Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

Sometimes They Come Back

R 1991 1h 37m Horror List
67% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
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.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Sometimes They Come Back

Sometimes They Come Back

What to Know

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (12) Critics Reviews
John J. O'Connor New York Times The conventions and gimmicks of the supernatural genre remain remarkably stable. Jan 15, 2020 Full Review Ray Loynd Los Angeles Times 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. Jan 15, 2020 Full Review Ken Tucker Entertainment Weekly [Tim] Matheson's performance is truly moving, and the drama of Sometimes They Come Back is stronger stuff than most TV movies. Rated: B+ Jan 15, 2020 Full Review David Hiltbrand People Magazine The dramatic moments in between the frights are flabby. But director Tom McLoughlin keeps the essential concept lashed together pretty tightly. Rated: B Jan 15, 2020 Full Review Brandon Ciampaglia IGN DVD 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. Rated: 2/10 Jan 15, 2020 Full Review David Zurawik Baltimore Sun This is Grade "B" Stephen King with nothing-special special effects. There is only one shocking monster-face and no creepy-crawlies. Jan 15, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (232) audience reviews
Farah R It's certainly not the best Stephen King adaptation, but Sometimes They Come Back is one of the better ones. The story is emotional, and the performances give prominence to its depth. Overall, it's enjoyable enough for passing time. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/30/24 Full Review Regina P Well... I'm sure it passed the time well enough back when it was made. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/01/24 Full Review David R I'm surprised. I was expecting a complete dud (but, yeah, I still watched), but was pleasantly surprised with an "ok" movie. Kinda fun "back-from-the-dead" premise and Tim Matheson's character's apparent "emotional issues." A good popcorn muncher movie. Nothing more. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/04/23 Full Review Sonny B I've seen this movie a few times and have always enjoyed it. In comparison to other Stephen King's other film adaptations, I'd say it is most like Christine or Stand by Me in its tone. It may be a made for TV movie but it is so much better than the perception of such a film. An 80's Lost Boys/American Werewolf in London type film, with good performances, settings and characters; I give this film 4/5. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/28/23 Full Review Audience Member After 30 years it still holds up as a good watch as one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations I remember watching it a few years back Tim Matheson is high school teacher Jim Norman He comes back with his wife, Sally and son, Scott to his hometown which sadly he lost his brother to some teenage bullies All of them died in a train accident in their car and it still haunts Jim to this day But it gets worse when he starts teaching at the school 3 students resemble the ones who attacked him as a kid These youths have come back to haunt him and torture him as payback More-so they appear normal to everyone else making Jim look crazy while also implicating him when his other students start dying off Can he stop these malevolent spirits and send them back to hell? I like Tim Matheson and the mood of the film works Had no clue it aired on CBS, of course they did make significant changes from the short story to make it less depressing Stephen King knows how to prey on the innocent and it's an example of how running from the past can be painful and terrifying This is the only good film which sadly was followed by two sub-par sequels Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/08/23 Full Review Steve D Better than the others but nothing special, Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Sometimes They Come Back

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Firestarter 40% 53% Firestarter Pet Sematary Two 21% 31% Pet Sematary Two Mister Frost 33% 64% Mister Frost Dr. Giggles 23% 42% Dr. Giggles Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan 11% 26% Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan TRAILER for Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis 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.
Director
Tom McLoughlin
Producer
Michael S. Murphey
Screenwriter
Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal
Production Co
Paradise Films, Dino de Laurentiis Corp.
Rating
R, TV-PG
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Runtime
1h 37m
Most Popular at Home Now