It's time
for the long awaited review of part 2 of the “Sometimes They Come Back” Series.
When I was younger I remember watching “Sometimes They Comeback....Again” it
must have been around 1997/8 and loving the film and finding it highly
enjoyable. It first came to my attention in a UK Horror magazine “Shivers” (I
think thats what the mag was called)..doing a preview of the filming and
interviews with the cast.. I read the article and though to myself I have to
watch this film it looks interesting, please note I had not seen the original
at this point.......such fond memories........sadly on re-watching the film my
memories were shattered!!!!.....so Lets see how it shattered my precious
memories........
The film
starts with your generic early to mid 90's Piano theme over an uninspiring
background of a blueish hue and the music suddenly picks up and title credits
appear and do the slightly cheesy dramatic sound effects when the
word......”Again” pops up, suddenly the music drops back down to the generic
piano...
Scene
opens with an elderly Woman cutting herself on purpose with a Chef's knife and
then goes to get some plasters from the cupboard, falls and breaks
neck..*confused look from me*..this doesn't bode well. We are then treated to a
puddle of black goo which suddenly catches fire and electricity sparks fly
everywhere and something starts to emerge from the goo.....have I missed something???
how does this relate to the original????
We are
then introduced to the one of the main characters of the film Psychologist Jon
Porter who is in the middle of therapy when he gets a message that he's Mum had
passed away...so cut to a camera zooming over a scenic view of a forest and the
emergence of a little white washed town.
At the
Funeral wake we mean Jon's Daughter.. Michelle. It's the usual pleasantries and
extras saying “I'm so sorry for your loss” etc etc... suddenly an old Priest
turns up stating that “evil still lives here”.....oh dear oh dear.....I've got
a feeling this is a rushed film..no suspense or build up....like in the
Original “Omen” which built up the suspense....this film........none.
The next
day a Simpleton is cutting grass....the usual stereotypical crap I was
expecting, it's become a predictable occurrence in so many films, a Simpleton
who either gives warning of impending doom and dies or suddenly becomes the
most intelligent man in the world and saves the day....which one is this going
to be???????
10mins 42
in and I'm starting to wonder how this film relates to the original and how the
Psychologist Jon Porter is linked to the original....I don't remember him in
the original or any reference to him or his family, it will probably make more
sense later on..........I wouldn't hold my breath........suddenly we are
treated to a Flashback.......... the Flashback is Jon as a child perving on his
sister and her friends.....ok perving on her friends is ok but why the hell
would you want to perv on your own sister...*shudder* incest springs to
mind.....Oh dear I see where they are going with this film...either a reboot of
the series or a re-imagining of the first film they even got a blonde haired
guy....mind you the Tony Reno character does have a rather evil look about him.
Jon's
sister died we know this as we are treated to Newspaper clipping of her death
and in one of the clippings the dead sister looks like the popstar
Louise...strange......so back to the film...Strange noises downstairs makes
Michelle go and investigate...it's the usual stuff... ghostly whispering
noises/bangs and movement..... building up to a closed door........and Michelle
opens it and it's the “pet” pig making a mess. I saw it coming from a mile off!!!!
Then we are introduced two very weird girls..and again very stereotypical one
is a slut and the other is a “psychic”, so Michelle invites them in to help
“clean up the mess made by the pig..and you can guess what's coming.....the
kitchen is now magically tidy....So Michelle starts to babble and try to
explain what she had seen, but hasn't picked up on the confused looks from the
two girls...Michelle really needs to learn to keep your mouth shut.......so
what do these two girls offer Michelle after a traumatic ghostly
experience????.....a Milkshake!!!!! I could not contain my disbelief and
laughed so much I had to rewind it back to make sure I had heard
correctly.....Yep a Milkshake... I think I would require something a bit
stronger maybe a cup of tea...but seriously you would hit the nearest bottle of
alcohol!!!!
So cut to
the diner and low and behold nasty Tony Reno turns up...he has very piecing
eyes......”psychic” girl is suspicious of Tony (perhaps the spirits are telling
her he's a bad man???) Slut girl who I have now decided she must be the local
ground sheet?? Tony gives Michelle a fob watch on a chain and decides to leave
because of “Psychic” Girls comments.......as Tony leaves he bumps into
Simpleton who watches Tony disappear. Like a ghost evaporating.....
I had to
pause the film at this point and go for a cig......to collect my thoughts
whoever wrote this film is trying to capture the spirit and vain of Stephen
King with Childhood flashbacks (which there has been 3 up to this point) and
cryptic clues and messages and it doesn't work!!! it's as if he's doing a cheap
parody of the original..so with a heavy heart and a glass of red wine seeing I
had run out of Vodka...pressed play.........
Mad old
Priest appears and threats Jon with help like he did 30yrs ago....A thought
came to mind I'd hate to live in this town when your enemies comeback after
30yrs...I’d rather see the back of them and never seeing them again....but that
wouldn't make much of a horror film.
Tony
turns up at Jon's house to see Michelle and give her flowers.....the usual
banter, then Tony meets Jon who recognises him.... which predictably leads to
an argument.......yawn.
I check
the time and I'm only 30mins in and realised that no-one has died yet!!!!
(except the old lady who fell).
