The Comeback (1978)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1978
Running Times: 100 mins
Format: colour     35mm
Ratio:
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Pete Walker (Heritage)
Producer: Pete Walker
Production Manager: Denis Johnson Jr

SCRIPT
Script: Murray Smith
Additional Script Material: Michael Sloan

DIRECTION
Director: Pete Walker
1st Assistant Director: Brian Lawrence
2nd Assistant Director: Glynn Purcell

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Peter Jessop
Camera Operator: Peter Sinclair
Follow Focus: Steve Haskett
Gaffer: Ted Davis
Stills: Frank Bellingham

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Alan Brett
Assistant Editor: Chris Rodmell
Post-Production Supervisor: Matt McCarthy

MUSIC
Music: Stanley Myers
Song: Jaime Anderson (Traces of a Long Forgotten Tune)

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Peter O'Connor
Boom Operators: Jack Davies, John Thurston
Dubbing Mixer: Tony Anscombe
Recorded At: Cine-Lingual Sound Studios

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up Supervisor: George Partleton

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Mike Pickwoad

OTHER CREW
Assistant to Producer: Ginger Corbett

CAST
Jack Jones (Nick Cooper)
Pamela Stephenson (Linda Everett)
David Doyle (Webster Jones)
Bill Owen (Mr B)
Sheila Keith (Mrs B)
Holly Palance (Gail Cooper)
Peter Turner (Harry)
Richard Johnson (Macauley)
Patrick Brock (Dr Paulsen)
June Chadwick (nurse)
Penny Irving (girl singer)
Jeff Silk (police officer)

PLOT SUMMARY

Six years after his last performance and in the wake of a messy divorce, American singer Nick Cooper retires to an English country mansion to write a set of new songs. But the murder of his ex-wife is just the first in a series of brutal slayings as those closest to Cooper start dying in very nasty ways. And Cooper is being haunted by strange sounds and happenings in his house...

Following the dreadful Schizo (1976), Walker desperately needed to get his career back on track. Sadly, The Comeback proved to be anything but – it's not as bad as Schizo, but it's still a far cry from his very best work. Jones and Stephenson look uncomfortable throughout and although Owen and the ever wonderful Keith try their best, they simply can't overcome the tedious script. And as for poor David Doyle, reduced from Charlie's Angels sidekick to overweight drag queen… One for Walker completists only.

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Enterprise Pictures Ltd
Video Distributor: Derran

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Lone Star
Video Distributors: Lorimar Home Video; Warner Home Video

Australia
Rating: M

Norway
Rating: 18

UK
Rating: X; 18

USA
Rating: R

1979
Catalonian International Film Festival, Sitges, Spain
Medalla Sitges en Plata de Ley Best Cinematography (Peter Jessop) - winner

1979
September
Day Unknown: USA – theatrical release

Chi vive in quella casa? - Italian title
The Day the Screaming Stopped - US reissue title
Encore – alternative title
Hallucinations - French video title
He tulevat öisin - Finnish title
Marerittet - Norwegian video title
Le retour - French title

BOOKS

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.76
credits, review

gore, mansions, nightmares, revenge, serial killers, singers