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Many people always wonder (aloud, usually) about how many pathetic movies there have been based on Stephen King stories or novels. I mean, surely the author wouldn't knowingly put his seal of approval on such an unending crapfest. But if you know a little of the back story, then Mr. King doesn't seem like such an idiot after all.

Interesting Factual Stuff

Back when he was still a struggling young author (he had Carrie under his belt at this point), Stephen King wrote a collection of short stories entitled Night Shift, which did pretty well. As it was still pretty early in his career, Steve needed to make the green wherever he could, so he sold off the rights to several of the Night Shift stories. Over the years, these rights have changed hands maybe two dozen times. So when some wanna-be B movie producer got his hands on the title, he slapped the words Stephen King above the title, hoping to make a quick lazy payday. The following is a list of truly awful movies, all of which can be attributed to the original stories being in the Night Shift book.

Sometimes They Come Back (1991)

Sometimes They Come Back...Again (1996)

Sometimes They Come Back...For More (1998)

Children of the Corn (1984)

Children of the Corn 2: The Final Sacrifice (1993)

Children of the Corn 3: Urban Harvest (1994)

Children of the Corn 4: The Gathering (1996)

Children of the Corn 5: Fields of Terror (1998)

Children of the Corn 6: Isaac's Return (1999)

The Mangler (1995) - Giant Killer Laundry Equipment!

Graveyard Shift (1990) - Giant Killer Rats!

The Lawnmower Man (1992) - This one is a particularly interesting case, in that the TITLE is the only thing reminiscient of the King story. Nothing of the plot resembles King's original idea.

The Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996) - See above, only once removed, as it's a sequel.

Maximum Overdrive (1986) - Based on the short story Trucks and directed by King himself!

Trucks (1997) - Apparently someone thought that Maximum Overdrive was just begging for a remake.

Cat's Eye (1985) - Two stories from Night Shift were used in this movie: Quitters, Inc. and The Ledge

Actual Review

This movie sucks.

It's about a teacher named Jim (a very tired looking Tim Matheson) who moves back to his home town to be a teacher. He carts his family into West Ass-Giblet and tries to settle down and forget the fact that his young brother was brutally murdered not a block away 27 years earlier. In very maudlin and tired fashion, the movie jumps back and forth into flashbacks of the sixties, when our hero and his big brother pal around and smile and stuff. We learn that Wayne was killed by four nasty thugs during a confrontation inside a train tunnel, and also that the four delinquents were smashed by the train, leaving young Jim as the only survivor

<Deep Breath>

So now Jim's back as a high school teacher, and wouldn't you know it...his students start dying all over the place. And with each new death, a new transfer (Danny Zuko/Fonz-lookalike) student shows up...and guess what? They're the four thugs from in the flashbacks!

I'll give you a second to stifle your yawn.

Directed by Tom McLaughlin (Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives), this movie is ten times cornier and stupider than it needs to be. The plot-heavy screenplay gives him more than enough to work with, so why are there so many scenes that are simply pointless and inane? The flashback thing grows weary awful quick, and that sucks for you the viewer, since the flashbacks basically never stop.

As Jim's wife, Brooke Adams gives a performance that easily displays why she never became a star. And what would any juvenile delinquents from beyond the grave movie be without an appearance from that B-movie king William Sanderson? As usual, Sanderson injects some fun into every scene he's in. Unfortunately, that's about two.

And let's take a little side sojourn into the issue of this movie's title. Sometimes They Come Back? That's the title? Would you really want to be the one to recommend this title to your friends at the video store? Maybe it works for a short literary piece, but sheesh...Surely ONE studio exec could have suggested something clever like Zombie Juvies from Beyond Hell or something!

This one's not even worth a look for my fellow horror freaks, as the body count is awful low. (Less deaths = More time for flashbacks!) One kid rides his Schwinn into a quarry, while another girl gets hung. The finale comes off a lot like those teacher in distress movies such as Class of 1984 or The Principal, and if you think that's a compliment, then you need to see those two movies.

Never MIND that the original story is a tight and exciting little trifle. Back then, anything with King's name on it was somehow perceived as cinematic platinum, despite the fact that the movies usually stunk like butt. This one is no exception, of interest only to true King-o-philes or just people who enjoy stupid, stupid movies.

link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=3598&reviewer=128
originally posted: 03/06/01 14:14:56
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