This starts with the fact that Sally is killed in Stephen Kings version, giving the protagonist nothing left to lose. Sometimes They Come Back (TV Movie 1991) - Plot - IMDb Jim is haunted by the childhood memory of his brother being murdered by a group of teenagers, who were then struck by a train before they could kill him, too. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. He wanted Jimmy dead the most but wanted to do all he can to torture him mentally and physically to the best of his ability first. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. The three greasers have supernatural features: they cast no reflection in a mirror; can change their physical appearance to a demonic, mutilated look; are impervious to bullets; and can appear to some while invisible to others. 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. Meanwhile, Jim has fallen under the suspicion of Pappas, the local police chief. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. Right, I remember watching this movie back in the 1990s, but haven't seen it since then. It sadly changes some things from King's original short story including adding on a sentimental happy ending which the short story didn't have. Jim tracks down a retired policeman, Officer Neil, who reveals that he had been shot during a robbery and had been clinically dead for over three minutes, during which he encountered Wayne's spirit in the "mid-realm" the dimension between the world of the living and one's final destination. The film received an approval rating on 67% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on twelve reviews, its consensus reads: "Tim Matheson's gripping performance and a strong mood make Sometimes They Come Back an effective, if not wholly revelatory, Stephen King adaptation". But sometimes they come back. I won't give you spoilers but a very satisfying ending is in store. Ever wonder to yourself what Stephen King must have been like as a kid? Sometimes They Come Back is a made-for-TV adaptation of a Stephen King short story that I might have enjoyed a little more if the actors playing the bad guys hadn't laughed, jeered, whooped and hollered quite as much as they do. Sometimes They Come Back (film) - Wikipedia Taken from the Stephen King short story about a school teacher's return to his home town where his brother was killed by hoods, the hoods died in the freak train wreck along with his brother. He pulled out his knife a couple of times to kill Jimmy's students and even to scare his son Scott, but mainly he would pull it out in anger when he would get punched. . Jim Norman, a high school history teacher, moves back to his old hometown to teach after being offered a job there. 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. However, the oncoming train that killed him and his gang in 1963 came back 27 years later to bring them back to hell. Jim's students start dying and The Bullies come back from the dead for revenge. You could even get rid of them. Its a much happier ending than what unfolds in the actual story. Jim returns to the train tunnel in which Wayne's murder took place. Wayne can move on to Heaven and see his parents, and offers to have Jim come with him to the afterlife, but Jim refuses. Country. Sometimes They Come Back was originally released on VHS by Vidmark Entertainment, and later on DVD in 1999 by Trimark Home Video. Made by movie fans, for movie fans. He hopes to leave as soon as the funeral is over but it's too late. The greasers attack again and take Mueller with them, reuniting their gang. Stephen King Wiki is a FANDOM Books Community. Lawson was portrayed by Robert Rusler. Jim is haunted by the childhood memory of his brother being murdered by a group of teenagers, who were then struck by a train before they could kill him, too. I typically love Stephen Kings work. This is the only time that Tim Matheson has starred in a Stephen King adaptation, but its a shame since he has the capacity to hit a kind of fragile-but-trustworthy everyman level that works well with the authors voice and storytelling. If youre more into physical media and/or are presently trying to build the Ultimate Stephen King Collection, youre going to want to get the Blu-ray (opens in new tab) that Olive Films released in 2015. Then come 2019 and I got the chance to revisit "Sometimes They Come Back", so of course I did that. Another example of his short temper was when one of Jimmy's students Kate said that Lawson, along with some troublesome classmates, was idiots which caused him to stare at her. Based off a short story by the master of horror, Stephen King. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The film was directed by Tom McLoughlin from a screenplay by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal. It isn't long before ghosts from his past come back to haunt him and do much worse. Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Years later Jim ended up married with a young boy of his own and became a school teacher. Olive Films released the film on Blu-Ray in October 2015.[5]. Because the Stephen King story is kept in Jims perspective, you only hear about the students dying instead of seeing them but the TV version expands on that greatly, including sequences such as Jims psychic vision of Kate (Tasia Valenza) being attacked in a field, and Chip (Chadd Nyerges) being dismembered.