Sometimes They Come Back... Again (1996)

A man and his daughter return to his hometown only to be terrorized by demons who had sacrificed the man's sister in the past.

Director:

Adam Grossman

Writers:

Stephen King (characters), Guy Riedel (story)

Stars:

Michael Gross, Alexis Arquette, Hilary Swank

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Gross	...	Jon Porter
Alexis Arquette	...	Tony Reno
Hilary Swank	...	Michelle Porter
Bojesse Christopher	...	Vinnie Ritacco
Glen Beaudin	...	Sean Patrick
Jennifer Elise Cox	...	Jules Martin
Jennifer Aspen	...	Maria Moore
William Morgan Sheppard	...	Father Archer Roberts (as W. Morgan Sheppard)
Michael Malota	...	Young Jon
Gabriel Dell Jr.	...	Steve Pagel
Patrick Renna	...	Young Alan
Leslie Danon	...	Lisa Porter
Ingrid Sthare	...	Jennifer Hadley
Michael Stadvec	...	Phil Thorn
Andree Gibbs	...	Page Porter

Storyline

Jon Porter returns to his hometown after the sudden and bizarre death of his mother. He hopes to leave as soon as the funeral is over but it's too late. The sinister forces that caused his sister's brutal murder 30 years ago are back. Jon knows the nightmare can't continue. He must stand up to his fear and exorcise the demons who have risen again to take posession of his beautiful teenage daughter - body and soul.

---

Plot Keywords:

based on the works of stephen king | based on short story | punctuation in title | ellipsis in title | surrealism | 

---

Taglines:

Some things are better left ... dead

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, some sexuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The newspaper clipping Michelle reads about Lisa's death has the names of various crew members: The writer of the article is Adam Grossman, the actual director of the film as well the writer of both this film and Sometimes They Come Back... for More (1998). The woman who finds Lisa's body is Heidi S. Pavey, the film's production coordinator. The officer she calls is Aaron Osborne, the film's production designer. The spokesman for the mining company is Michael L. Meltzer, the film's producer.

---

Goofs

When Steve is removing the shoe from his mower, he puts on a pair of gloves. When his hat blows off and he jumps on it, his gloves are neatly tucked into his pocket.

---

Quotes

Tony Reno: [to Steve as he is held underground] Hey, Steve! I've been thinking... we never had a chance to get to know each other. You know, I'm not such a bad guy once you get to know me. Here's a question: If a gardener with a big mouth is alone in the field being tortured and no-one has to hear him scream, does it still hurt?

---

Crazy Credits

After the credits, Alexis Arquette re-appears in the psychiatrist's office to announce that he's back.

---

Connections

References Speed Racer (1967)

---

Soundtracks

Biscuit
Performed by TerraCoda
Written by Jonathan Grossman

User Reviews

A different take on the story

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sometimes They Come Back 2

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Trimark Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color