THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN

USA 1977

Run time: 90 minutes

Director: Charles B. Pierce

Studio: Filmways Pictures

DVD release: ZDD Visual Media

Based on true events, this film tells the tale of a masked killer on the prowl in the deep south of the United States. The year is 1946 and the small border town of Texarkana is just starting to get back on its feet in the aftermath of World War II, when a perverted madman starts terrorizing the residents of this rural community. The police are baffled as to who would resort to such abnormal behaviour as well as the identity of the perpetrator, who soon after the initial attacks is nicknamed The Phantom Killer, based on the descriptions given by mangled survivors who also can tell that the person behind these crimes is wearing a crude burlap sack over his face (of the Friday the 13^th variety).

Handling the case is Deputy Ramsey (Andrew Prine) but as the police are without any clues and the killing continues, panic and fear take it’s stronghold throughout the community, causing the townspeople to stock up on handguns and boarding up their homes. It soon becomes clear that Deputy Ramsey can't crack the case on his own which consequently compels the police to bring in renowned Texas Ranger Capitan J.D. Morales (Ben Johnson), who has experience with violent murders, to oversee the manhunt. But even his talents seem to be put to the test, as the mysterious Phantom Killer never leaves a single clue and his M.O. varies. And so the acts of bloodshed continue.

Only released on VHS, I can’t for the life of me figure out why a little 70’s gem like The Town that Dreaded Sundown hasn’t had a real DVD- or Blue-Ray release. Don’t get me wrong, it’s by no means a masterpiece but when you survey the landscape of available titles on DVD, this film somewhat glimmer by its absents.

The Town that Dreaded Sundown is inspired by actual events. The Phantom Killer is an unidentified serial killer of the 1946 Texarkana slayings, also known as the Texarkana Moonlight Murders. The Phantom Killer is Texarkana's only serial killer and is credited with a number of attacks in Texarkana, Texas and Arkansas. It's this truth-based approach which makes The Town that Dreaded Sundown work so well along with a good amount of dread and atmosphere. At the same time, the film comes across as a sort of low-budget 70’s-like Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007) in that it pays as much attention to the murderers night time prowling, as it does the actual investigation with all its dead ends and hair pulling frustrations presented on to the investigators. Helping to make the connection is the fact that, just like in the Zodiac case, The Phantom was ever apprehended which helps in lending a true sense of mystery to the film, and the lack of closure gives the story a truly haunting quality.

The feel and look of the late 1940’s is very well recreated and the aesthetical beauty of the rural landscape of the southern countryside is perfectly captured by director Charles B. Pierce whom also appears on screen as the wholly moronic deputy Benson.

Acting wise the film comes across as adequate, giving that most of the performances are no more then okay. However, props must go out to Ben Johnson who gives a lot of credibility and authority to the film, as the firm and strong-minded lawman J.D. Morales and also stuntman Bud Davis, whose brute demeanour represents a genuinely unsettling presence, as the heavy breathing but otherwise mute killer roaming the countryside at night.

A special mention must also go out to the film’s score composed by Jaime Mendoza-Nava which does a great job at setting the mood, and the beautiful cinematography by James W. Roberson in glorious Panavision, apparently shot on location which only heightens the felling of authenticity and conserves the local flavours of the film’s rustic nature.

But for all the film’s positive attributes, it’s also seriously flawed in its insistence on incorporating humorous elements to the story, hampering the predominantly serious tone of the film severely. These scenes of misplaced comic relief; predominately involving the police officers seems far more befitting the style of Laurel & Hardy than chilling serial killer fare. Furthermore the film also presents a true bizarre set-piece where The Phantom incorporates a trumpet and a hunting style knife as weaponry in a scene that seriously test the believability of the film. But then again not being very familiar with the case or the M.O. of The Phantom, I guess it’s possible, albeit highly impractical way of taking a persons life.

Still, The Town that Dreaded Sundown is a highly enjoyable and well orchestrated piece of independent movie making that despite its flaws, truly deserves an upgrade to the 21^st century’s preferred format in home entertainment, sooner rather then later.

DVD:
This review is of the DVD-R release from ZDD Visual Media – a now closed down internet supplier of rare and out of print movie titles. It’s truly a shame that ZDD Visual Media is no longer, as they dug up some interesting titles, and although this is only a DVD-R and the print is taken from the original VHS release, The Town that Dreaded Sundown comes with an absolutely flawless print in anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen and a great soundtrack.
I have no idea where one can dig up a copy now, but if any of the positives in the review above awakes an interest, then this edition of The Town that Dreaded Sundown is well worth seeking out.

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