Sometimes They Come Back (film): Difference between revisions

*Sometimes They Come Back*
Sometimes They Come Back
Genre	Horror; Thriller; Drama
Based on	"Sometimes They Come Back"; by Stephen King
Written by	Lawrence Konner
Teleplay by	Mark Rosenthal
Directed by	Tom McLoughlin
Starring	Tim Matheson; Brooke Adams; Robert Rusler;
Theme music composer	Terry Plumeri
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Dino De Laurentiis; Michael S. Murphey;
Production locations	Kansas City, Kansas; Liberty, Missouri; Rocheport, Missouri
Cinematography	Bryan England
Editor	Charles Bornstein
Running time	97 minutes
Production companies	Come Back Productions; Dino de Laurentiis Communications; Paradise Films
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	May 7, 1991
Related
	Sometimes They Come Back... Again

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Sometimes They Come Back is a 1991 American made-for-television horror film based on the 1974 short story of the same name by Stephen King. Originally optioned as a segment of the 1985 feature film Stephen King's Cat's Eye, it was developed into a separate feature by producer Dino De Laurentiis.^[1]

Plot

Jim Norman returns to his old hometown of Liberty, Missouri after accepting a teaching job there. He moves back along with his wife, Sally, and their son, Scott.

When Jim was nine, he had moved away from the small town with his parents after he had witnessed his older brother, Wayne, being murdered by a gang of greasers during a mugging in a train tunnel in 1963. Three of the murderers — Richard, Vinnie, and David — were killed shortly afterwards by an oncoming train, having parked their 1955 Chevrolet One-Fifty on the tracks. The fourth member, Carl, survived.

After returning to his hometown, Jim starts having nightmares about his brother's murder. Soon afterwards, three of his students are killed by the ghosts of his brother's murderers and, their killers, Richard, Vinnie and David return from the dead as students in Jim's class. The police are suspicious of Jim's proximity to the dead students.

The revived killers challenge Jim to a confrontation and make an attempt on his son's life with their car on the 27th anniversary of Wayne's murder. Jim discovers Wayne's spirit is stuck in limbo while the matter of his murder is unsettled.

Jim goes to the Cemetery and finds the graves of the greasers who say the wreck survivor Carl must complete their revenge. It is revealed that when Jim was a boy, he had taken the murderers' car keys which led to their deaths.

Jim returns to his abandoned childhood home and finds the old car keys that he took during the night of his brother's murder. Carl apologizes for Wayne's death and leaves with the gang. The greasers take Jim's family prisoner.

Jim returns to the train tunnel in which Wayne's murder took place. The greasers plan to kill Jim the same way they murdered Wayne and take Jim with them, but Carl is killed by Lawson after interfering. This opens the door allowing Wayne to return, and the brothers rescue Jim's family and manage to send the gang back to Hell. Wayne is finally at peace and moves on to the afterlife and Jim and his family go home.

Cast

Tim Matheson as Jim Norman
- Zachary Ball as Young Jim Norman
Brooke Adams as Sally Norman
Chris Demetral as Wayne Norman
Robert Rusler as Richard Lawson
Robert Hy Gorman as Scott Norman
Nicholas Sadler as Vinnie Vincent
Bentley Mitchum as David North
William Sanderson as Carl Mueller
- Don Ruffin as Young Carl Mueller
Chadd Nyerges as Chip Conway
Tasia Valenza as Kate Slavin
Matt Nolan as Billy Sterns
William Kuhlke as Principal Simmons

Production notes

The original short story, "Sometimes They Come Back", is set in Stratford High School in Stratford, Connecticut. The film adaptation was filmed in Kansas City, Kansas, and Liberty, Missouri.^[2]

The car used by the greasers was a 1955 Chevrolet One-Fifty.

The film is based on a short story by Stephen King that was first published in the March 1974 issue of Cavalier, and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift.

The steam locomotive used in the film was Southern Pacific 5021 using Norfolk and Western 1218's whistle.

Reception

The film received an approval rating of 67% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on twelve reviews, its consensus reads: "Tim Matheson's gripping performance and a strong mood make Sometimes They Come Back an effective, if not wholly revelatory, Stephen King adaptation".^[3]

Ray Loynd of the Los Angeles Times called it "a tight, moody work".^[4] TV Guide rated it a two out of five stars and wrote that "the solid cast can't lift the material above the routine".^[5]

Sequels

The TV film was followed by two straight-to-video sequels in 1996 (Sometimes They Come Back... Again) and 1998 (Sometimes They Come Back... for More).

