Customer Reviews

Town That Dreaded Sundown [VHS]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Town That Dreaded Sundown is an effective little thriller worth seeking out and viewing more than once. It is the true story of a hooded killer who went on a rampage in Texarkana, Arkansas just after World War II. If you are a history or true crime fan, you will appreciate the narrarative style of telling this story. For example, the film goes into detail on how life was in Arkansas before, during and after the murders and important dates of the case are displayed to the viewer throughout the film. The movie itself gives alot more than it was given budget-wise to make. The attack scenes and the final confrontation between the protagonists and the villain, are tense and effective without the use of bloody make-up FX. Fans of horror films relating to true crime who have already seen all the movies about Charles Manson,Ed Geine, Burke and Hare, etc. will also want to consider viewing this film. The writer (Earl E. Wynn) and director (Charles B. Pierce) colaborated on other films based on true cases entitled The Evictors and The Legend of Boggy Creek; two films that come highly recommended as well. Happy Hunting!

I am a true fan of horror movies. I love the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" series. I am a fan of "Halloween." Every Friday the 13th I rent every "Friday the 13th" movie and stay up all night watching them...always with the lights out. Despite my wide-ranging horror film experience, I can honestly say that "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" scared me more than any other film to date.

Shot in 1976, this film presents the true story of a Texarkana, Arkansas crime spree in 1946. World War II had ended bringing the military boys back home and Texarkana was enjoying peace and prosperity. From the murky depths of night, a killer mysteriously emerged to taunt and terrorize the inhabitants of the quiet town. Young couples were attacked in their cars on lovers lane in intervals of 21 days...and even a famous Texas Ranger couldn't solve the case.

The story is presented in documentary style, with a narrator weaving direction through the onslaught of terror. There is no shock value to this movie. It is presented with raw facts and the chilling realization that this crime could happen anywhere at any time. The Phantom Killer of Texarkana, always wearing a hood to cover his face, left a crude and bloody path of destruction in his wake and throughout this film you can feel the terror gripping the tiny town. This movie is a necessary selection for anyone who loves sitting in the dark and being scintillatingly terrified or for anyone who simply enjoys a true unsolved mystery.

First an explanation: This movie loses one star for the lame attempts at humor inserted by director Charles B.Pierce, who should have known better. Beyond that criticism, though, this semi-documentary about a rash of brutal murders that held the small town of Texarkana , Arkansas in an icy grip of fear way back in 1946 is a top-notch suspense thriller. The killer is depicted as being as capable of "mad -dog" brutality as he was in reality ( the scene with the trombone will haunt you for days), and the low budget actually accentuates the grim circumstances unfolding in this movie. This film is very, very scary. It has also received recognition as being one of the more accurate depictions of a true life crime case that has ever hit the screen. If you like to be scared, then pop this one into the vcr, turn off the lights and get ready to have your nerves assaulted. Charles B.Pierce demonstrated with this feature that he knows how to play an audience. It's a shame he hasn't done anything even remotely noteworthy since. Ah, well. If this were his only film as a director, he could still beam with pride.

Being originally from rural, small-town, Georgia, U.S.A., I can easily relate to the similar, real-life setting of Texarkana, Arkansas. Anyone looking for a high-quality, gripping, intense and suspenseful story, need look no further. It's made all the more horrific because it is based on real-life, unsolved serial killings in 1946 Texarkana. It is maybe somewhat deceptive and misleading to those viewers who are looking for horror films to rent or to buy. It's packaging may give the appearance of being just another cheap slasher or stalker film. The real surprise awaiting many unwary viewers may come when they discover that it is not just another cheap Friday the 13th or Halloween imitation, but in fact, actually pre-dates both films and their countless sequels. Ben Johnson, as he always did, made acting look easy, was such a wonderful and fine, natural, vastly underrated actor and gives an impressive performance here as Texas Ranger, Captain "Lone Wolf" J.D. Morales. Andrew Prine, as Miller County, Arkansas Deputy Sheriff Norman Ramsey, is great in a key supporting role. Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island) is very lovely and is also excellent in all too brief role, as a would-be victim of The Phantom Killer, Mrs. Helen Reed. The violence, although while it is quite jarring and effective, is generally low-key and takes place, thankfully, mostly off-camera. The main exception is the infamous "trombone" scene, while it is maybe not as graphically bloody and explicit by today's gorehound's highly questionable standards, it is always very hard to watch and is much more disturbing than the goriest scenes in the Friday the 13th films. Perhaps this particular scene is made all the more unpleasant and is much more difficult to watch because it is shown from The Phantom Killer's sadistic point-of-view, as well as from the victim's. This film always makes me feel just a little bit uneasy about walking or sitting in front of the windows in my house at night, even to this very day. Perhaps the most unsettling thing of all is the knowledge that the film's basis is all too factual and quite chillingly, that The Phantom Killer was never caught and the most frightening thing of all is the undeniable knowledge that something similar could still happen today, anywhere, at anytime. The extremely unlikely and sometimes even surprisingly slapstick humor and comedy relief are both somewhat out-of-place for a film of this kind, are also inappropriate and overdone and are quite often too much, almost to the point of giving you the feeling that you are watching two different films at the same time, but maybe they do give the film a much-needed break and some pleasant and comforting relief from the otherwise, unrelenting and almost documentary-like, grim storyline. Not a huge budget or great production values (not unlike the original Night Of The Living Dead), except for a quite surprisingly authentic 1940's feel and excellent use of on-location filming. The acting (except for director Charles B. Pierce's own portrayal of a Barney Fife-like police officer, Patrolman A.C. "Sparkplug" Benson), is more than adequate and is generally, well-cast. Director Pierce did a mostly acceptable job behind the camera, but it would have been an even better film if he had been content with staying there, as he quite obviously should have done. Well worth a look just as it is, though, far from perfect it may be. Hopefully, it will also be made available on DVD someday, complete with some extras, such as the original film trailer and maybe some behind-the-scenes features. All-in-all, one of the very best adaptations of a fact-based story that has ever been done on film. As the film's narrator says early-on, "The story you are about to see is true, only the names have been changed........" (Maybe someone was a big fan of Dragnet!) My most hearty recommendation is a quite definite BUY IT NOW!!

