Sometimes They Come Back (1991)

Ever wonder to yourself what Stephen King must have been like as a kid? Could have been really creepy or as normal as the next guy. I'd just like to know where the imagination came from. Though not as terrifying as "It" or "The Shining", this picture still manages to capture that Stephen King quality of fear and anxiety right around the corner in the midst of normalcy. I had to chuckle at Dr. Bernardi's 'see something, say something' approach to the students following the death of two classmates; isn't that always the case until somebody has something to say? King used an interesting approach to his story here. A resurrected thug from the past showed up whenever someone died in the present. That idea telegraphed the finale as I was fully expecting Jim's (Tim Matheson) brother Wayne (Chris Demetral) to show up for the final confrontation. The kicker had to do with the car key, it didn't make any difference that it got dropped during the scuffle the first time around, the hoods were goners anyway. The real puzzler is how they managed to resurrect the 1955 Chevy.

This movie was so unpleasant that I in fact had stinking, nervous sweat running down my body towards the end! This is because it made me recall some horror figures from my own school-days, and also some unpleasant memories from when I worked as a subsidiary teacher at a high-school in Austria much later....YES, the horror figures from your childhood and youth come back to haunt you... but not as ghosts of course. That is not necessary, either. They come back in the form of new kids, who are just the same kind as the old. And I also believe that if you were frightened of them when you were the same age, you will never make a good teacher. Because when you recognize the type, your fear will come back... and the thugs will notice it. And behave exactly the same to you, as those horror kids did 20 or 30 years back in time. It is an unpleasant kind of game, and once you are at all aware of it, you have lost your innocence forever and you cannot pretend that you do not understand what is going on.That is the sense morale of this movie, I think. It is very scary, and if you yourself have unfinished business from your youth, I would advise you not to watch it. You are better without that renewal of memories and fear!

Based on a short story by Stephen King, a man (Tim Matheson) and his family return to his home town, but he is then harassed by teenagers that died when he was a kid.This film has King written all over it: the use of a train, the idea of a problem for kids transferring over to when they are adults... but this film is pale in comparison to "Stand By Me" or "It". I mean, it is not a terrible movie, but far from being listed in the better half of King's work.Not really much else to say about this one... I guess I could ask about why it took 27 years for the kids to come back, why 27 years exactly... or how the first kid came back if you need to kill someone to bring another person back. But these are plot points that would only ruin the story...This is a great villain role for Robert Rusler, whose career seemed to peak and fade too quickly. Rusler's a great guy, and it would have been nice to see him in a few more big projects of the era. This also is a solid entry in the career of director Tom McLoughlin, who horror fans might know for "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives" (1986).

I'm not saying this is a great film(it clearly isn't), nor a great horror film, but it had its' moments and I expected a bit less than what I saw, and that was a pleasant surprise. I was impressed with Tim Matheson's performance, although I'll forever link him to Animal House, but he portrays a serious role in fine form in this film and is very convincing. I never read King's story so I can't compare one to the other, but this version was fairly easy to follow with creepy moments throughout, although it seems that I've seen the "car greasers" in other King adaptations before this movie as well, like Stand By Me and Christine. As a horror buff, let me add that this isn't very scary, but as a stand alone film it isn't that bad. I recommend it, but not that highly, as there's a reason this film is rarely on. I would say watch this for Matheson's performance and some creepy scenes too.