Sometimes They Come Back (1991) (TV)

Director:

Tom McLoughlin

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (short story)
Lawrence Konner (teleplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

7 May 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Based on a short story by Stephen King, a man and his family return to his home town, but he is then harassed by teenagers that died when he was a kid.

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Train | Death Of Brother | Child Murder | Hanged Girl

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tim Matheson	...	Jim Norman
Brooke Adams	...	Sally Norman
Robert Rusler	...	Richard Lawson
Chris Demetral	...	Wayne Norman
Robert Hy Gorman	...	Scott Norman
William Sanderson	...	Carl Mueller (age 44)
Nicholas Sadler	...	Vinnie Vincent
Bentley Mitchum	...	David North
Matt Nolan	...	Billy Sterns
Tasia Valenza	...	Kate
Chadd Nyerges	...	Chip
T. Max Graham	...	Chief Pappas
William Kuhlke	...	Principal Simmons
Duncan McLeod	...	Old Officer Neil
Nancy McLoughlin	...	Dr. Bernardi
Zachary Ball	...	Jimmy Norman
Dick Solowicz	...	Desk Sergeant
Rodney McKay	...	Police Officer
Don Ruffin	...	Carl Mueller (age 17)
Kimball Cummings	...	Young Officer Neil
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Buck Baker	...	Father with Truck (uncredited)
Jason Wiles	...	Extra (uncredited)

Directed by
Tom McLoughlin

Writing credits (WGA)
Stephen King		(short story)
Lawrence Konner		(teleplay) &
Mark Rosenthal		(teleplay)

Produced by
Dino De Laurentiis	....	executive producer
Michael S. Murphey	....	producer
Milton Subotsky	....	co-producer
David C. Thomas	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Terry Plumeri

Cinematography by
Bryan England

Film Editing by
Charles Bornstein

Casting by
David Cohn

Production Design by
Philip Dean Foreman

Art Direction by
Timothy R. Bauer

Costume Design by
Karen Patch

Makeup Department
Gabriel Bartalos	....	makeup artist
Patti Brand	....	makeup artist
Daniel Marc	....	makeup artist
Joel Harlow	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
David C. Thomas	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hope R. Goodwin	....	first assistant director
Cathy A. Roszell	....	second assistant director (as Cathy Roszell)
Jonathan Giles Zimmerman	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Ronald Megee	....	set dresser
Jerry Lynn Reed	....	set dresser
David Yonally	....	set dresser
Peter Mitchell Rubin	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jeremy Hoenack	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeremy Hoenack	....	supervising sound editor
Michael Payne	....	sound supervisor
Melissa Sherwood Hofmann	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jerry Trent	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Martin Bresin	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Alan McFarland	....	miniature train lighting effects
Rod Schumacher	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Rick Barker	....	stunt coordinator
Martin Bresin	....	stunt driver
Martin Bresin	....	stunts
Larry Nicholas	....	stunts
Don Ruffin	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Guy Norman Bee	....	camera operator
Adam Boster	....	grip
Rocky Ford	....	electrician
Michelle Madison	....	camera loader
Ric Urbauer	....	best boy grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Linda Carol Flake	....	costumer
Steven Scott Ford	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Albert Coleman	....	assistant editor
Lucyna Wojciechowski	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Terry Plumeri	....	orchestrator
Rick Winquest	....	music recordist
Ross Wright	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Gracie Klein	....	driver

Other crew
Ben Brunkhardt	....	location scout
Summer Shipp	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Come Back Productions
• Dino de Laurentiis Communications
• Paradise Films

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1991) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1992) (Finland) (VHS)
• Panarecord (Italy) (VHS)
• Vidmark Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Vidmark Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)

Special Effects

• Atlantic West Effects (special makeup effects)
• Perpetual Motion Pictures (optical effects)
• Sessums Engineering (minatures)
• Special Effects Unlimited (mechanical special effects provided by)

Other Companies

• Clairmont Camera  camera equipment provided by
• Great Northern Brokerage Services  insurance
• Kansas City  special thanks
• Kansas Film Commission  special thanks
• Keylite Production Services  production equipment provided by
• Michelson Food Services  catering
• Missouri Film Commission  special thanks
• Rocheport, Missouri  special thanks
• Sound Trax Studios  sound post-production
• The Citizens of Liberty, Missouri  special thanks
• The Overland Park, Kansas Film Commission  special thanks

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for terror violence

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Germany:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:16 | Italy:T | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Company:

Come Back Productions

Trivia:

It snowed on the first day of filming.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Jim confronts Mueller for the first time, he accuses him of having punched Wayne, knocked him down and kicked him. In the flashback of this incident seen earlier, Mueller never did such a thing.

Quotes:

Richard Lawson:[Lawson, Vincent and North have Chip trapped in their car] Well boys, what's it gonna take to scare this guy?
Vinnie Vincent:[smiles] "The face"
Richard Lawson:...North, you do it.
David North:Nah, it's for kids.
Vinnie Vincent:I'll do it.
[Vincent looks away, and looks back. He shows his real face, his dead face - he laughs]
David North:No, it ain't working man, he's not scared. Are ya Chippie, ya nuckle head!
[North noogies Chip's head then he turns dead too, so does Lawson. Vincent and North each grab one of Chip's legs and his shirt]
Richard Lawson:[Turns round and takes out a switchblade] Time to rock, jock!

Movie Connections:

Features King Kong (1976)

"You can't kill, that's already dead".

Another adaptation from the Stephen King staple, but this small story is given a little more weight and probably from that gets a little too bogged down and brightly overwrought. Making it somewhat irregular in tone, mainly around the jaded flashback sequences that always inter-cut the present time. Although atmospheric (those sounds we hear which are not there) and unpleasant in parts, it could have been a much darker journey than it was. Still what we got were some solid performances, creepy imagery of our demonic thugs and their done-up car, well placed suspense and a gripping little tale of history repeating itself, but with our protagonist trying everything to make sure it doesn't. A man and his family head back to his hometown for a teaching job, but are still haunted by the childhood death of his older brother caused by a teenage gang who died at the same time in a train accident. But then the heartache comes flooding back when he is harassed in and out of the classroom by the demonic teenagers that killed his brother wanting revenge for their deaths. The plot actually at first plays around with the idea that maybe it's all in the protagonist's weary mind after the first death, but soon enough that's psychological angle is shot down when the first dead teenager makes a classroom appearance. There the tension, while basic gradually builds up as Matheson's character goes toe to toe with the vengeful dead while no one around him believes him. Robert Rusler is truly menacing as the hot-headed leader and Nicolas Sadler is devilishly sly as one of the members. In their decayed make-up, it was a ghastly sight. Tim Matheson's tormented turn is very well pitched, as he battles past events and reality as the two come together in a nightmarish ordeal. Brooke Adams' is affably good and William Sanderson also shows up a minor part. Director Tom McLaughlin (who was behind other horror efforts "One Dark Night" and "Friday the 13th Part 6") gets the most out of this TV production, as while it looks cheap and it could have been much tauter it has some stylish touches, lyrical camera-work and a hankering for numerous slow motion reactions.

"I can't keep running."