Fango Flashback: The Comeback
With his previous movies, notably House of Whipcord, Frightmare and House of Mortal Sin (a.k.a. The Confessional), Walker had actively worked to subvert British institutions (such as class, family and the legal system) and outrage as many people as he possibly could by presenting cannibalistic pensioners, murderous priests and private prisons controlled by sadistic wardens.
1978’s The Comeback (a.k.a. The Day The Screaming Stopped), however, unfolds as a somewhat more conventional offering, and was seen as a deliberate move to reach a more mainstream audience.
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FANGO FLASHBACK: “THE COMEBACK”
By James Gracey
Provocative, grim, shocking and extremely anti-establishment in their outlook, British director Pete Walker’s ‘terror’ films were always controversial; perhaps due to their frequent representation of an unsavoury, seedy underbelly of a British society governed by convention and hypocrisy. With his previous movies, notably HOUSE OF WHIPCORD, FRIGHTMARE and HOUSE OF MORTAL SIN, Walker had actively worked to subvert typically British institutions (such as class, family and the legal system) and outrage as many people as he possibly could with tales of cannibalistic pensioners, murderous priests and private prisons controlled by sadistic wardens. THE COMEBACK however, unfolds as a somewhat more conventional offering and was seen as a deliberate move to reach a more mainstream audience. The casting of crooner Jack Jones and the specific locations used in the film, particularly the various shots depicting London landmarks, confirm Walker’s attempts to internationalise his brand of horror.
Written by Murray Smith, scripter of DIE SCREAMING MARIANNE, THE COMEBACK is the deranged tale of faded pop singer Nick Cooper (Jack Jones), who has returned to London from the States after a messy divorce to attempt to resurrect his flagging career. Holing up in an isolated country manor to record a new album, the singer is seemingly terrorised by the spectre of his murdered ex-wife – whose body is decomposing in the trendy docklands penthouse they once shared. Are his nightmares real, or could it be that someone does not want him to re-launch his career and are doing their utmost to drive him insane…
In comparison to Walker’s earlier, grimier offerings, THE COMEBACK has an altogether ‘lighter’ touch to it – though that isn’t saying much. It is also perhaps more technically accomplished than his earlier work, boasting assured direction, tight editing and flashes of fluid camera work. Swirling together elements of Old Dark House melodramas with conventions typical of the gothic psychological thriller, THE COMEBACK is also notable for its stylish ‘slasher’ gore and murder set pieces, predating HALLOWEEN and the onset of the 80’s slasher movie cycle by a whole year. A couple of expertly staged murders appear to echo the work of Dario Argento too, particularly PROFONDO ROSSO, and the twisted revelations, deranged psychology, abundance of red-herrings and complex revenge plot also cement the influence of the giallo on THE COMEBACK.
As well as the more bizarre choices in casting, there is a fiendishly good performance from Walker regular Sheila Keith as a sinister housekeeper with a dark secret. Keith’s performance hums with a macabre humour that sits well amongst the histrionically tinged aspects of the movie; including a killer transvestite and various sly pastiches of Hammer Horror. The film’s denouement is grounded in a morbid criticism of conservative British attitudes towards the perceived immorality of younger generations. While the unforgettable and frenzied confrontation where Nick finally comes face to face with his tormentors is as demented as anything Walker has ever come up with, the raison d’être of the plot to drive Nick insane seems contrived, if only because it is hard to imagine Jack Jones as a purveyor of ‘foul contortions and lewd suggestive songs; with music that drives innocent children to behave like beasts in the farmyard.’
While not as vital as titles such as FRIGHTMARE and HOUSE OF WHIPCORD, THE COMEBACK still exhibits the grind-house charm of Pete Walker at his macabre best.
