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In 1946, a serial killer dubbed as the "Phantom Killer" started terrorizing the residents of Texarkana. In a period of four months, he attacked eight people, murdering five of them. These crimes, and the fact that he was never captured, created an air of dread among the residents of the town who didn't dare to come out at night, something that inspired this film.
My first knowledge of this film was from how the look of the serial killer, with the bag over his head, inspired Jason Voorhees' look in Friday the 13th Part II (before he got the hockey mask), but I'd never seen the film before. I finally decided to check it out and I have to say it was a mixed bag.
The main thing with the film is that it doesn't know what it wants to be; whether it is a quasi-documentary, a crime thriller, a slasher, or a cop comedy. Most of the moments depicting the attacks of the serial killer are well executed and effectively scary, but then that is undercut by a goofy cop crashing cars in the creek, with wacky banjo background music.
The film also follows the efforts of Captain J.D. Morales (Ben Johnson) who is assigned to investigate the case, but the approach to his character is always distant and, like I said, quasi-documentary which doesn't let us identify with him. All this is worsened by an odd voiceover that narrates some of the events that are happening in the town.
It is that narrator the one who delivers the above statement on how the terrorized citizens of Texarkana dreaded sundown. The film does a decent job in building an eerie atmosphere of dread around the murders, which might warrant a viewing (especially for horror fans). Unfortunately, it is all neutered by an off pace, an awkward narration, cartoon characters, and a messy tone.
Grade:
THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN
(1976, Pierce)
(1976, Pierce)
"Texarkana looked normal during the daylight hours. But everyone dreaded sundown."
In 1946, a serial killer dubbed as the "Phantom Killer" started terrorizing the residents of Texarkana. In a period of four months, he attacked eight people, murdering five of them. These crimes, and the fact that he was never captured, created an air of dread among the residents of the town who didn't dare to come out at night, something that inspired this film.
My first knowledge of this film was from how the look of the serial killer, with the bag over his head, inspired Jason Voorhees' look in Friday the 13th Part II (before he got the hockey mask), but I'd never seen the film before. I finally decided to check it out and I have to say it was a mixed bag.
The main thing with the film is that it doesn't know what it wants to be; whether it is a quasi-documentary, a crime thriller, a slasher, or a cop comedy. Most of the moments depicting the attacks of the serial killer are well executed and effectively scary, but then that is undercut by a goofy cop crashing cars in the creek, with wacky banjo background music.
The film also follows the efforts of Captain J.D. Morales (Ben Johnson) who is assigned to investigate the case, but the approach to his character is always distant and, like I said, quasi-documentary which doesn't let us identify with him. All this is worsened by an odd voiceover that narrates some of the events that are happening in the town.
It is that narrator the one who delivers the above statement on how the terrorized citizens of Texarkana dreaded sundown. The film does a decent job in building an eerie atmosphere of dread around the murders, which might warrant a viewing (especially for horror fans). Unfortunately, it is all neutered by an off pace, an awkward narration, cartoon characters, and a messy tone.
Grade: