Watch The Returning For Free

Too much of everything

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

IN regards to viewers who may have seen THE RETURNING movie permit me to say that the version that has been peddled on the internet is not the real print or the final product that my company produced back in 1983. There has been a copy-right infringement of this film. Given the parasitic impulse and nature of some individuals- this perhaps is not surprising or unusual. Somehow, somewhere some character(s) or entity got hold of a tape of the film THE RETURNING and began to illegally peddle it. Also other characters out there- in order to hide and cover-up their illegal activity re-titled THE RETURNING:-- WITCH DOCTOR - being one of their cover-ups. We at Willow Productions will in the very near future submit the proper and legal version of the film THE RETURNING. Sincere apologies to all who may have- with good intentions- paid a fee to see such an illegal and inferior product. Gabriel Walsh : President : Willow Productions. Co. Ltd.

Where did this one come from?! The ingredients are there for something special, but what only occurs is an interestingly baffling curio. Mainly the bugs come from its big intentions, for such an ultra-limited production the execution comes off being creaky. Despite building mystic atmospherics and getting an eerie vibe, the ambitiously original concept (Native American spirituality) is not as well told or developed as it could have been. To tell the truth it's messy, but so unusual that it had me compelled. For long stretches not much would happen with it focusing either on trippy visuals (oh look at the pretty glowing colours) and moody performances that were led by a largely worded script. It could wallow on at times, but the low-temperament styling lent well to the melancholy and scarred nature of the story. How to explain without spoiling. Quite tough. A family is struck with grief when their young son is killed in a car accident. It hits the father hard, and something about some rocks that he son had collected on a camping trip begins to have an influence over him mentally. His wife is worried, as his state of mind baffles everyone around him. That'll do. Although the ending was a bit of a let down. The structure of the story was rather second-rate with lazy stabs of fading cutaways and hacked-up editing. However location photography was fluidly formatted with the breathtaking Utah backdrop and there were some creative tilt angle framing and light filtering. So there was an adventurous side and also add Harry Manfredini's oddly, uncanny smörgåsbord of a music score too. The effects are the low-rent side, but resourcefully used. Susan Strasberg, Gabriel Walsh, and Victor Arnold give fine performances. Strasberg especially so, and Ruth Warrick gives able support. It might not eventuate to much, but it has some appeal.

A couple lose their son in a freak accident. Two stones the boy had collected from an Indian Reservation keep his spirit "alive", along with those of two ancient Native American warriors.As stated in previous comments here, there is a great deal of befuddling intricacy in this film which may be a monogram of somewhat avant-gard directorial flair, or quite possibly just messy editing(I also got the feeling that it may have passed through a few too many junctions in post-production). Still, I found THE RETURNING to be a curiously haunting film which made me recall Peter Weir's THE LAST WAVE. While that film, though vastly superior, presents an Aboriginal mythos, the supernatural elements of THE RETURNING are of Native American lore. Both films, different as they are on many levels, present a similar incorporeal eeriness and unresolved metaphysical/spiritual mystery, despite remaining largely bloodless and actionless throughout. Good performances all around from the leads, especially Strasberg and Warrick.Opinions will be scattered regarding this film, but if you enjoy a brooding, more cerebral type of horror, give it a shot. Clearly there are many who don't like it, but I personally feel it is unjustly maligned and worth a look.5/10

The acting might be good, but what good is that when the story is so twisted that you can not make heads or tails of it! It is like a dream unedited->(total confusion)! Man and women's son is killed by a truck driver and after that your guess is as good as mine. Visions of an indian and the rocks make no connection to the man and women themselves!