The Town That Dreaded Sundown

Half of this film is done like a creepy documentary with a "serious guy voice over" and killing reenactments which are utterly brutal, nasty, misogynistic, and very very suspenseful. That half of the movie I would give ten stars. However the other half which follows a bunch of dumb cops with silly, out of place comedic shenanigans, complete with silly out of place comedic music to boot is an awful eye- and ear-sore! But, oh those killing scenes!!! You've got a guy who looks just like Jason from Friday the 13th Part 2 killing, biting, torturing couples but unlike F13 the the camera lingers on the attacks. He doesn't just pop out, stab someone and disappear, we get to see the whole nasty affair! Then its back to "Barney Fife" and the bumbling cops charade. Blechhh! Cool ominous ending though. Any horror movie fan should definitely check it out!

Two years before this film, the granddaddy of your typical slasher film, Black Christmas, was released. But it wasn't until Carpenter's "Halloween" that triggered the whole thing in the 1980's.

This film although not considered a slasher, does contain the elements of one. A masked murderer killing teens in sometimes bizarre ways, like attaching a knife to the end of a trombone and playing it while trying to stab somebody with it.

Based on real life events, the movie is set in 1946 in the city of Texarkana, Texas, and plays as a Docu-thriller the doings of "The Phantom Killer", a figure wearing a white mask over his head with holes cut out for his eyes(remind you of anyone?) who left the city of Texarkana in constant fear, or better yet, left the whole city dreading sundown.

The acting is pretty average, if not below average, sometime it may seem like Ben Johnson and Andrew Prine are carrying the burden of acting all by themselves.

The film does not feel like it's set in the 1940s, it seems like the director only decided to throw a couple of old Buicks here and there and call it 1946. Probably a budget thing.

It also unfortunately attempts at comedy in which it fails terribly.

These things however, do not interfere with the fun ride the film is.

Charles B. Pierce's "The Town that Dreaded Sundown", IS a classic and should be seen by everyone interested in the slasher genre.

7/10

The story is true. I was younger of course the first time I saw the movie but I have heard the story all of my life. I have family members that were killed by this person and they are depicted in the move. My grandmother went to her grave swearing she new who this person was and that a bounty/warning had been put out on him. She lived in the Atlanta/Bloomberg area, near Texarkana, during this time period. Her husband, my grandfather was working in the oil field and with law enforcement during this time and said he knew exactly who it was and if he ever found him no one else would. I'm sure there are still some older members of the community that know more than they tell as well. Somethings just go to the grave. I would like to purchase a copy of this movie to have and show friends when the conversation allows.

The movie reminds me of one of those ace 1940's chillers, like Follow Me Quietly (1949). Based on fact, Sundown is about a phantom killer who stalks lover's lanes in Texarkana, and police efforts to catch him. Of course, without the heavy hand of a '40's Production Code, Sundown is much more graphic than anything from that earlier decade.

Importantly, however, this is not a slasher movie. There is some blood and violence, but the chief effect comes from the larger than usual sound department. The screams from victims are both unrelenting and unnerving. The girls really do sound terrified. Then there's the heavy breathing from the hooded killer, which are the only sounds he makes and about as chilling as the screams.

Credit producer-director Pierce with making shrewd use of a small budget. The Arkansas locations add both color and authenticity, along with the unforced drawls of southern born leads Johnson and Prine. The movie also does a good job of recreating a '40's milieu, even down to the girls' bobby-sox that brings back fond memories. My only gripe is with Pierce— he should stick to producing-directing because his turn as the inept patrolman Benson is too out of sync and silly for the movie as a whole.

Judging from some Google searches, it looks like the screenplay sticks pretty close to the general facts of a case that also appears to have entered the realm of regional folklore. Given the spookiness, I can see why. Anyway, the overall result is a nail-biter in the outstanding tradition of B-movie chillers, with a rather surprising outcome.

The Texarkana Moonlight Murders and the ensuing investigation that took place from late February to early May, 1946, are chronicled with the names changed and details altered for dramatic purposes. Ben Johnson plays a renowned Texas Ranger on the case and Andrew Prine a formidable deputy sheriff. Dawn Wells shows up in the last act.

"The Town that Dreaded Sundown" (1976) is a crime docudrama that could be designated as an early slasher even though it's based on a true story. The sack the killer wears on his head was the inspiration for the mask Jason dons in "Friday 13th: Part 2" (1981).

Along with "The Legend of Boggy Creek" (1972) and "Grayeagle" (1977), this was one of B-film director Charles B. Pierce's more notable flicks and he appears in the movie as bumbling Patrolman Benson.

Speaking of which, there some curious attempts at comedy that are incongruous with the grave proceedings, which is reminiscent of the incompatible blundering cops in the original "The Last House on the Left" (1972).

I liked the 1946 setting with the old cars plus the fact that this basically happened in real life and inspires you to research the true story, just don't expect anything close to the greatness of "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967). Have mercy, the budget was $400,000.

The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Texarkana on the Texas/Arkansas border, plus The Jack Williams Ranch in Garland City, Arkansas, with the train sequence done in Scott, Arkansas.

GRADE: B-/C+