The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

Pretty Good

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Blistering performances.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I couldn't help feeling while watching this picture that it was an early forerunner of the slasher films that would soon make their presence felt with titles like "Halloween" and "Friday the Thirteenth". But this was a true story, which intensifies the horror element when you realize it could happen anywhere if some insane person with a sadistic imagination decides to run amok. It's an unusual picture, because even while it's nominally a crime story with horror elements, some comedic aspects are offered up as well, primarily in the person of Sparkplug Benson (Charles B. Pierce), a sheriff's deputy who has all the poise and self confidence of Mayberry's Barney Fife.The setting of the story is Texarkana, Texas straddling the Texas-Arkansas border. The area came to a virtual standstill during the summer of 1946 when a series of night time attacks and murders occurred, defying attempts by authorities to solve the crimes. Even an intense manhunt under the supervision of Texas Ranger J.D. Morales (Ben Johnson) failed to identify and capture the 'Phantom Killer' as he became known, a case that remains unsolved to this day.Despite it's unsatisfying conclusion, the picture never fails to hold one's attention, as the actions of the killer reaches strange and unusual proportions. The trombone stabbing of one of the female victims is particularly noteworthy of a sick and dangerous criminal, one who's not content with mere murder on his mind. Adding to the rural feel of the story's location are the mostly unknown members of the cast, led by the authoritative Ben Johnson in the principal role. TV fans of an earlier decade will certainly recognize 'Gilligan Island's' Dawn Wells as one of the Phantom Killer victims, though she was one of the fortunate few who survived her ordeal.

"The Town That Dreaded Sundown" has amassed a sizable cult over the years. To some degree, I can understand that; there is some genuine merit to be found in this low budget independently made movie. Despite those circumstances the film was made in, the movie generally looks very good, from the cinematography to the production values. The movie is also often directed in a very interesting quasi-documentary style, which gives the package some credibility. The best thing about the movie, however, are the scenes where the phantom killer strikes. These scenes are surprisingly creepy even by today's horror standards.But as I hinted in my summary line, the movie is not perfect. There is some obvious padding throughout, though that may have been inevitable since the real life phantom killer only attacked eight people. Also on occasion, the musical score is both strident and annoying. But the biggest problem in the movie is the comic relief. The comic relief is not only unfunny, but it's heavy-handed and embarrassing.Despite flaws such as those I mentioned in the previous paragraph, I think the movie is worth a look. It's never boring, and it is an interesting precursor to what was to come just a few years later: The slasher genre. I know of at least one 1980s slasher movie that was heavily influenced by this movie. See if you can figure out which one that was.

****SPOILERS**** True story of the notorious "Phantom Killer" who stalked the lovers lanes as well as homes of Texarkana Arkensas who ended up murdering five and wounding six, mostly teenagers, people in the late winter and early spring of 1946. Desperate to catch the elusive killer the town's sheriff office hired top Texas Ranger investigator Captain J.D "Lone Wolf" Morales, Ben Johnson, to track the "Phantom Killer" down. The killer dressed in baggy pants and wearing a burlap sack over his head seemed to have trouble breathing, he may have been suffering from asthma, but had no trouble out running the police or sheriff deputies! As well as him surviving getting shot and crawling into the nearby snake and alligator infested swamps or bayous where he was never seen or heard from again!In fact the truth of the matter is that the "Phantom Killer" was never shot or even seen, with his burlap shack off, by anyone and just disappeared, after his last shooting spree on May 3 1946, off the face of the earth. The movie has its share of suspense as well as terror as the hooded killer stalks the night and keeps the people in the town of Texarkana behind locked doors too terrified to wounder out, even to buy groceries, when the sun goes down. Capt. Morales together with Deputy Norman Ramsey, Andrew Prine, finally track the killer down walking , with his burlap sack on, down the road in broad daylight without a care in the world until he spots them and makes a run for it. Having no difficulty outrunning the pair, even after being shot, the "Phantom Killer" slips into the nearby swamps and, without any scuba equipment, goes underwater and makes his getaway!****SPOILERS**** The very unconvincing ending spoiled everything that was positive about the movie in turning the "Phantom Killer" into another, some four years before he made his film debut, Jason of "Friday the 13th" fame. In not being able to come up with a good ending it had to be fictionalized by the script writers to make it work. The film in fact ends some 30 years later in 1976 where we see the premier of the film "The Town that Dreaded Sundown" in the town of Texarkana and guess who's waiting in line to see it? The "Phantom Killer" himself, as we only see his well polished shoes or loafers, as he's limping on his way to buy his ticket at the box-office to see, I would assume, just how accurate the movie is about his exploits back in 1946!

Spooky and atmospheric to its core, the town that dreaded sundown is an interesting little journey into a real life murder story. In the film, a masked killer stalks the populace of an idyllic Texarkana town, with a man hunt close behind. With out a doubt, the murderer is the most interesting and creepy character in the film. His simple yet terrifying hood is very spooky and imposing. During his scenes, the tension is often very thick, and the action is executed well. Less, however can be said for his pursuers, the police. With bumbling antics reminiscent of Barney Fife, they often ruin the atmosphere with their forced comic relief. This of course, takes away a great deal from the film. in fact, if they had made the police serious and on topic, then the town that dreaded sundown could have been a classic in te crime genre. Still, I can definitely recommend the film for the killer's scenes alone. They are creepy, atmospheric, and unsettling. I can give this film a solid 6.5/10, and say that this film certainly deserves a cult following.