Sometimes They Come Back... Again

Sometimes They Come Back is a 1991 American supernatural horror film directed by Tom McLoughlin, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and starring Tim Matheson, Brooke Adams, and Robert Rusler. Based on Stephen King's 1974 short story "Sometimes They Come Back", the film follows Jim Norman (Matheson), a teacher who returns to his childhood hometown, where the teenage greasers responsible for his brother's murder 27 years earlier return from the dead and infiltrate his class. The story was originally optioned for inclusion as a segment of the 1985 anthology film Cat's Eye, before producer Dino De Laurentiis developed it as a separate feature. Filming took place in Kansas City, Kansas, and several locations in Missouri, including Liberty and Rocheport. The latter was used for scenes set in the railway tunnel central to the story. The made-for-television film premiered on broadcast television network CBS on May 7, 1991. Sometimes They Come Back received mixed reviews, with critics praising elements including its atmosphere, effects, and Matheson's performance while criticizing its pacing and handling of its premise. The film was followed by two direct-to-video sequels, Sometimes They Come Back... Again (1996) and Sometimes They Come Back... for More (1998).