THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN – The Blu Review

Have you ever wanted to see Mary Ann from ‘Gilligans Island’ covered in blood and chased through a corn field by a serial killer who wears a potato-sack as a hood and commits murders with a knife strapped to the end of a trombone? If so track THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN, a fact-based blend of police procedural, slasher flick, and redneck comedy from 1977. In addition to having one of the great movie titles of the ‘70s, THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN is a realistic, chilling, and effective thriller that Shout Factory has released on Blu-ray just ahead of its 2014 remake.

‘The Phantom Killer’(aka ‘The Moonlight Murderer’) was a real life fiend who committed a series of murders in Texarkana, a border town between Texas and Arkansas, in 1946. Like the ‘Zodiac’ killer who terrorized San Francisco 25 years later, he was never caught or identified. Stalking couples parked at lovers lanes and striking exactly every 21 days, he killed the young men first then raped and murdered the women. THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN starts off as a docudrama with a sonorous narrator introducing Texarkana as a sleepy town horrified when a young couple is attacked one night while making out in their car by a tall, overalls-clad hooded psycho. They barely survive and the folks of Texarkana, not used to such violence, are terrified that he might strike again. Soon two more sweethearts are attacked in a similar setting, but this time brutally murdered. Fear grips the town of Texarkana so Deputy Sheriff Norman Ramsey (Andrew Prine) brings in ace Texas ranger Capitan J.D. Morales (Ben Johnson) to lead the manhunt, but will the Phantom be apprehended before he kills again?

Directed by Charles B. Pierce, THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN is a fine example of low-budget, regionally-made, B-movie entertainment. Ben Johnson lends credibility and authority as the determined lawman and Andrew Prine is solid as the local officer who works with him. The only other recognizable star is Dawn Wells, strictly a TV actress whose only other theatrical films were this and two others for director Pierce. I was still watching ‘Gilligans Island’ reruns daily in 1977 when I saw THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN at the Des Peres 4 Cinema and I can remember how upsetting and shocking it was to see poor Mary Ann shot through the face and crawling through the mud! The Phantom Killer, silently played by stuntman Bud Davis, is a genuinely frightening presence and predates the relentlessly stealth boogiemen of HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13TH. The close-ups of his heavy dead eyes under his executioners hood that moves in and out with his heavy breathing generate real chills. The central asset of THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN lies in its southern gothic atmosphere, and director Charles B. Pierce does a good job illustrating the fear of the locals by showing them boarding up their windows and stockpiling guns (the people of Texarkana must not dread sundown too much as most of the film’s victims are out and about at night). Unfortunately THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN is hampered by some ill-advised and ill-executed redneck comedy relief. The characters speak in too-thick Southern accents and Pierce himself plays the Fifish Deputy Bensen who drives his patrol car into a lake in the middle of a chase scene for no other reason than to step out and mug for the camera like a refugee from “Hee Haw’. These comic scenes are painfully out of place and serve no purpose other than to blunt the facets of the film which do work (and remind me of the similarly inappropriate backwoods humor that marred parts of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT in 1972). As in real life, the mystery of ‘The Phantom Killer’is never solved in THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN. We don’t find out who the killer is, nor is there a climactic moment where the action peaks. There is a brief confrontation between the lawmen and the killer, but nothing comes of it. You see this type of loose end, ambiguous ending in modern horror films but it wasn’t so common in the 1970’s

Charles B. Pierce was an Arkansas-based maker of inexpensive regional films aimed at the small-town and drive-in audiences of rural America. Pierce was a purveyor of the movie marketing art of “Four-walling.” Four-walling was a technique practiced by many independent filmmakers which consisted of shopping their films not to studios, but to the drive-ins and cinemas themselves, often tossing their cans of film into the trunks of their cars and driving around from town to town. This practice is all but obsolete now, but director/producer Pierce was successful at it starting with 1972’s LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK, his stab at the then-current ‘Bigfoot’ craze. Pierce served as producer, director, screenwriter, actor, and even cinematographer on his films which included RETURN TO BOGGY CREEK(1975) and the American Indian films WINTERHAWK (1975), GRAYEAGLE (1977), and SACRED GROUND (1983). Pierce’s films were all made in an artless, straightforward style that works perfectly for THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN, a fim that made a lot of money for Pierce on its initial release. It had a brief VHS release in the mid-80’s but, much like the Phantom Killer himself, had seemingly vanished for the past couple of decades.

Now Shout Factory has resurrected THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN for Blu-ray release and it’s loaded with extras.

The original film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. While there are some scratches and minor print wear, this is overall an outstanding transfer. It doesn’t offer the same sort of pristine viewing experience that other films have received with a nice HD upgrade, but to those familiar with the 36-year old movie, the improvements should be pretty noticeable. Detail is solid in close ups, less impressive in medium and long distance shots, but colors are reproduced nicely here and shadow detail is definitely strong. Blacks are generally good, if not always perfect while contrast is decent if a little warm. The grain might seem intrusive to some, as it is both heavy and prominent throughout the picture, but this is all in keeping with the ‘look’ of the movie.

The Blu-ray offers a 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio mono mix that sounds fine.

It’s the extras that really make this package a keeper:

• Commentary with Justin Beahm and Historian Jim Presley – This is one of the most unusual and interesting commentaries I’ve listened to. Jim Presley is a true-crime historian who grew up near Texarkana and knows every detail about the real-life murders. Justin Beahm moderates, alternating between asking Presley about the facts behind the crimes and then talking about the film’s production.
• Small Town Lawman: Interview with Andrew Prine – A 10-minute interview with the eccentric actor who appeared in a lot of odd schlock in the ‘70s (SIMON KING OF THE    WITCHES, GRIZZLY, BARN OF THE NAKED DEAD) before dropping out of the biz. He discusses the drunken antics of he and director Pierce in a very entertaining piece.
• Survivor Stories: Interview with Dawn Wells  – The Gilligan’s Island star recounts, in a 5-minute interview, shooting her harrowing scenes in the film.
• Eye of the Beholder: Interview with Director of Photography James Roberson  – A 12-minute interview with Roberson who discusses the challenges of shooting on a low budget and how some of the murder scenes were staged.
• Theatrical Trailer – The original 2-minute theatrical trailer that is presented like a crime news story.
• Poster & Still Gallery  – a 3-minute montage of scenes from the film, behind-the-scenes photos, and images from the pressbook.
• “The Phantom of Texarkana” – A written essay about the Phantom Killer by Brian Albright.
• THE EVICTORS – This package includes a second feature: THE EVICTORS, a 1979 thriller also directed by Charles Pierce starring Vic Morrow, Micheal Parks, and Jessica Harper. Like SUNDOWN, this is a gritty and violent rural thriller that makes a great companion piece. This is a DVD extra only and is not in hi-def.