Year: 1978
Runtime: 100 mins
Language: English
Director: Pete Walker
Beloved by millions, the singer retreats to a gloomy estate to compose new material, but his peace is shattered when his ex‑wife is brutally murdered. As the body count rises, it becomes clear that a vengeful stalker is hunting him, determined to kill again.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of The Comeback (1978), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Gail Cooper, Holly Palance, travels to her ex-husband Nick’s apartment in London to retrieve some of its more valuable items. It quickly becomes clear that Nick isn’t at home, but someone else is lurking inside. The unseen observer watches as Gail answers a phone call from a reporter about the couple’s divorce and asks when Nick will release his next album, noting that he has been on a six-year hiatus since marrying Gail. Soon after, as Gail prepares to leave, she is attacked by a killer wearing a hag mask and a lace shawl, who uses a sickle to end her life in a brutal, shocking moment.
Nick Cooper, Jack Jones, a successful singer, arrives in London from New York, where he has been attempting to record a new album for his manager Webster Jones David Doyle. He finds some solace in Webster’s secretary Linda Everett Pamela Stephenson, with whom he shares a strong mutual attraction. After a period of hesitation, Nick moves into a manor in the Surrey countryside that is overseen by the housekeeper Mrs. B Sheila Keith and the gardener Mr. B Bill Owen. Soon after, Nick begins to experience strange phenomena, including visions of Gail, even though he is unaware of her death, which leaves him confused about the haunting presence in his life. Despite this, he starts working on his album and grows closer to Linda, whose past with Webster adds another layer of tension to his new romance.
Nick’s associate Harry Cunningham Peter Turner goes missing, heightening the sense that something is terribly wrong. Nick also learns that Linda had previously dated Webster, a detail that unsettles him as the unusual events intensify. One night, driven by curiosity, Nick investigates the noises he’s heard and discovers Gail’s severed, decomposing head, a shocking revelation that thrusts him into a catatonic state and leads to a brief hospital stay for his wellbeing.
As he recovers, Nick and Linda deepen their bond, but Linda disappears the following day. Dr. Paulsen advises Nick to slow down and revisit his old apartment, suggesting that the earlier uncanny occurrences are tied to his distress over the divorce and the stress of the recording project. Returning to the London residence, Nick notices the place has been thoroughly cleaned with antiseptic, and the carpeting has been replaced—an odd change since he left it in a different condition and had given no instructions for renovation. Mrs. B counsels Nick not to worry, but the unsettling atmosphere only grows.
The terror escalates when the masked interloper attacks again. In a tense confrontation, Mr. B reveals that the masked old woman is actually him, explaining that they have killed Gail and Harry in a calculated response to Nick’s life and choices. Their aim was to drive him insane as vengeance for their daughter’s obsession with him and her subsequent suicide after his marriage to Gail. The confrontation ends with Mr. B attempting to finish Nick off, but Nick manages to duck, and Mrs. B suffers the fatal wound, collapsing while cradling her dead husband’s lover’s body. Webster arrives and, upon witnessing the horror, calls the police. Just before the officers arrive, Nick hears tapping in the walls and uncovers Linda entombed inside the walls alongside the body of their dead daughter. They escape and head outside, where the police cart away Mr. B. In the final eerie moment, Nick sees the ghost of Gail waving at him from a manor window, suggesting that some, if not all, of the strange phenomena were real.
Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 11:39
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Famous figures trapped and tormented by obsessive, vengeful pursuers.If you liked the intense paranoia and psychological terror of The Comeback, explore more movies where famous protagonists are hunted by obsessive stalkers. This collection features horror and thriller stories with themes of celebrity, invasion, and brutal revenge, delivering a similarly claustrophobic and suspenseful experience.
These narratives often follow a public figure—a singer, actor, or artist—who is forced into isolation or whose life is invaded by a fan or adversary with a personal vendetta. The story unfolds as a cat-and-mouse game, with the stalker demonstrating intimate knowledge of the victim, leading to a violent confrontation that blurs the line between fanaticism and revenge.
Movies in this thread share a core premise of celebrity vulnerability, a relentless antagonist, and a tone of dark, psychological dread. They are grouped by their ability to generate suspense from the power imbalance between a public persona and a hidden, malevolent force, creating a specific brand of horror centered on obsession.
Protagonists retreat to isolated mansions only to confront psychological horrors.For viewers who enjoyed the atmospheric dread and setting of The Comeback, this thread collects movies where isolated mansions and estates become grounds for psychological unraveling. These films blend horror and mystery, often featuring supernatural ambiguity, grief, and a slow-burn sense of impending doom within a claustrophobic environment.
The narrative pattern involves a character, often an artist or someone grieving, moving into a remote estate to escape their past or find inspiration. Instead of peace, they encounter phenomena that challenge their sanity—whether it's ghostly apparitions, a hidden killer, or the resurfacing of traumatic memories. The story explores the decay of the mind within a decaying, opulent space.
These films are grouped by their central use of a Gothic or oppressive setting that directly influences the plot and the protagonist's mental state. They share a mood of haunting melancholy, a steady pacing that builds unease, and a thematic focus on psychological trauma manifesting within a specific, confining location.
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