Home media

Sometimes They Come Back was originally released on VHS by Vidmark Entertainment, and later on DVD in 1999 by Trimark Home Video. On September 11, 2007, a new DVD edition of the film was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment through the film's current owner, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Olive Films released the film on Blu-Ray in October 2015.^[6]

References

^ Bates, Mark (10 May 2023). "10 Stephen King Movie Adaptations That Deserve A Remake". WhatCulture. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
^ Wixson, Heather (2015-10-24). "Stephen King Week: Robert Rusler Reflects on SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK". Daily Dead. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
^ "Sometimes They Come Back". Rotten Tomatoes.
^ Loynd, Ray (1991-05-07). "TV Reviews: Teen-Agers Come Back From the Dead to Torment History Teacher". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
^ "Stephen King's Sometimes They Come Back". TV Guide. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
^ Stephen King's Sometimes They Come Back Blu-ray Release Date October 27, 2015, retrieved 2020-04-24

External links

[1] Bates, Mark (10 May 2023). "10 Stephen King Movie Adaptations That Deserve A Remake". WhatCulture. Retrieved 14 July 2024.

[2] Wixson, Heather (2015-10-24). "Stephen King Week: Robert Rusler Reflects on SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK". Daily Dead. Retrieved 2016-02-07.

[3] "Sometimes They Come Back". Rotten Tomatoes.

[4] Loynd, Ray (1991-05-07). "TV Reviews: Teen-Agers Come Back From the Dead to Torment History Teacher". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-02-07.

[5] "Stephen King's Sometimes They Come Back". TV Guide. Retrieved 2024-07-24.

[6] Stephen King's Sometimes They Come Back Blu-ray Release Date October 27, 2015, retrieved 2020-04-24

