee break. Simply nothing of merit to be taken from it. Had a quick check on the imdb.com to see what else he's done, a lot of "B" graders with the only interest being he did the score for the TV remake of The Wasp Woman, so that's our bit of trivia from this movie. There were probably some rock numbers played during the course of the movie but I was too comatose to take note of them.

I scored Sometimes They Come Back off of eBay as I vaguely had the idea I enjoyed the movie in the past. Must have been thinking of something else, as this movie has zero merit in any form what so ever. As anyone who spends an inordinate amount of time reading my reviews will tell you, I don't mind the old "B" grade schlock outing as long as its cheese factor is high. Sometimes fails that test as well, its simply a woefully inept movie from all involved. A hackneyed effort from Studio filmmakers who aren't trying for anything doesn't float my boat.

Surprisingly the movie must have been well received by Television audiences as two sequels have been made. The humorously titled Sometimes They Come Back... Again (1996), and the even more mirth inducing title Sometimes They Come Back...For More (1998). The 1990s saw horror in the doldrums after the golden era of the 1970s and the out and out mayhem of the 1980s. Two separate reasons can be picked for that. The adoption by mainstream of a lot of horror themes and plot devices, wonderfully summed up by Basic Instinct. And the rise of teen horror lite, which destroyed any credibility the genre may have been striving for. Sometimes They Come Back is presented as exhibit A in the case against Teen Horror Lite, here forth abbreviated to THL.

Zero recommendation going down here, watching paint dry would be a better option. If the film makers are going to make no effort then you really shouldn't either in getting your paws on Sometimes. I actually have a script for a fourth movie in the franchise, Sometimes Movies Suck! anyone know a good Hollywood Producer that doesn't need a career?