Sometimes They Come Back

Critics Consensus

Tim Matheson's gripping performance and a strong mood make Sometimes They Come Back an effective, if not wholly revelatory, Stephen King adaptation.

67%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 12

50%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 10,892

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Movie Info

High school teacher Jim Norman (Tim Matheson) reluctantly returns to his hometown with his wife (Brooke Adams) to pursue a job. 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. To Jim's horror, he finds that the teenagers have returned to town as they appeared before they died, and are transferring into his class. When his students start dying off, Jim becomes the prime suspect.

Cast & Crew

Tim Matheson
Jim Norman
Brooke Adams
Sally Norman
William Sanderson
Carl Mueller
Robert Gorman
Scott Norman
Robert Rusler
Richard Lawson
Bentley Mitchum
David North
Chris Demetral
Wayne Norman
Tom McLoughlin
Director
Lawrence Konner
Screenwriter
Mark Rosenthal
Screenwriter
Michael S. Murphey
Producer
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Critic Reviews for Sometimes They Come Back

All Critics (12) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (8) | Rotten (4)

  • The conventions and gimmicks of the supernatural genre remain remarkably stable.

    January 15, 2020 | Full Review…

    John J. O'Connor

    New York Times
    Top Critic

  • The show is a tight, moody work, just the ticket with a glass of hot milk to tide you over the noises outside your house.

    January 15, 2020 | Full Review…

    Ray Loynd

    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic

  • [Tim] Matheson's performance is truly moving, and the drama of Sometimes They Come Back is stronger stuff than most TV movies.

    January 15, 2020 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

    Ken Tucker

    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic

  • What ensues strictly follows the King formula, entertaining with thrills, murders, facing-up-to-fear philosophizing and snappy lines.

    January 15, 2020 | Full Review…

    Rick Kogan

    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic

  • The dramatic moments in between the frights are flabby. But director Tom McLoughlin keeps the essential concept lashed together pretty tightly.

    January 15, 2020 | Rating: B | Full Review…

    David Hiltbrand

    People Magazine

  • Sometimes They Come Back is a film that had the potential for greatness but never really seemed to get on track. The acting was solid, the special effects were effective, but it was the story that never caught on.

    January 15, 2020 | Rating: 2/10 | Full Review…

    Brandon Ciampaglia

    IGN DVD
View All Critic Reviews (12)

Audience Reviews for Sometimes They Come Back

  • Mar 27, 2015
    An overrated adaptation of Stephen King's work of the same name that has many unwarranted sequels.
    Gimly M Super Reviewer
  • Apr 12, 2014
    Based on a Stephen King short story, Sometimes They Come Back is a dark, supernatural thriller. After a number of Jim Norman's students are murdered and mysteriously replaced by the undead, he's forced to confront the demons of his past. The acting is pretty mediocre and doesn't really capture the terror or intensity needed for a horror film. And, the plot meanders a bit and is a little vague on some points. It's a problematic film, but Sometimes They Come Back is able to deliver a few frights.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • Oct 17, 2011
    Vinnie Vincent: You always wanted to be like your brother didn't you Jimmy? Richard Lawson: Dead.  David North: VERY dead.  If PBS attempted to make a horror film, it would come out a lot like Sometimes They Come Back. This movie was pretty much torture to watch. Okay it is a made for tv movie, but I don't care; at least make it somewhat enjoyable. I don't like to call movies corny because it's an overused statement, but damn is this movie corny.  The flashbacks that Jim has of him and his brother are simultaneously embarrassing to watch and hilarious. The dialogue is just so fake between them. As for the rest of the movie, it isn't as bad as the flashbacks, but still horrible. I haven't read the short story by Stephen King, but I highly doubt that this captured it like he wrote it.  The movie has a lot of King elements that he uses in so many of his stories. A man comes back to a town where he lived as a child like in Salem's Lot and Dolores Claiborne. There's a gang of hoodlums that tormented him and his brother as kids like in IT and Stand By Me. The whole plot is about overcoming something from the past that is effecting you presently and if you don't deal without it forever. I guess by those plot details, it reminds me most of IT.  Sometimes They Come Back is down there with the worst of the King adaptions that I have seen. Not quite to the level of Dreamcatcher, but still almost unwatchable. The cast is bad, especially the actress who plays his wife; I'd write her name, but honestly I don't care enough to even look at the credits.
    Melvin W Super Reviewer
  • Sep 14, 2009
    An instant classic. One of the greatest horror movies ever made and the greatest Stephen King adaptation ever. A terifying, riveting and mind-blwoing rollar-coaster ride of a thrill-machine.
    Al S Super Reviewer
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