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@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 | genre                = Horror<br>Thriller<br>Drama
 | creator              =
-| based_on             = {{Based on|"[[Sometimes They Come Back]]" (short story)|[[Stephen King]]}}
+| based_on             = {{Based on|"[[Sometimes They Come Back]]"|[[Stephen King]]}}
-| writer               = {{plainlist|
+| writer               = [[Lawrence Konner]]
+| teleplay             = [[Mark Rosenthal (filmmaker)|Mark Rosenthal]]
-* [[Lawrence Konner]]
-* [[Mark Rosenthal (screenwriter)|Mark Rosenthal]] (teleplay)
-}}
-| screenplay           =
-| story                =
 | director             = [[Tom McLoughlin]]
 | starring             = {{plainlist|
@@ Line 34: / Line 30: @@
 | runtime              = 97 minutes
 | company              = Come Back Productions<br>Dino de Laurentiis Communications<br>Paradise Films
-| distributor          = [[CBS]]
 | budget               =
-| network              = CBS
+| network              = [[CBS]]
-| picture_format       = Color
+| released             = {{Start date|1991|05|07}}
-| audio_format         = [[Stereophonic sound|Stereo]]
+| related              = ''[[Sometimes They Come Back... Again]]''
-| first_aired          = {{start date|1991|5|7}}
-| last_aired           =
-| preceded_by          =
-| followed_by          = ''[[Sometimes They Come Back... Again]]''
 }}
-'''''Sometimes They Come Back''''' is a 1991 American [[television film|made-for-television]] [[horror film]] based on the 1974 [[Sometimes They Come Back|short story of the same name]] by [[Stephen King]]. Originally optioned as a segment of the 1985 feature film ''[[Cat's Eye (1985 film)|Stephen King's Cat's Eye]]'', it was developed into a separate feature by producer [[Dino De Laurentiis]].{{citation needed|date=August 2013}}
+'''''Sometimes They Come Back''''' is a 1991 American [[television film|made-for-television]] [[horror film]] based on the 1974 [[Sometimes They Come Back|short story of the same name]] by [[Stephen King]]. Originally optioned as a segment of the 1985 feature film ''[[Cat's Eye (1985 film)|Stephen King's Cat's Eye]]'', it was developed into a separate feature by producer [[Dino De Laurentiis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whatculture.com/film/10-stephen-king-movie-adaptations-that-deserve-a-remake?page=2|title=10 Stephen King Movie Adaptations That Deserve A Remake|first=Mark|last=Bates|publisher=[[WhatCulture]]|date=10 May 2023|access-date=14 July 2024}}</ref>
 ==Plot==
-Jim Norman, a high school history teacher struggling with emotional problems, returns to his old hometown after accepting a teaching job there. He moves back along with his wife, Sally, and their young son, Scott.
+Jim Norman returns to his old hometown of [[Liberty, Missouri]] after accepting a teaching job there. He moves back along with his wife, Sally, and their son, Scott.
-When Jim was nine, he had moved away from the small town with his parents after he had witnessed his older brother, Wayne, being murdered by a gang of [[Greaser (subculture)|greasers]] during a [[robbery]] in a train tunnel in 1963. Three of the murderers — Richard Lawson, Vinnie Vincent, and David North — were killed shortly afterwards by an oncoming steam train, having parked their 1955 [[Chevrolet One-Fifty]] on the tracks. (The fourth member, Carl Mueller, ran off and survived.)
+When Jim was nine, he had moved away from the small town with his parents after he had witnessed his older brother, Wayne, being murdered by a gang of [[Greaser (subculture)|greasers]] during a mugging in a train tunnel in 1963. Three of the murderers — Richard,  Vinnie, and David — were killed shortly afterwards by an oncoming train, having parked their 1955 [[Chevrolet One-Fifty]] on the tracks. The fourth member, Carl, survived.
-Soon after he returns to his hometown, Jim starts having nightmares and flashbacks about his brother's murder. Soon afterwards, the ghosts of the three dead greasers chase Billy Sterns, one of Jim's students, to his death. Lawson, back from the dead, transfers into Jim's class. After the death of Kate, another of Jim's students, Vinnie also returns from the dead and transfers into Jim's class. The deaths of the two students are blamed as [[suicide]]s.
+After returning to his hometown, Jim starts having nightmares about his brother's murder. Soon afterwards, three of his students are killed by the ghosts of his brother's murderers and, their killers, Richard, Vinnie and David return from the dead as students in Jim's class. The police are suspicious of Jim's proximity to the dead students.
+The revived killers challenge Jim to a confrontation and make an attempt on his son's life with their car on the 27th anniversary of Wayne's murder. Jim discovers Wayne's spirit is stuck in limbo while the matter of his murder is unsettled.
-Chip Conway, one of Jim's students, warns him that Richard and Vinnie are out for revenge. As he leaves Jim's home, Chip is attacked by the greasers, now joined with North, driving a 1955 Chevrolet One-Fifty. They [[dismemberment|dismember]] Chip and throw his remains off of a bridge. Meanwhile, Jim has fallen under the suspicion of Pappas, the local police chief.
+Jim goes to the Cemetery and finds the graves of the greasers who say the wreck survivor Carl must complete their revenge. It is revealed that when Jim was a boy, he had taken the murderers' car keys which led to their deaths.
