She's Back

This movie should be number one on the bottom 100. The acting is so horrible that when my son and I watched it we nearly got physically ill. And the story is worse. I could go on and on about how bad it is but all I really wanted to do was add a warning to frankbob's review as I see no one else has gone to the trouble of doing so yet. Don't waste your time, money, energy or anything else on this movie. Thank goodness we saw it on TV so we didn't spend anything on it. Had we, I would have been forced to write the people responsible for this abomination and be forced to hurl an execration in their general direction. In conclusion, I would like to say that I have always enjoyed watching Carrie Fisher act. But I am sad to say that she is not worth watching in this particular film. Don't spoil your opinion of Carrie by viewing it.

Carrie Fisher has stated on more than one occasion that she made this movie during a period of her life when she had a heavy cocaine problem, and she doesn't remember very much of it. That would explain why she made this film, but it doesn't explain why anyone else in the cast or crew did; I can't believe that EVERYBODY had a coke problem. This has to be one of the absolute worst movies ever made, and that's saying something. The blame can't be laid at the feet of "director" Tim Kincaid or "writer" Buddy Giovinazzo, as it is obvious that this picture wasn't written or directed by anyone. Apparently it just spontaneously came together, as there is little evidence of coherency, consistency, design, plot, sense, intelligence or anything else. What is really amazing is that there were some actual professionals who were involved in this glop. Co-star Robert Joy has done good work in other films, and composer Jimmie Haskell and cinematographer Arthur Marks are both industry veterans, Marks also having been a director, and not a bad one. Why they got involved in this steaming pile of offal is beyond comprehension. Tim Kincaid, the alleged "director", has made quite a few low-rent sci-fi and horror films, and, having seen most of them, I can tell you that not a one of them is any good. This one, though, is by far the worst thing he's ever done, and that is a major accomplishment on his part. Everything, absolutely EVERYTHING, about this movie is 12th-rate--at best. The cinematography is terrible, the acting is laughable, the "special effects" make "Plan 9 From Outer Space" look like "Spider-Man", the story is trite, derivative and stupid. Don't waste your time even looking at the video box cover, let alone renting it. A complete, utter, annoying, total dud.

This is a premise without a movie. It's poorly thought out, poorly constructed, tonally all over the place and unfunny. Like a high school play starring a coked out Carrie Fisher in a cringe-y role.

My review was written in July 1989 after watching the movie on Vestron video cassette.

This black comedy farce in the "Topper" vein offers a few laughs, but despite a July 7 release in Miami it's more likely to attract a following, based on presence of topliner Carrie Fisher, in subsequent video release via Vestron.

Low-budgeter originally was titled "Dead & Married", limning the hapless fate of Robert Joy, who moves to Queens with wife Fisher. The house is robbed by a neighborhood gang the first night. The thugs, led by evil-looking Joel Swetow, kill Fisher, but she's soon back as a ghost only Joy can see.

Script by Buddy Giovinazzo starts promisingly with Fisher's endless nagging (both while alive and dead) driving Joy crazy. Now she wants him to go out every night and kill another gang member responsible for her death.

Poor Joy acquiesces and fortunately is aided in his task by gung-ho neighbor (a Korean War vet) Matthew Cowles. Bodies pile up, makeup effects become more elaborate and, unfortunately, Fisher's funny role gets diminished by the final reels.

En route, it's a fun turn for her as a first-class kvetch, well-matched to comic foil Joy. Helmer Tim Kincaid keeps things hopping, though the fantasy premise and ghost's in-and-out presence seem arbitrary in what amounts to a sendup of the spate of revenge and vigilante justice pics.

Tech credits and supporting cast are okay, but this is strictly Fisher and Joy's show.

While not the worst film of all time, She's Back certainly must be in the top ten. The acting seems almost of the level of a high school play, and while Carrie Fisher probably does the best job even she acts like she can't wait to get the movie over and move on to something else. Beatrice, whom Fisher plays, comes across as so annoying that you have little sympathy for her, even though she is the one who had been killed by the gang. The direction also is pretty lacking in a lot of areas; with some leadership behind the camera this flop could have been made a lot better. A few moments are actually funny, but overall this one is better left unwatched.