Sometimes They Come Back... Again

I recently rewatched Sometimes They Come Back... Again (1996) on Tubi. The story follows a father who moves back to his hometown with his daughter, only to confront a dark chapter from his past. As a child, he witnessed a group of young men murder his sister-now, they have returned as demons to finish what they started. Can he protect his daughter in a way he couldn't protect his sister?

Directed by Adam Grossman (Carnival of Souls), the film stars Michael Gross (Tremors), Alexis Arquette (Pulp Fiction), Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), and Patrick Renna (The Sandlot).

This is one of those films where you can see what they were aiming for, but it just doesn't come together. The acting feels stiff, though it's fun to see a young Hilary Swank. I enjoyed the tarot card sequence, and there's a wild sex scene, but the kills are underwhelming, and the eye contacts didn't have the impact they were clearly going for. The ending, unfortunately, falls flat.

In conclusion, Sometimes They Come Back... Again is a lackluster sequel that's only worth watching if you're a diehard fan of the original. I'd rate it a 4/10.

Direct-to-video sequel is actually more of a re-adaptation of Stephen King's original story. Michael Gross plays a psychiatrist who goes back to his hometown following his mother's death. Accompanying him is his teenage daughter, Michelle (a young Hilary Swank). Gross soon realizes that they're being targeted by the men who sacrificed his sister in a satanic ritual 27 years earlier, only they're no longer human.

In some ways, this is better than the first film. For one, it features an overall darker tone. It doesn't get all sappy either, and the idea to have the gang return as demons instead of ghosts works well, also tying into a ritual from the original story that the first adaptation omitted. I preferred the father/daughter dynamic over the family one, and the addition of side characters, Maria and Jules, was certainly welcome.

On the other hand, even as demons, Alexis Arquette and company didn't come off quite as menacing as the gang from the previous flick. I think that had to do with some lame one-liners. There's also the fact that I recognized one of the gang, Glen Beaudin, from the silly 90's TV series, "Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad", so it's hard to take him too seriously as a threat. The priest character is way over the top as well, and the annoying lawnmower idiot couldn't get off my screen fast enough.

Still, this is a fun take on the King tale, and we get some interesting imagery such as death by flying tarot cards and Swank getting it on with a demonized Arquette. It's far from great, but it makes a nice companion to the first, as both have their qualities and misfires.

This movie was like watching a presentation in a community college class on movie effects. I was watching it and got the notion that I could write a better movie, so I did. It took about 14 minutes. I kept feeling like they were deciding on exactly what to do as the scenes came up. No planning at all. The death scenes were laughable. The acting was too. This movie should have been called, If Nothing Else Is On, Watch This Muted Because Hillary Swank Is In It. That's basically what we did, minus the muted part. I would recommend, if you enjoy this movie, that you see a doctor immediately. There is a good chance that something serious is wrong with your head. Who knows, maybe there is a tarot card stuck in it.

Sometimes They Come Back...Again is better than the original in some parts, but it is also worse. The flashbacks that appear throughout the movie are interesting and leak out information about the main character's past bit by bit. There are some good characters. My two favorites are the main villain, Tony (Alexis Arquette) who is very creepy, and Father Archer Roberts, a mysterious priest who the main character seeks help from. (Father Roberts is played by William Morgan Sheppard, who also had a similar role in Zork Nemesis, a cinematic computer game that also has a very somber, creepy mood. Check it out) The story is similar to the first movie, Jon Porter (Michael Gross) moves back to his hometown with his daughter after his mother dies. When he gets back, three demons from his past come back to terrorize him and his daughter. I smiled when several references were made to the original movie. Stephen King had put a demon raising ritual, in which you must cut off a finger, in his short story and it didn't make it for the first film, but this part of the story ...came back.. for the sequel. With all that the movie had a great, creepy mood to it, but unfortunately it begins to feel like a slasher movie, with a few characters dying miserably. That's the only element of this movie I don't like. Two characters died horribly on-screen, crying and screaming. In my opinion, that was a little inapropriate but, oh well. This movie is still good for any fan of the original movie.

SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK should not be compared to the original, which really has nothing to do with this except for the mention of a name. There is horror in this film because the evil ones are cruel, efficient and powerful. It is true horror. My only criticism is a valid one, I believe. The main evil character looks too much like Jerry Seinfeld to scare me, although he is so evil a character you may forget that for an instant. There is enough here to really scare you on a dark night. Try it.