MOVIE REVIEW: THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN has been on my radar for a very long time and I'm super excited that I finally had the chance to watch it. Directed by Charles B. Pierce (best known for his two LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK movies), this docudrama chronicles (and "spices up") the events of the "Phantom Killer" case, which occurred in Texarkana in the Spring of 1946.
After a brief intro to set the backdrop, and the mood of the film, TOWN kicks off with a brutal attack on a young couple named Sammy and Linda Mae, by a mysterious masked assailant. Their crime? Parking in a "lover's lane" in the middle of the night.
Their attacker manages to sneak up on them and disable their vehicle, before smashing the driver's side window and violently yanking Sammy out into the darkness. After the boyfriend is subdued, the "Phantom Killer" focuses his attention on Linda, who is discovered the following morning by the side of the road, battered, bloody, and bitten. Both kids survive the ordeal and the police are baffled by the crime and the person behind it. The "Moonlight Murders" have begun.
After a second, fatal attack on another young couple twenty-one days later, local deputy Norman Ramsey (Andrew Prine) is teamed with a famed Texas Ranger named J.D. Morales (Ben Johnson), to try and bring the unknown villain to justice. Despite their best efforts, the "Phantom Killer" manages to strike again, practically right under their noses, by turning a trombone into a murder weapon. You can gaze upon the ludicrous "Death by Trombone" sequence below:
Before the film ends, there is one more murderous attempt by the "Phantom Killer," where he conducts his first ever home invasion. This eventually leads to a cool chase sequence (that never actually happened), in which the wily "Phantom Killer" is wounded. Just when it seems like they've got him, the killer succeeds in evading the authorities and is never seen again.
The killer's disappearance has since lead to various unanswerable questions: Who was he? Why did he stop killing? Did he successfully get away only to get arrested elsewhere for another crime? Did he perish in the swamps where he made his escape? Or his he still lurking about the streets of Texarkana, keeping his murderous urges in check, lest he be discovered? (Probably not because he'd be over a hundred years old at this point.) To this day.... no one knows.
THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN is a cool little film that keeps things rather low key. Though it takes quite a few liberties with the facts from the case (e.g. the killer never turned a trombone into a deadly weapon; the police and rangers never wounded their suspect and chased him into a swamp), it keeps the core elements of the attacks/murders and also creates an atmosphere of paranoia. Though the killer's identity is never known, the film gives the impression that he walks unnoticed amongst the rest of the townsfolk, and is even sitting nearby at a restaurant when the police and rangers meet up with a psychologist to learn more about their suspect.
Along with a solid cast of main characters, a moody soundtrack, and a memorable antagonist that would inspire other cinematic slayers (e.g. the bag-headed Jason Voorhees in FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2), THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN is a pretty interesting film. Though it is considered a horror movie (all the classic slasher tropes are utilized here), it definitely feels more like a made-for-TV docudrama. It's rather bloodless, and gore is kept to a minimum forcing the audience's imagination to fill in all the sadistic blanks of the villain's actions. (Except for the scene where Dawn Wells gets a bullet through her face before her narrow escape that is.)
While it may bore younger horror enthusiasts, this is something that seasoned fans of fright flicks will surely enjoy. It may not be completely factual, and has several completely unnecessary scenes (i.e. every moment of "comic relief" provided by Director/supporting actor Charles B. Pierce), but overall it's a really solid effort that assuredly thrilled/terrified audiences in its day, and acts like a cinematic time capsule for all of us newer viewers that are experiencing it for the first time.
THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN is one of Charles B. Pierce's best (though he'll always be known for THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK) and well worth a look. I'm more than happy to give this movie:
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| THREE AND-A-HALF 'RADS' |
BLU-RAY REVIEW
The Packaging: The film comes in the standard Blu-ray case with its original theatrical poster art on the cover. (Pictured at the top left of this review.) It's simplistic, but definitely effective, and is one of the main things everyone remembers about this movie.
Audio and Video: The disc offers up Dolby Digital Mono and DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, and both are pretty good; I've got no complaints here. As for the video quality... IT. IS. ASTOUNDING! For a low-budget film made in late 70's, the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer here frequently looks pristine! Kudos to Shout!/Scream Factory for putting so much love into giving us fans the best audio and video possible!
The Extras: This disc offers up a ton of cool special features that are all worth checking out. The main extra worth mentioning is another feature-length film by Charles B. Pierce called THE EVICTORS which is located on the DVD that comes in this combo pack. As of my typing this, I have yet to sit down and watch it (I'll probably do that tonight before bed), but it is apparently one of Pierce's better efforts and stars Vic Morrow!
Also on the disc is an audio commentary with historian Jim Presley (an expert on the actual "Moonlight Murders" case), and moderator Justin Beahm. I only listened to snippets of it (mainly during the last thirty minutes or so) but it proved to be pretty interesting. I will most definitely be watching TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN again with the commentary track on from the beginning.
The remainder of the extras include: Interviews with star Andrew Prine (who reveals that he wrote the ending of the film because it didn't have one!), actress Dawn Wells (who still looks damned good!), and the Director of Photography James Roberson. Finally, we get a theatrical trailer, a poster & still gallery, and an essay on the film by writer Brian Albright that's well worth a read.
Final Ruling: Shout!/Scream Factory once again shows us why they are the premiere DVD/Blu-ray label for genre cinema! Not only have they made a very old film look and sound fantastic, but they've loaded it up with a good number of extras and a second feature-length film! The only thing that could have made it even better would have been a Director's commentary or interview, but sadly, Charles B. Pierce passed away back in 2010. This is a definite "must own" for horror aficionados and totally worth the twenty dollar price tag. I am more than happy to award this disc:
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| FOUR AND-A-HALF 'RADS' |
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN BLU-RAY/DVD COMBO PACK FROM AMAZON.COM!
Side note: During the bit of research I did on the web about the real murders that TOWN is based on, I discovered that this classic film is currently being remade. The screenplay was penned by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (who wrote the script for the upcoming CARRIE remake) and the film is set to be directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (who has directed five episodes of AMERICAN HORROR STORY). Here's the synopsis:
"A young woman who survives a massacre at an annual screening of The Town That Dreaded Sundown looks to her past to help figure out who is recreating the Sackhead murders."
The new TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN is due out sometime next year. Here's hoping it doesn't suck!
