The static hiss of the tracking adjustment, the clunk of the tape slotting home… sometimes, the anticipation was almost better than the movie itself. But then there were those tapes, often sequels lurking deeper in the horror aisle, that promised a return to a familiar dread. Remember the unsettling chill of Stephen King’s resurrected teenage bullies in the original 1991 TV movie? Well, 1996 beckoned us back with Sometimes They Come Back... Again, a title that, in retrospect, feels less like a promise and more like a weary sigh. Yet, there was a dark curiosity pulling you towards that box art, wasn't there?
Return to Infernal Acres
This time, the poor soul haunted by resurrected ghosts isn't Tim Matheson's Jim Norman, but psychologist Jon Porter, played with surprising commitment by Michael Gross. Yes, that Michael Gross, forever beloved as the gentle patriarch Steven Keaton on Family Ties, but already proving his genre chops as the gun-loving Burt Gummer in the Tremors series (the first sequel, Tremors 2: Aftershocks, hitting video stores the same year). Porter returns to his childhood hometown for his mother's funeral, dragging along his understandably troubled teenage daughter, Michelle (Hilary Swank, years before Oscar glory, cutting her teeth in genre fare like this and Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1992). Almost immediately, the past claws its way back. Not his past tormentors, mind you, but the demonic greasers who murdered his older sister decades ago, led by the sneering Tony Reno (Alexis Arquette, bringing a genuinely unsettling energy). They want something Jon possesses, something tied to a darker ritual than simple ghostly revenge.
The setup itself holds a kernel of King-esque dread – the inescapable pull of the hometown, the unearthing of buried trauma, the literal return of the repressed. Director Adam Grossman tries to conjure atmosphere, particularly in the scenes involving the demonic resurrection and their increasingly brazen appearances. There's a low-budget, slightly grimy feel to the production that occasionally works, echoing the aesthetic of many direct-to-video horror efforts of the era. You can almost feel the constraints of the reported $3 million budget, forcing a reliance on suggestion and shadow... sometimes.
Flickers of Dread, Fumbles in Execution
Where the original TV movie managed a degree of psychological creepiness alongside its supernatural threat, Again leans harder into overt demonic horror and action beats. The resurrected villains aren't just ghosts; they're full-blown demons with glowing eyes and decidedly unpleasant intentions. Alexis Arquette gives the standout performance, injecting Reno with a volatile mix of punk menace and otherworldly evil that feels genuinely threatening. Their performance carries a charge that the rest of the film struggles to match. Gross, to his credit, plays it straight, grounding the increasingly outlandish events with a believable sense of mounting terror and desperation. Seeing him forced into grim protector mode offers a different kind of satisfaction than his comedic turns.
However, the film often stumbles. The plot, involving a convoluted ritual needing a specific amulet and human sacrifice, feels more like standard DTV horror plotting than the character-driven unease King usually excelled at. Some of the attempts at scares land awkwardly, and the pacing can feel uneven. Remember those practical effects that looked so visceral on a grainy CRT screen? Here, the demonic transformations and gore effects have that distinctly mid-90s DTV quality – earnest, sometimes gooey, but lacking the polish (or budget) to be truly convincing today, though perhaps possessing a certain nostalgic charm for their practical ambition. There’s a story that Gross, despite his family-friendly image, was quite enthusiastic about taking on darker roles, seeing this as a chance to break type further after Tremors.
Sequel Shadows and VHS Afterlife
It’s impossible to discuss Sometimes They Come Back... Again without acknowledging its predecessor. The 1991 original, while a modest TV movie, benefited greatly from its direct connection to King's short story and a slightly more restrained approach. This sequel, penned by Guy Riedel and director Grossman, feels like a different beast entirely – louder, cruder, and less concerned with nuance. It even spawned its own sequel, the truly bizarre Sometimes They Come Back... for More (1998), which jettisoned the greaser concept entirely for an Antarctic setting, proving the title had become a brand detached from its roots.
Watching Again now feels like unearthing a specific type of 90s video store relic. It's not sophisticated horror, nor does it possess the iconic status of its King-derived brethren. Yet, there's an undeniable pull for fans of the era. Seeing Swank in such an early, pulpy role is fascinating historical context. Witnessing Gross tackle demonic forces provides its own unique thrill. And Arquette’s villainous turn genuinely lingers. Does it capture the specific dread of the original? Not quite. Does it offer enough schlocky, atmospheric B-movie enjoyment for a late-night viewing? For the dedicated VHS hunter, perhaps. It occupies that strange purgatory of sequels – not terrible enough to be truly mocked, not good enough to be truly remembered, but existing as a tangible piece of 90s horror history.
VHS Heaven Rating: 4/10
Justification: While Michael Gross and Alexis Arquette deliver committed performances, and there are fleeting moments of atmospheric potential reminiscent of 90s DTV horror, the film ultimately suffers from a clunky script, uneven pacing, and an inability to recapture the specific chill of the original King story or even the 1991 adaptation. The ambition is visible, but the execution falls short, landing it squarely in the realm of forgettable-but-mildly-interesting genre footnotes.
Final Thought: It came back, yes, but mostly serves as a reminder that sometimes, once was probably enough. Still, catching Hilary Swank battling demons pre-stardom holds a certain nostalgic curiosity cabinet appeal.