-The three greasers have supernatural features: they cast no reflection in a mirror; can change their physical appearance to a demonic, mutilated look; are impervious to bullets; and can appear to some while invisible to others. They challenge Jim to a confrontation and make an attempt on his son's life with their car on the 27th anniversary of Wayne's murder.
+Jim returns to his abandoned childhood home and finds the old car keys that he took during the night of his brother's murder. Carl apologizes for Wayne's death and leaves with the gang. The greasers take Jim's family prisoner.
-Jim tracks down a retired policeman, Officer Neil, who reveals that he had been shot during a robbery and had been clinically dead for over three minutes, during which he encountered Wayne's spirit in the "mid-realm" – the dimension between the world of the living and one's final destination. Neil explains that Wayne is stuck there and sometimes when things are unsettled, spirits come back. Jim then tells Neil that the greasers all claimed to have transferred in from "Milford," but can't find any trace of a "Milford High School." Neil explains that it is not a school.
+Jim returns to the train tunnel in which Wayne's murder took place. The greasers plan to kill Jim the same way they murdered Wayne and take Jim with them, but Carl is killed by Lawson after interfering. This opens the door allowing Wayne to return, and the brothers rescue Jim's family and manage to send the gang back to Hell. Wayne is finally at peace and moves on to the afterlife and Jim and his family go home.
-Jim goes to the Milford Cemetery and finds the graves of the three greasers, who once again confront him. They reveal to Jim that he is going to need Mueller to put everything together. Jim then tracks down Mueller, who panics and flees thinking Jim wants revenge. The greasers then attack Jim's family at their home. Jim fends them off and takes his family to a church, where they will be safe from the demonic gang. It is then revealed that when Jim was a boy, he had taken the murderers' car keys which led to their deaths. Jim realizes that he can't keep running and must deal with the past.
-Jim returns to his abandoned childhood home and finds the old car keys that he took during the night of his brother's murder. He is joined by Mueller, who apologizes for Wayne's death and offers to help. The greasers attack again and take Mueller with them, reuniting their gang. Jim visits Wayne's grave seeking his help, but something blocks Wayne's return to the world of the living. In the meantime, the greasers lure Jim's family out of the church and take them prisoner.
-Jim returns to the train tunnel in which Wayne's murder took place. The greasers plan to kill Jim the same way they murdered Wayne and take Jim with them, but Mueller switches sides and is killed by Lawson. The dying Mueller explains that for every life the greasers take, another can come back. A doorway to the afterlife opens, allowing Wayne to return. Wayne distracts the gang while Jim gets his family out of the gang's 1955 Chevrolet. Jim gives the gang back their car keys. Lawson promises to return, but Jim explains that there won't be a next time. The gang tries to escape in their car, only to have it struck by a ghost train that resembles the same one that killed them in 1963, which sends them to [[Hell]].
-Wayne is not aware that 27 years had passed, and Jim explains that he has grown up. Wayne can move on to [[Heaven]] and see his parents, and offers to have Jim come with him to the afterlife, but Jim refuses. Jim promises that they will be together again someday, and Wayne returns to the afterlife as Jim's family heads home.
 ==Cast==
 * [[Tim Matheson]] as Jim Norman
-**Zachary Ball as Young Jim Norman
+** Zachary Ball as Young Jim Norman
 * [[Brooke Adams (actress)|Brooke Adams]] as Sally Norman
 * [[Chris Demetral]] as Wayne Norman
 * [[Robert Rusler]] as Richard Lawson
-* [[Robert Hy Gorman]] as Scott Norman
+* Robert Hy Gorman as Scott Norman
 * [[Nicholas Sadler]] as Vinnie Vincent
 * [[Bentley Mitchum]] as David North
 * [[William Sanderson]] as Carl Mueller
-**Don Ruffin as Young Carl Mueller
+** Don Ruffin as Young Carl Mueller
-* Chadd Nyerges as Chip
+* Chadd Nyerges as Chip Conway
-* [[Tasia Valenza]] as Kate
+* [[Tasia Valenza]] as Kate Slavin
-* [[Matt Nolan (American actor and singer)|Matt Nolan]] as Billy Sterns
+* Matt Nolan as Billy Sterns
 * William Kuhlke as Principal Simmons
 ==Production notes==
 The original short story, "Sometimes They Come Back", is set in [[Stratford High School (Connecticut)|Stratford High School]] in [[Stratford, Connecticut]]. The film adaptation was filmed in [[Kansas City, Kansas]], and [[Liberty, Missouri]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dailydead.com/stephen-king-week-robert-rusler-reflects-on-sometimes-they-come-back/|title=Stephen King Week: Robert Rusler Reflects on SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK|last=Wixson|first=Heather|work=Daily Dead|date=2015-10-24|access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref>
-Director Tom McLoughlin previously directed the sixth Friday The 13th film: ''[[Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives|Jason Lives]]'' (1986).
 The car used by the greasers was a [[Chevrolet 150#Second generation (1955–1957)|1955 Chevrolet One-Fifty]].
-The movie is based on a short story by Stephen King that was first published in the March 1974 issue of ''[[Cavalier (magazine)|Cavalier]]'', and later collected in King's 1978 collection ''[[Night Shift (short story collection)|Night Shift]]''.
