The Comeback

"Millions loved him, could someone hate him enough to kill and kill again?"

1978 1h 40m EN

😐

5.7

MID

★5.7TMDB · 40

HorrorMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A singer holes up at a sinister estate to write new songs for his act. His ex-wife is brutally murdered, and the killer may be stalking him next.

“Millions loved him, could someone hate him enough to kill and kill again?”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Jack Jones
Nick Cooper
Pamela Stephenson
Linda Everett
David Doyle
Webster Jones
Richard Johnson
Psychiatrist
Holly Palance
Gail
Sheila Keith
Mrs. B
Bill Owen
Mr. B
Peter Turner
Harry Cunningham

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pete Walker
Writers: Murray Smith
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pete Walker, shot by Peter Jessop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alan Brett shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jack Jones and Pamela Stephenson and David Doyle carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Millions loved him, could someone hate him enough to kill and kill again?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0077357 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 40 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pete Walker directs. Peter Jessop behind the camera. Alan Brett cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

148 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Pete Walker, shot by Peter Jessop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Alan Brett shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Jack Jones and Pamela Stephenson and David Doyle carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Millions loved him, could someone hate him enough to kill and kill again?".
7IMDB entry: tt0077357 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 40 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Jessop
Editing: Alan Brett
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): 16
IMDB: The Comeback (1978)

Awards

Sitges Film Festival Best cinematography

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Pete Walker

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb766221952024-10-27
★ 8/10
I hadn't seen this film in decades, but a rewatch showed it still packed an over-the-top punch. Jack Jones is pop singer Nick Cooper, who has been on a six year hiatus from recording at the insistence of his wife Gail (Holly Palance). The couple has just divorced, and Nick decides to go back to recording for music executive Webster (David Doyle). Gail? Oh, Gail is savagely murdered in the estranged couple's London penthouse by a killer with a small scythe and sporting an old woman mask, and no one is around to find her body. Nick is put up in an English country house where the servants Mr. and Mrs. B (Bill Owen and Pete Walker regular Sheila Keith) are taking care of the estate while it's owners are on a year-long cruise. The Bs are an odd couple, but Nick takes to the house's isolation and starts recording. Nick also takes to Linda (Pamela Stephenson), Webster's secretary. The two begin seeing each other, as Gail's body decomposes in the penthouse, almost getting discovered on a couple of occasions. Red herring suspects in the murder increase with the introduction of Harry (Peter Turner), Nick's creepy go-fer. Nick begins having nightmares, and the hallucinations turn real as someone wants to either drive him insane, or kill him off themselves. Although I had not seen this in many years, some scenes still stuck with me: the murders are gory, a surprising cast member's character is a cross-dresser, and there is an instance of tree vandalism. What I didn't remember is how good a job Jones does despite some convenient filmmaking cheats. When Nick sees a gory sight, he runs away from it or hides, giving the body or body part a chance to disappear. Jones plays his role well, sporting a nice delivery whether singing or reacting to the craziness around him. Stephenson, Doyle, and Johnson provide ample support. Sheila Keith is always good in these roles, but I dare you to shake her similarity to Robin Williams' Mrs. Doubtfire. Now that I have mentioned it, that is going to be all you think about when she is onscreen. Walker is known for his crazed exploitation (I saw "House of Whipcord"), and he is given ample opportunity here. The description I have read about the film, that Nick's ex-wife haunts him, isn't really true, although there is a supernatural element tossed into this glossy slasher flick, which will remind you of everything from "Curtains" to any other slasher film of the late 1970's and early 1980's. The story does drag a bit in the third act, and I probably would have figured out, and remembered, the climax if I had thought about it a little more. Horror fans will want to seek it out, some parts of this have to be seen to be believed. (R)- Strong physical violence, gore, some profanity, brief nudity, some sexual content, sexual references, some adult situations, alcohol and tobacco use

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