Jon is
asleep in bed and is awoken to the sound of Michelle having sex with a
demon....whose make up looks well okish....this in turns....turns out to be
just a dream......typical
Simpleton
talks cryptic to Michelle about the “Bad Man” and how he just disappearing....Michelle
thinks he's just mad and takes his warning with a pinch of salt, as the
Simpleton jumps on his lawnmower and drives off......Ok I guess that’s an
everyday occurrence in the sleepy suburbs of America??
This
movie is starting to have a very distinct “Made for TV” feel about it.....which
isn't always a bad thing as some “Made for TV” films can be quite good......
Flash
back number 4.. the death of his sister......these guys are seriously fucked up
and you suddenly realise the film is going down the route of Satanists and
Demons.....so Child Jon electrocutes all of Jon's Gang of 3......and this is
one thing that bugs me a bit how come in horror films when someone get
electrocuted fake lines of blue electrical death encase the victims body.......
which is so realistic...not!!! I don't know why they do that in Horror films it
makes the film look stupid and in reality they would just drop dead and/or
convulse.....the same thing happens a little later when the lights go in Jon's
house, and you get the “Fusebox of Death”....which spits dangerous electrical
sparks...I've never seen a fusebox do that before...especially when it's just
the fuse that’s gone and I've changed a few fuses in my lifetime and never
encountered a “Fusebox of Death”.....unless it's more common in American
fuseboxes???
Jon
decides to seek help from the Mad Old Priest, who informs Jon that when he was
a child he had interrupted the ritual and it was not completed and now they are
back to finish what they started and by the way its on the night of the
Sabbath....yep we are defo going down the Satanism/demonic ritual
route.......cut too pointless blood pouring out of nowhere down a chain and
handcuff and low and behold another of Tony's gang comes back...........
Simpleton
is doing what he does best....cutting grass with his lawnmower and discovers a
shoe in the blades...he removes it and his hat then decided enough was enough
and bounces of his head and across the grass.....and when I mean bounce I mean
bounce..... not roll or glide but Bounce a over the top wind appears out of
nowhere and weeds rise up from the ground and attacks the Simpleton. Tony
appears and taunts him as the Simpleton is sucked into the ground with just his
head showing.....which the use of Tony's demonic powers starts up the lawnmower
and you know what happens next.....the first bit of proper gore in the film so
far!!! then we are treated to not just one but two cheesy cringe worth comeback
lines which kill the scene...one being......Tony picks up the Simpleton's
severed hand and goes....”care to lend me a hand”.....*rolls eyes*
Getting
bored of this film now.........brings nothing new to the original just insults
it.
Jon has
some mind games played on him in his car.....not much to say.
Michelle,
“Ground Sheet” Girl and “psychic” Girl decide to have a Tarot card session. Jon
marches in and kicks off and they discover in the fridge the Pig is finally
butchered!!!! The Police arrive and are you typical police
arseholes........and it's getting so cheesy.... the music is so OTT.........
“Ground
Sheet” Girl gets it off with Blonde hair Gang member and takes her top off and
bears her breasts and is then confronted by him in his Demon form.....I’m
guessing she's dead.......Next day Jon receives a parcel delivered by one of
the gang members and it's”Ground Sheet” girls ears...but in reality it looks
more like a pair of joke ears with bits of wig. “Psychic” girl is kidnapped by
the Gang using the “fake policemen trick”.......I have to admit her death was
interesting using the “Tarot Cards of Death”.....different I grant them that!!
Predictability
looms ahead when daughter says I can't go back down the church vaults to meet
the Mad Old Priest at the church and is left alone.....*rolls eyes*....cue a
major rip off from the first film and she is enticed outside by the demons
using different voices.....strange thing is they could of just come into the
church and take her as they walked in quite happily to kill the Mad Old
Priest???
The film
then goes through the motions to the end....very similar to the original but
with the use of Latin anti-demonic enchantments.......Tony strangely isn't
bothered about being sucked back to hell and smugly says “See you around Jon”
and disappears back into the puddle of goo......
Final
Scene is Jon giving therapy to the same guy at the beginning of the film as Jon
is writing his diagnosis the voice of Tony is heard and Jon looks up and his
patient has turned into Tony who quotes something from a poem and then
everything is back to normal with Jon looking at the camera....
…..........................cue
end credits................................
“Sometimes
They Comeback.....Again” isn't a terrible movie, but if it was called a
different name and wasn't attached to the Stephen King classic it would have
been an OK film, nothing new for demonic films. Due to it's continuation of the
Original as a sequel it sucked and I have to judge it on that as a sequel.
Which is a shame...Tony is menacing and has an aura of threat but his
one-liners became to frequent and were predictable. “Sometimes They
Comeback....Again” is to be taken at face value a Demonic Story with elements
from “Sometimes They Come Back” but it's nowhere near as good as the Original.
Verdict:
Predictable Demonic Film with elements from the Original, but brings nothing
new to the genre....although the “Tarot Cards of Death” scene is clever and
different. This is a background film, plot simplistic so it doesn't need a
Degree in Philosophy to understand it if you turn it on half way through.
Next
Time..................................”Sometimes They Comeback......For More”
I sense a
Shitfest with this one!!!!!
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