Sometimes They Come Back (1991) Film Review.Produced by Dino DeLaurentiis. Directed by Tom McLoughlin.

This film is surprisingly celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary this year,so after this being noted a lot online I decided to revisit it again also. A film I'm being honest didn't like first time round,a very week version of the short story from Stephen King that it is based on, a TV movie which I also didn't know at the time. With the strangest thing being the sequel,which was more violent and bloody, and was closer to the Stephen King story,than the first film was.

Sorry to go off on one,but I was a huge fan of Stephen King in the eighties,his novels got me through college,especially the commuting that took up nearly six hours a day. As I never wanted to stay away from home,and it was actually cheaper to commute than stay in digs.

Anyhow back to this film,which unfortunately in the early nineties after the massive box office successes of Pet Cemetery,and Misery,we had almost every book by the horror master purchased and made into some cheap crappy film,or TV series. The ones that worked were IT, The Stand, The Dark Half, Deloures Claiborne,Needful Things. The ones that didn't work included Sleepwalkers,The Mangler,Graveyard Shift, Tommyknockers,Thinner,Sometimes They Come Back. Yes I'm being honest I never liked the above film,and cannot understand the love and admiration that a lot have for this movie,looking like a dreadful eighties movie,with dodgy eighties bit part actors in it,doing thier best Kiether  Sutherland impressions from Lost Boys, and Stand By Me,as the producers obviously wanted him,but probably couldn't afford him now as he was extremely popular by then.

A weekened version,that the short story was brilliant for,about four teenage lads who after tormenting two young lads, brothers in fact, with one of the brothers accidentally being killed,by the bullies,and after fleeing the scene,they are hit by a speeding train,to be burnt to a crisp in thier car,to only return years later,to claim the soul of the other brother,so they can leave the purgatory of Hell for ever.

A simple tale from a simple short story,that in my opinion completely ballsed up,with low production values,poor acting,not from all involved,but quite a lot of the cast,with Tim Matheson,and Brooke Adams being the only credible actors on show,a film that I never enjoyed first time round,and on a second viewing years later,I still feel the same,a brilliant short story,from the master of horror,watered down for a TV audience,that unfortunately even through the the Sequel was worse,at least had the viciousness and deaths,and followed the book almost page by page.

A disappointing film of a very good story,taking creative licence too far, to make a crappy version of a really good and scary short story.

2/5⭐️⭐️