Retro Review: The Town that Dreaded Sundown

As I pointed out in my earlier post that there aren’t too many flicks that scare me.

I also spoke in my article when I reviewed the Beast of Boggy Creek I mentioned the Town That Dreaded Sundown.

I actually have referenced this flick quite a few times. I know that I mentioned it back in 2010 When Charles B. Pierce passed away.

The truth is that this flick scarred the hell out of me when I was young. I have noticed that I really am not afraid of some flicks. I love seeing monsters because I find them entertaining. Some movies I get scared because It can actually happen but when I was a child the scariest thing on Television was the Nightly News.

Therefore the movies that gave me fear was the movies that were based on a True Story.

Now I know that the first movie that comes to mind with that tagline is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Which is one of my favorites but the real story that TCM is based on is far closer to the other flick it inspired Psycho.

However The Town that Dreaded Sundown is almost the exact story that inspired it and is more of a documentary film and the perfect companion film to The Legend of Boggy Creek.

The Town that Dreaded Sundown is based on what is known as The Moonlight Murders of Texarkana committed by a man known as the Phantom Killer. In which a masked man attacks young couples parking on Lover’s Lanes.

The Phantom’s first couple of victims survived their attacks, However He killed four others and also shot a man reading the newspaper and severely wounded his wife.

Legendary Texas Ranger Manuel T. Gonzaullas aka The Lone Wolf was sent to Texarkana to hunt down the killer but was unable to find him.

There is a small section of the Texas Ranger Museum dedicated to the cases that involved the Rangers worked including the case of the Phantom.

The case is intriguing because like Jack the Ripper the killer was never caught. However the Ripper has far more publicity.

Now The Town that Dreaded Sundown does take a few creative liberties. The first is like Dragnet despite the fact that the story is true; the names have been changed to protect the victims. Other names have been changes as well such as the character clearly based on “Lone Wolf” Gonzaullas is changed to Captain JD Morales; He does keep the “Lone Wolf” nickname.

This film is super creepy in particular in scenes where we see the killer on the streets. One scene in particular we see the police talk about the killer in a restaurant with a psychologist giving them a profile and then the camera tilts down to the floor and then moves across the floor showing the killer’s shoes revealing that the killer has been sitting next to them the whole time. All of this happens without revealing the killer’s identity.

As a matter of fact the killer’s identity is never revealed and the scenes where he is seen without the mask he is shown wearing the black shoes that he wore when he committed his crimes and they are accentuated by a music motif to further show that he is there. There is one other scene where his elbow is seen sitting in a car.

I want to talk about the killer’s outfit with the mask. First off someone from Friday the 13^th part 2 had seen this flick. That is because it is basically the same mask used in the flick. What I find the most interesting about the mask is the basicness of it. It isn’t a hockey mask or a repainted Captain Kirk mask it is just a white bag with holes cut into it, but it is still a super creepy mask and that combined with the dark cinematography, the music and the editing you have some scary scenes that will make you want to check the doors before you go to bed at night.

Ben Johnson plays the starring role Captan Morales with Dawn Wells as the much hyped role of one of the victims, and Andrew Prine as the role of Deputy Norman Ramsey. 

Director Charles B. Pierce plays a supporting role as Patrolman “Spark Plug” Benson.  Spark Plug provides some much needed comic relief in the film some would say that it hurts the flick and makes the cops look inept. However I feel that Pierce’s portrayal of Spark Plug grows on you after the first couple of scenes. Some of you may not agree with me but that is my opinion.

The Town that Dreaded Sundown has received much attention especially when it was mentioned in Scream in the scene where it the characters look at the town and Sidney says that this looks like the Town that Dreaded Sundown and Dewey replies that he saw that movie “It’s about a killer in Texas”.

Now I have some fun Trivia for all of you.

The film that the citizens of the town are seeing at the end of the film is The Town that Dreaded Sundown

Also in the big chase scene at the end of the film there is a cameraman sitting on the train filming the movie.

Finally in 2013 The Town that Dreaded Sundown has receved the Full DVD and Blu-Ray Treatment by my friend Michael Felcher and the good people over at Shout factory.

The DVD comes with a Double Feature of both The Town that Dreaded Sundown as well as Charles B. Pierce’s The Evictors and both the Blu-Ray and DVD contain a fascinating Audio Commentary with Historian Jim Presley speaking of the real crimes of the Phantom Killer and the events of the film that aren’t accurate.

There are also some exclusive interviews with both Andrew Prine and Dawn Wells speaking about their experiences on the film and an interesting Essay by writer Brian Albright about the history of the film.

5 Dead Bodies

0 Breasts

1 Beast

1 Car Chase with Crash but no burn

2 Smashed Cigars

Gratitus Stock Footage

Charles Pierce in Drag

Trombone Fu

Mary Ann Fu

Phantom Fu

4 Stars Check it Out

5 Dead Bodies

0 Breasts

1 Beast

1 Car Chase with Crash but no burn

Gratitus Stock Footage

Death by Trombone

Stabbings

Shootings