I only see one review here on IMDb of "Come Back to Me" that mentions the source material for this mid-level horror flick. The real deal is this film's source, "The Resurrectionist" written by one twisted man, Wrath James White. Having read the book quite a while back, it came as a surprise that someone was audacious enough to attempt filming it. That being said, it came as no surprise that White's uber-nasty novel was stripped of nearly everything except the basic plot line. Luckily, the film redeems itself during the last twenty minutes by not conpletely changing the end of the story. You'd have to read the novel to find out what really happens.
White's novel is of the "extreme horror" genre. The authors that make up this cadre write books designed to turn stomachs. There is no atrocity, sexual perversion, or degradation these guys won't put on the page. Tanker trucks are needed to supply the gore. Extreme horror is not for the squeamish or faint. "The Resurrectionist", however, for all it's bloody excesses had a unique plot, which is the only reason the film version CBTM works at all.
This looks and feels like a Lifetime afternoon movie. Dale, the creepy instigator of all the unpleasantness isn't fleshed out well. His backstory is integral to the plot, yet it's glossed over here in one flashback and one exposition by his mother. We only know he can bring the dead back to life and uses this power to sexually abuse people, kill them, and resurrect the victims who have no memories of the assaults. Like "American Psycho" some years back, the novel could not be filmed as written. Both books were incredibly nasty pieces of work that brought pornographic levels of mutilation and murder to the reader. Trust me, Dale was up to a lot more in the novel, and used everyone for his twisted sex. Including the husband.
Many characters are missing from this film version, it's watered down to only a few people who figure out the whole mess fairly quickly. A number of plot holes exist in the narrative. The tension in the novel came from a longer time line in which the main female character began to remember some of what happened to her. This is seen briefly in the film but is rushed, like everything else. The ending was kept, but again, the horrendous bloodbath that ended the novel is nowhere to be seen. The film ends with a superfluous shot of a baby sired by Dale out of one of his victims. Smells like a sequel set up, but White only wrote the one book. I can't spoil the end of the novel for someone who might be curious and read it, but suffice it to say, no baby is involved. It's something much, much worse.
So, "Come Back to Me" is a tepid telling of White's book. It undoubtedly gives some shivers for viewers, which is a testament to the power of White's imagination.
White's novel is of the "extreme horror" genre. The authors that make up this cadre write books designed to turn stomachs. There is no atrocity, sexual perversion, or degradation these guys won't put on the page. Tanker trucks are needed to supply the gore. Extreme horror is not for the squeamish or faint. "The Resurrectionist", however, for all it's bloody excesses had a unique plot, which is the only reason the film version CBTM works at all.
This looks and feels like a Lifetime afternoon movie. Dale, the creepy instigator of all the unpleasantness isn't fleshed out well. His backstory is integral to the plot, yet it's glossed over here in one flashback and one exposition by his mother. We only know he can bring the dead back to life and uses this power to sexually abuse people, kill them, and resurrect the victims who have no memories of the assaults. Like "American Psycho" some years back, the novel could not be filmed as written. Both books were incredibly nasty pieces of work that brought pornographic levels of mutilation and murder to the reader. Trust me, Dale was up to a lot more in the novel, and used everyone for his twisted sex. Including the husband.
Many characters are missing from this film version, it's watered down to only a few people who figure out the whole mess fairly quickly. A number of plot holes exist in the narrative. The tension in the novel came from a longer time line in which the main female character began to remember some of what happened to her. This is seen briefly in the film but is rushed, like everything else. The ending was kept, but again, the horrendous bloodbath that ended the novel is nowhere to be seen. The film ends with a superfluous shot of a baby sired by Dale out of one of his victims. Smells like a sequel set up, but White only wrote the one book. I can't spoil the end of the novel for someone who might be curious and read it, but suffice it to say, no baby is involved. It's something much, much worse.
So, "Come Back to Me" is a tepid telling of White's book. It undoubtedly gives some shivers for viewers, which is a testament to the power of White's imagination.