i consider this to be one of the scariest movies i have ever seen, and i love horror movies. but this is not really a horror movie, this is based on actual events that took place in texarkana. granted by todays standards it is very tame for the simple fact that in order to get shocks today, there obviously has to be an over abundance of blood and gore. i completely disagree with that. movies can still shock and scare without blood. and in my opinion this was does the trick. the whole concept of a hooded killer and not ever knowing who it is scares me more than anything. jason (from the 13th films) has nothing over this killer. this one was real! not fantasy. the acting is kinda out there, but the movie still pulls it off. i was only 12 when this movie was released and now i am nearing 40 and i still will not watch it alone. the most shocking scene is the trombone sequence. it is a bit unsettling. i recently purchased it on a new vhs and am hoping it will be released on dvd in its widescreen format. to me this is a must have for anyone who likes horror or mystery. it was made by the same man who made the "legend of boggy creek". once again this movie is a true story which is probably why the scare factor is high for me and the fact i only live 2 1/2 hours from texarkana!!! i give it 5 stars.

This film gives an accurate account about a series of heinous murders that took place around the Texarkana area right after World War Two. This true story was national front page news circa 1946. It is not intended to be a modern day "slasher" hit. No blood & guts here. This is for the realistic and mature eye. Great attention to detail was paid in achieving an authentic 1940's era look and feel, which lends the film great aura. To this day, these notorious murders remain unsolved. This is a must see for any true-crime buff.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown has always been a great film in my eyes. Ever since I was 9 years old and I borrowed it from my local library, I have loved this film. I have a hudge collection of dvd horror films and recently purchased this one on VHS. They never put it on dvd but I didnt care I wanted it anyways. This film deffinately needs to be added to the dvd library at some point. If you dont own this movie, you dont have a real collection.

Based on a true story about a serial murderer that terrorized Texarkana in the 1940's, this film is definitely worth watching. Produced by Charles B. Pierce who brought us the 70's classic, "The Legend of Boggy Creek", this film has a similiar documentary-like, eerie quality. It is even narrated by the same guy who narrated "Boggy Creek! Too Cool!
Filmed on a low budget, "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" still manages to frighten and entertain with style. If you are a fan of 70's cinema and like true-crime tales, this one delivers!

The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a must see, must have for
any fan of true crime or story telling movies.
Based on a real-life serial killer ....the actual case
was in its time known as the "moonlight murderer".
If you like being scared without being shocked this film
is very scary.
This movie is not a large budget,big name film...it
was made with the idea of getting a true life very
frightning account of murder on film.
I am a fan of Horror films such as Halloween and
friday the 13th films( by the way once you have seen
T.T.D.S you will see where the idea of jason
in a white mask originated)
I am a big fan of Charles B. Pierce and wish he was more
mainstream.Without giving away the plot this film reminds us
all that in life the good guys do not allways get their man.
I would love to have this film on dvd however I dont believe
its available on dvd.

...and it is riveting. The acting is not always great, and the comic elements of the film are a fizzle, but the overall storyline of this movie can't be beat. A true story of a masked killer who terrorized Texarkana, Arkansas during part of 1946. The killer murdered five people, brutalized three more, and was never found. All in all, this movie is ten times more riveting than any horror film you might ever watch. You can almost sense the fear in the community as the Phantom exacted his deadly toll. Well worth the money, in fact, you'll want this as part of your personal film library.