Pete Walker has something of a cult following; and that isn't surprising considering films such as House of Whipcord and House of Mortal Sin, but he's a very hit and miss director; evidenced by misses such as Die Screaming Marianne and House of Long Shadows, and while The Comeback is not as bad as Pete Walker at his worst and certainly has it's moments; it's not the British cult director at his best either, unfortunately. The plot will be fairly familiar to anyone who is a horror fan as its basis has been seen in many films previously, and focuses on a man who is haunted by his dead lover. Nick Cooper is a pop star who has fallen out of public favour. His wife was violently murdered in the couple's penthouse, and Nick has gone to live in a picturesque mansion complete with a pair of odd servants. Trouble starts when Nick stars seeing his dead wife, and despite everyone believing him insane; the visions continue and the troubled pop star begins to suspect that someone is trying to meddle with his life...
The main problem with this film is that for large amounts of time; it is really rather boring. Pete Walker takes time to build his characters and the situation; which is all well and good, but with this film he takes too long over it and the plot actually suffers as a result. The lead role is taken by American singer Jack Jones who is actually not too bad in the lead role despite not actually being an actor; although I have to admit that I wasn't surprised to find that he hasn't been in many other films. The rest of the cast isn't particularly memorable, although Pete Walker regular Sheila Keith has a small but pivotal role. The film does contain a few decent set pieces including a fairly graphic murder and a very well worked, although rather silly, final revelation. Walker does manage to create something of a mysterious atmosphere for the film; although it does unfortunately feel just a bit cheap. Overall, The Comeback is not a great horror film; but it's not too bad and Pete Walker certainly has done worse. Walker's fans will find something to like.
