O Retorno

After having unleashed no less than FOUR genuine cult-shockers upon the British horror market in collaboration with David McGillivray ("House of Whipcord", "Frightmare", "House of Mortal Sin" and "Schizo"), Pete Walker falls back on the writing skills of Murray Smith, with whom he made his very first horror film ("Die Screaming Marianne") as well as a couple of light-headed sex-comedies. Smith's imagination isn't as offensive or twisted as McGillivray's, and thus "The Comeback" is an overall politically correct horror effort. That DOESN'T mean it's bad or unmemorable, mind you! The story's subject matter is fairly original, the character drawings are morbidly eccentric and Walker masterfully alters long scenes of suspense with some of the grossest killings in 70's cinema I've ever seen. Real life singer Jack Jones stars as crooner Nick Cooper, working hard on making a comeback after he divorced his dominating wife Gail. His former record producer still believes in his qualities and even arranged for Nick to live in a large mansion, complete with two loyal – albeit oddly behaving – servants at his disposal. Troubles appear when the rotting corpse of Nick's ex-wife, who has been violently murdered in their former penthouse, begins to haunt him at night along with petrifying sobbing sounds of a small child. It soon begins to look like someone intends to boycott Nick's new career and even hurt him personally. Despite most of the red herrings and sub plots being implausible and far-fetched, the whodunit-element of "The Comeback" keeps you alert and interested up until the satisfying denouement (that I didn't see coming, I may add). The faster the ending approached, I began to fear that Murray Smith would make the same mistake as he did in "Die Screaming Marianne" – loose control and drown in all the deceptive plot twists -, but experienced director Walker neatly fits everything back together during the shlocky finale. He also makes great use of terrifically sinister set pieces, like the creepy penthouse and the totally uncanny rooms in the mansion. The film contains multiple homage references to classic films (although some people tend to call them rip-offs), such as "Psycho" and "Citizen Kane" and I wondrously even loved the corny song called "Traces of a long forgotten tune". The acting is adequate, although Sheila Keith's performance is a cut above the rest as usual. "The Comeback" was one of Pete Walker's last achievements, followed by only two more movies. His work may very well be an acquired taste, but I definitely consider him to be among the most talented horror filmmakers that were active in Europe.

Jack Jones, the seventies MOR crooner, doesn't disgrace himself with his central performance in this memorably demented chiller. Jones plays a pop singer attempting to record a new album in the surroundings of an apparently haunted country retreat, but he's distracted by the creepy staff (Sheila Keith and Bill Owen), his smarmy, secretly cross-dressing manager, the brutal murders of his ex-wife and trusted colleague, and a burgeoning relationship with groupie Pamela Stephenson. Whilst not as gory as FRIGHTMARE nor as fast-paced or compelling as HOUSE OF WHIPCORD, THE COMEBACK has more than enough touches of eye-popping kinkiness, blood-spattered madness and hallucinatory menace to keep discerning genre fans entertained. Just be warned that Jones's music on the soundtrack isn't his best (it sounds like a particularly wayward Scott Walker solo album), and if you're expecting another nonthreatening pop star movie vehicle, you'd do better to avoid this completely.

Perhaps the most terrifying thing about this late 70's British set horror is that it features bill owen, he of u.k old folks fave tv show 'last of the summer wine' fame, amongst it's cast. Anyone familiar with bill's family friendly sitcom work, will be perturbed to find him appearing in a film that features various stabbings , a shot of actress Pamela stevenson's bare behind and a scene where a character describes his favourite breast size.This is truly as far from Sunday teatime tv as you can possibly get. Bill's casting aside, this is standard pete walker fare, it's all bawdy, bloody fun for 90 minutes and then back to reality with the vaguest recollection of what you just saw. Don't get me wrong pete walker, like his contemporary Norman j Warren did offer a very distinctive British flavour to 1970's horror cinema and his film's were never less than enjoyable, it's just 'the comeback's tale of singer returning to the limelight, whilst being tormented by a bloodthirsty killer, feels to me like every other script for his work and that is that it's underwritten and the finished film undercooked.

There are certainly are a few (so called)well made, big budget horror films that are not as entertaining as this one. Jack Jones gives it all he's got as an actor and looks like he is having a ball. All in all IMHO an enjoyable piece of late night hokum.

American pop singer Nick Cooper returns to England to resurrect his singing career, after being in a six-years relationship that just ended. His recording manager gets him a quiet old vacation house run by two elderly folks, so he can concentrate on his musical comeback and sweet talk his manager's secretary. However every night he spends there he's plagued by horrifying screaming, and a rotten corpse that looks like his former misses, and it only gets more stranger and unnerving until he finally cracks under the anxiety. Unknowingly to Nick, just after he left to England his ex-wife is brutally murdered and left to rot in his play house.

My first taste of director Pete Walker's exploitation/horror forays almost didn't eventuate. My luck the tape I had of "The Comeback" was that of bad quality, as the sound was hissing and the screen was rolling. After twenty minutes of that distraction, I was about give up and in the bin it would go. However it came through, and I could finally watch it… clearly.

Now the movie itself is a grim, unpleasant little mysterious psycho-shocker presentation with very little in the way of surprises and even jolts, as it goes about things in a conservative manner. Walker's direction is dry, subdued with only small moments of fast outbursts. There was potential within, but the kitsch-like premise can stumble into silliness and become convoluted, while the red herrings aren't particularly useful, but Walker springs up few imaginative images and effectively creepy and inspired set pieces that do rally up some mindless fun. The death scenes are minor, but still they pack a punch due to the fact they are gruesome, sudden and jarring in detail. Even the setting of house comes off eerie, and a Gothic atmospheric tenor is released with good use of foreboding sound FXs. The music score trickles with an understated chilliness, but still has a sting in its tail and agile cinematography feels like it's on a leash as it follows the figure with different angles and framings. The pacing can stall too often, with a stop and go approach. The talky material plays the usual "Am I going insane" trump with clichéd predictability, but that dozy of a climax is one over-the-top revelation that you don't see coming. Suspense has no say and it never draws upon building any, because everything is mostly telegraphed. The characters are an odd bunch and the acting comes off admirably well. A likable Jack Jones is sound enough and the ravishing Pamela Stevenson is satisfyingly good. David Doyle is enjoyable as the recording manager and Shelia Keith's glassy turn is professionally convincing.

Odd, ghastly British horror fable that can't escape its plain and ponderous style.