I first saw this one in the theater in 1976 (surprise!) and I have seen it more than a couple times since. Although considered a "B-movie" it is apparent that the producer and director spent quite a bit of money on this film in the form of some recognizable actors, vintage costumes and sets (including a very believable recreation of the streets and buildings of Texarkana, TX/AR in 1946) and a LOT of vintage cars from that era AND a few pretty good gore effects and stunts. IMDb and other sources state that this movie is a "semi-documentary" about actual events that occurred in Texarkana in 1946. Whether it is fact or fiction, it is a pretty disturbing and compelling movie. Much like Last House on the Left , The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a psycho-murder story with some fairly gruesome murders. Also, much like Last House , this movie featured some intentional humor thrown in, in between the more disturbing bits, to try to lighten the mood a bit. Most of this humor is provided by the Director, Charles B. Pierce himself, playing an inept Police Officer called "Sparkplug" ... On the serious side of this movie you have some good, solid acting on the part of the two main leads, Ben Johnson and Andrew Prine, and a STUNNING, if brief, performance by Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island) as a victim! Oh yeah, the stuntman who plays "The Phantom Killer" does a respectable job as well.
Actually, this movie is so great in so many ways it is hard for me to describe it. Besides the rather excellent performances put in by the actors mentioned above, there were plenty of TERRIBLE performances by "unknown" actors who were woodenly reading their lines off of cue cards. There were more than a couple pretty cool car-chases/car-stunts using some VERY cool vintage cars from that era. Drama, Police Procedural, Crime Drama, Action/Adventure, Comedy... But what makes this one stand out is the stunningly brutal murder scenes, of which there are a few, and the interesting ending...
This was obviously one of the precursors to the "Slasher Films" of the 1980's. In fact, when "Jason" made his first actual appearance in Friday the 13th, Part II , he was dressed exactly like the killer from this movie!
Bottom line... The Town That Dreaded Sundown is one of those movies that I don't mind watching over and over again. And I find it entertaining every time...
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