Nick Cooper (Jack Jones) is a multi-platinum selling recording artist - he sings the kind of stuff that really could have have only been popular in the 1970's - low tempo, schmaltzy, highly orchestrated pop music (sample lyric: "she waited until I slept to cry"). He is recently divorced and only just now getting back to London and recording music after a six year hiatus - according to his manager, his ex-wife made him relocate to LA, where he got sucked into the celebrity lifestyle and hit a creative wall. His manager has rented out an old house for him to not only clear his mind, but to also start work on his titular comeback. It is a huge stately mansion (the type you could get lost in), and comes complete with two hired hands - the more-than-a-little creepy Mr. and Mrs. B. Nick begins to have trouble sleeping in the house, hears strange noises, and eventually begins to see apparitions in the late-night hours. Is Nick starting to crack under the pressure of making music again? Or is something more sinister afoot?
Actually, you know right away that something more sinister is afoot, as you see Nick's ex-wife Gayle murdered in the very first scene by someone in a creepy old person mask, who hacks her up with a handheld scythe. There isn't a lot of horror action in The Comeback - this first kill scene is really all you get for the first 45 minutes or so. It's more of a story-driven film, so don't expect much of the old hack and slash. But if you like seeing a pop singer questioning his sanity, you're in luck!
So I guess The Comeback is more of a psychological thriller, with a little ghost action and murdering thrown in for good measure. You get a decent mystery angle, as you try to sort out who could have been behind the murder of Nick's ex-wife. And while the story is never totally riveting, it's a well-made enough film that it's pretty easy to get into. Director Pete Walker (who was also behind the camera for the okay Frightmare) is more ambitious than usual with the way he shot/edited things in The Comeback. There are a lot of nice, moody shots - I particularly liked the opening where the camera is just sort of wandering about on the roof of an old, tall building; slowly creeping around and eventually working out to the edge. It sets an unsettling tone right from the get-go - is he spying on someone? Going to jump off? The apartment where Nick's ex-wife gets murdered is a really cool set too. It's basically a creepy, abandoned building with an old-style iron elevator, with a lavish apartment once you get to the top floor. You don't get to spend much time there, but the juxtaposition of squalor in the building leading to a fancy apartment was really interesting.
The Comeback is also edited rather flashily at times - intercutting between a sex scene and a death, or using quick cuts/strobes to represent Nick's descent into madness. There is a lot of effort on display here, and while it's not in the service of the most interesting story, it elevates a pretty pedestrian tale to something a little more substantial.
The performances are just fine. Jack Jones is a pretty plain leading man, but I think he's going for the everyman thing so the audience can relate to him. But he's got the singing chops to play a pop star - according to imdb he has two Grammys for Best Male Vocal Performance. Nick's obligatory love interest is Linda (played by Pamela Stephenson), who is the secretary of Nick's manager. Stephenson is probably the most engaging presence in the film - even though she basically just exists to be the damsel in distress, her energy makes her stick out in a film of mostly flat performances. The manager is played by David Doyle, one of those guys that looked pretty recognizable but I just couldn't place - after checking out his bio, I found he was in a ton of TV shows from the 70s and 80s. It's a pretty generic performance - I'm not sure if he ever chomps on a cigar while he's watching Nick sing, but think of any old older cheeseball manger type and you get the idea. There is one really odd moment with him however. Nick and Linda are going to his house, and he's inside putting on makeup as if to dress in drag. It's a really weird, out of nowhere scene, and it's never brought up again. I don't know why it's even there - maybe to make you suspect him as the killer? Even though that doesn't work, it's still an interesting little WTF moment.
And finally, there are the mansion caretakers, Mr. and Mrs. B (not Natural, sadly), played a little too creepily by Sheila Keith (also from Frightmare) and Bill Owen. Other than Nick's asshole friend Harry (a scummy Peter Turner), that is all you've got. So it's not exactly a big pool of potential victims or potential murderers.
Overall, I can't really rave about The Comeback, but for a moody 70s piece it does well. The extra attention to craftsmanship that is on display from director Pete Walker made it more watchable than it probably should have been.
I would recommend this film.
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