+The film is based on a short story by Stephen King that was first published in the March 1974 issue of ''[[Cavalier (magazine)|Cavalier]]'', and later collected in King's 1978 collection ''[[Night Shift (short story collection)|Night Shift]]''.
 The steam locomotive used in the film was [[Southern Pacific 5021]] using [[Norfolk and Western 1218]]'s whistle.
 ==Reception==
-The film received an approval rating on 67% on [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on twelve reviews, its consensus reads, "Tim Matheson's gripping performance and a strong mood make ''Sometimes They Come Back'' an effective, if not wholly revelatory, Stephen King adaptation."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sometimes_they_come_back|title=Sometimes They Come Back|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>
+The film received an approval rating of 67% on [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on twelve reviews, its consensus reads: "Tim Matheson's gripping performance and a strong mood make ''Sometimes They Come Back'' an effective, if not wholly revelatory, Stephen King adaptation".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sometimes_they_come_back|title=Sometimes They Come Back|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>
-Ray Loynd of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called it "a tight, moody work".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1991-05-07/entertainment/ca-1436_1_history-teacher|title=TV Reviews : Teen-Agers Come Back From the Dead to Torment History Teacher|last=Loynd|first=Ray|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1991-05-07|access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref>  ''[[TV Guide]]'' rated it a two out of five stars and wrote, "The solid cast can't lift the material above the routine."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/stephen-kings-sometimes-they-come-back/review/132005/|title=Stephen King's Sometimes They Come Back|author=<!-- Staff -->|work=[[TV Guide]]|access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref>
+Ray Loynd of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called it "a tight, moody work".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-05-07-ca-1436-story.html|title=TV Reviews: Teen-Agers Come Back From the Dead to Torment History Teacher|last=Loynd|first=Ray|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1991-05-07|access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref>  ''[[TV Guide]]'' rated it a two out of five stars and wrote that "the solid cast can't lift the material above the routine".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/stephen-kings-sometimes-they-come-back/2000346649|title=Stephen King's Sometimes They Come Back|author=<!-- Staff -->|work=[[TV Guide]]|access-date=2024-07-24}}</ref>
 ==Sequels==
@@ Line 103: / Line 87: @@
 == Home media ==
-Sometimes They Come Back was originally released on VHS by Vidmark Entertainment, and later on DVD in 1999 by Trimark Home Video. On September 11, 2007, a new DVD edition of the movie was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment through the movie's current owner, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. On October 27, 2015, Olive Films released the movie on Blu-Ray.<ref>{{Citation|title=Stephen King's Sometimes They Come Back Blu-ray Release Date October 27, 2015|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Stephen-Kings-Sometimes-They-Come-Back-Blu-ray/139448/|access-date=2020-04-24}}</ref>
+''Sometimes They Come Back'' was originally released on VHS by Vidmark Entertainment, and later on DVD in 1999 by Trimark Home Video. On September 11, 2007, a new DVD edition of the film was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment through the film's current owner, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Olive Films released the film on Blu-Ray in October 2015.<ref>{{Citation|title=Stephen King's Sometimes They Come Back Blu-ray Release Date October 27, 2015|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Stephen-Kings-Sometimes-They-Come-Back-Blu-ray/139448/|access-date=2020-04-24}}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 109: / Line 93: @@
 ==External links==
-*{{IMDb title|id=0102960|title=Sometimes They Come Back}}
+* {{IMDb title|id=0102960|title=Sometimes They Come Back}}
-*{{Amg movie|45594|Sometimes They Come Back}}
+* {{Rotten Tomatoes|id=sometimes_they_come_back|title=Sometimes They Come Back}}
-*{{Rotten Tomatoes|id=sometimes_they_come_back|title=Sometimes They Come Back}}
 {{Media based on Stephen King works}}
@@ Line 117: / Line 100: @@
 [[Category:1991 television films]]
+[[Category:1991 horror films]]
+[[Category:1991 films]]
+[[Category:1990s supernatural horror films]]
+[[Category:1990s ghost films]]
 [[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
 [[Category:Films about child death]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Tom McLoughlin]]
 [[Category:American horror television films]]
-[[Category:CBS network films]]
+[[Category:CBS films]]
-[[Category:1991 horror films]]
-[[Category:1991 films]]
 [[Category:Demons in film]]
 [[Category:Films shot in Missouri]]
 [[Category:Films produced by Dino De Laurentiis]]
 [[Category:Films based on works by Stephen King]]
+[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
+[[Category:1990s American films]]
+[[Category:Films set in Missouri]]
+[[Category:Films with screenplays by Lawrence Konner]]
+[[Category:Films about educators]]
+[[Category:Films with screenplays by Mark Rosenthal (screenwriter)]]
+[[Category:English-language horror films]]