Terreur sur la ville

Half of this film is done like a creepy documentary with a "serious guy voice over" and killing reenactments which are utterly brutal, nasty, misogynistic, and very very suspenseful. That half of the movie I would give ten stars. However the other half which follows a bunch of dumb cops with silly, out of place comedic shenanigans, complete with silly out of place comedic music to boot is an awful eye- and ear-sore! But, oh those killing scenes!!! You've got a guy who looks just like Jason from Friday the 13th Part 2 killing, biting, torturing couples but unlike F13 the the camera lingers on the attacks. He doesn't just pop out, stab someone and disappear, we get to see the whole nasty affair! Then its back to "Barney Fife" and the bumbling cops charade. Blechhh! Cool ominous ending though. Any horror movie fan should definitely check it out!

The movie reminds me of one of those ace 1940's chillers, like Follow Me Quietly (1949). Based on fact, Sundown is about a phantom killer who stalks lover's lanes in Texarkana, and police efforts to catch him. Of course, without the heavy hand of a '40's Production Code, Sundown is much more graphic than anything from that earlier decade.

Importantly, however, this is not a slasher movie. There is some blood and violence, but the chief effect comes from the larger than usual sound department. The screams from victims are both unrelenting and unnerving. The girls really do sound terrified. Then there's the heavy breathing from the hooded killer, which are the only sounds he makes and about as chilling as the screams.

Credit producer-director Pierce with making shrewd use of a small budget. The Arkansas locations add both color and authenticity, along with the unforced drawls of southern born leads Johnson and Prine. The movie also does a good job of recreating a '40's milieu, even down to the girls' bobby-sox that brings back fond memories. My only gripe is with Pierce— he should stick to producing-directing because his turn as the inept patrolman Benson is too out of sync and silly for the movie as a whole.

Judging from some Google searches, it looks like the screenplay sticks pretty close to the general facts of a case that also appears to have entered the realm of regional folklore. Given the spookiness, I can see why. Anyway, the overall result is a nail-biter in the outstanding tradition of B-movie chillers, with a rather surprising outcome.

The story is true. I was younger of course the first time I saw the movie but I have heard the story all of my life. I have family members that were killed by this person and they are depicted in the move. My grandmother went to her grave swearing she new who this person was and that a bounty/warning had been put out on him. She lived in the Atlanta/Bloomberg area, near Texarkana, during this time period. Her husband, my grandfather was working in the oil field and with law enforcement during this time and said he knew exactly who it was and if he ever found him no one else would. I'm sure there are still some older members of the community that know more than they tell as well. Somethings just go to the grave. I would like to purchase a copy of this movie to have and show friends when the conversation allows.

Based on a true story, the phantom killer stalks Texarkana and kills couples who hang out at lovers lanes. Armed with some nasty weapons and a pillow case for a mask, he terrorizes this town to the point of near shutdown, causing police forces from all over the state to intervene. Who can stop his rampage?

I've never seen a film quite like this before. I've seen plenty of based-on-real-killer films (most of which are nothing like the original murders), and the recent David Fincher film "Zodiac" follows very much in the vein of this movie (and Zodiac has some similarities to the Phantom). And this film is a definite inspiration for "Friday the 13th" with the pillow case mask. So, in at least one way, this film really kicked off a trend of stalking psychos. And while the first real serial killer film may have been "Black Christmas", this film isn't one to ignore: there's a really good scene of a woman being chased through the woods that is not unlike what we'd see a hundred times in the next thirty years.

The film also offers two dichotomies I'll address briefly: crime versus horror, and comedy versus drama. Much of this comes across as a crime film, because we are following the police on their manhunt and get to know some of the officers personally and they are clearly the protagonists. We want them to win. But this film has a horror element that cannot be ignored -- we don't just see the aftermath of a killing. The director took great delight in showing the chase, the torture and the deaths of the women. A straight crime tale wouldn't do this. But a horror film would, because many horror films have us egging on the killer even when we know he or she is evil. This film offers both sides.

The serious and comedy balance is also striking. We have a documentary-style voice telling us the updates and we are offered dates of the killings and for the most part this story remains rather serious and we can sympathize with the town. But then, we also have some cheesy music (not quite "Yakety Sax" but the same idea) and a character who threatens old women, cross-dresses and drives a cop car (poorly) as if he was an officer in "Dukes of Hazzard". Horror films generally have a comic relief -- a dark one -- but this really pushes the silly factor.

All the acting is great, the plot is simple but effective (a police manhunt). The video quality isn't perfect (this film really deserves a remastering and a re-appraisal, as horror historians will have to recognize the importance of this single film). But you will like it, I can pretty much guarantee that. I was sucked in almost immediately and lost valuable sleep time, but don't regret a moment of it.

The Texarkana Moonlight Murders and the ensuing investigation that took place from late February to early May, 1946, are chronicled with the names changed and details altered for dramatic purposes. Ben Johnson plays a renowned Texas Ranger on the case and Andrew Prine a formidable deputy sheriff. Dawn Wells shows up in the last act.

"The Town that Dreaded Sundown" (1976) is a crime docudrama that could be designated as an early slasher even though it's based on a true story. The sack the killer wears on his head was the inspiration for the mask Jason dons in "Friday 13th: Part 2" (1981).

Along with "The Legend of Boggy Creek" (1972) and "Grayeagle" (1977), this was one of B-film director Charles B. Pierce's more notable flicks and he appears in the movie as bumbling Patrolman Benson.

Speaking of which, there some curious attempts at comedy that are incongruous with the grave proceedings, which is reminiscent of the incompatible blundering cops in the original "The Last House on the Left" (1972).

I liked the 1946 setting with the old cars plus the fact that this basically happened in real life and inspires you to research the true story, just don't expect anything close to the greatness of "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967). Have mercy, the budget was $400,000.

The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Texarkana on the Texas/Arkansas border, plus The Jack Williams Ranch in Garland City, Arkansas, with the train sequence done in Scott, Arkansas.

GRADE: B-/C+