THE COMEBACK (1978)
Director: Pete Walker
Shriek Show/Media Blasters

Less complex and thematically driven than British director Pete Walker’s previous collaborations with writer David McGillivray (HOUSE OF WHIPCORD, FRIGHTMARE, THE CONFESSIONAL), the Murray Smith-scripted THE COMEBACK (released on DVD with the subtitle, "The Day the Screaming Stopped") is a more straightforward terror film of the “lets scare someone into thinking he’s insane” variety. Like his previous genre effort SCHIZO, THE COMEBACK unweaves a macabre exploitation tale of a particular individual being stalked by a slasher, with the killer’s identity being kept a secret until the end.

Recently divorced American singer Nick Cooper (Jack Jones) goes to England after a six year hiatus from the public’s eye. Unknown to him, Nick’s ex (Holly Palance, daughter of Jack Palance) has been hacked to death inside his old penthouse apartment as his plane arrives to start recording a new album. Greeting him is the lovely Linda Everett (Pamela Stephenson, a future comedienne on the 1984-85 season of Saturday Night Live), secretary to record producer Webster Jones (David Doyle from “Charlie’s Angels”), who apparently has no great like for the almost washed up pop singer. A recording studio and accommodations are set up in a very large country estate run by the elderly Mrs. B (Sheila Keith) and Mr. B (Bill Owen), and that’s when Nick endures a living nightmare. As screams and strange voices beckon him in the middle of the night, his ex wife’s corpse shows up just about everywhere, and people he’s associated with are slaughtered in the same gruesome way.

THE COMEBACK wastes no time with the gory shocks, boasting an extremely gruesome hack and wack job performed on actress Palance by an identified assailant in outrageous granny drag. Her corpse is instrumental to the film’s scare tactics, as it’s seen in various places, rapidly decomposing (maggots and all) throughout, easily driving the lead character to a hallucinatory state of panic. What mounts is a good thriller packed with the usual eccentric characters, red herrings, aptly eerie surroundings and an inventive shock ending. In an unlikely casting choice, American recording star Jack Jones is not at all bad as the singer on the comeback trail, being spooked out of his wits by someone close to home, and more surprisingly capable is David Doyle as the uptight record producer, who exhibits suspicion with almost every look and move he makes, from wiping his bloody hand on a bathroom towel to applying disturbingly gaudy face make-up in front of a mirror. Although Walker regular Sheila Keith is given less to do here than in the four previous efforts with the director, she still chews the scenery with every chance she gets and is given the best bits of dialogue. Look quickly for a brunette June Chadwick (THIS IS SPINAL TAP) as a wisecracking nurse and stunning Penny Irving (star of Walker’s HOUSE OF WHIPCORD) as a desperate background singer. Brit character favorite Richard Johnson (THE HAUNTING, ZOMBIE) also does a guest star bit as a concerned doctor. Screenwriter Murray Smith also scribed some of Walker’s early films including COOL IT CAROL!, DIE SCREAMING MARIANNE and THE FOUR DIMENSIONS OF GRETA. This would be the last genre film Walker did before his bon voyage endeavor, THE HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS (1982), now in the hands of a less-than-interested Sony.

THE COMEBACK is presented full frame on DVD. The open matte presentation doesn’t mangle compositions too badly, and the colors are decent enough with nice detail. There is very little in the way of blemishes. The adequate English audio is playable in either 2.0 mono or 5.1 surround.

A solid commentary with Walker is excellently moderated by Jonathan Rigby (author of the book, English Gothic), which originally appeared on “The Pete Walker Collection” released in the U.K. by Anchor Bay Entertainment. All sorts of tidbits about the film are discussed, such as how Walker originally planed to shoot it in the U.S., that he stunt-doubled for the costumed killer and that early on he approached Bryan Ferry (of Roxy Music fame) to star in the lead! Other extras include a still/poster gallery, a film essay, the original trailer and trailers for other Walker titles: DIE SCREAMING MARIANNE, THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW, HOUSE OF WHIPCORD, FRIGHTMARE and THE CONFESSIONAL (this one is a newly created trailer). THE CONFESSIONAL is being released at the same time as THE COMEBACK, but all the others are forthcoming soon on DVD through Shriek Show/Media Blasters. (George R. Reis)

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