The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) (Blu-ray/DVD Review)
Director: Charles B. Pierce
Starring: Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine, Dawn Wells
Rated: R/Region: A/2:35/1080p/Number of disc: 2
Available from Scream Factory
Set in the late 40′s the residents of Texarkana, Texas are left terrorized by a mysterious hooded killer who is stalking victims during the evening and leaving the local police at a loss. It is really an odd horror film/thriller. But that isn’t saying there isn’t something here worth watching. Some people seem to love this and some seem to hate it. Now, thanks to the fine folks over at Scream Factory you can see if you dig it yourself on this Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack!
The Town that Dreaded Sundown has gained a pretty infamous rep among horror faithful, mostly due to the fact it’s never gotten a DVD release, until now. And, here we not only got the DVD, but a Blu-ray that gives us the best look the film has ever had. The movie its self is a little odd as well. We have some weirdo running around and tormenting an area every three weeks and he does this while wearing a sack on his head. Think Jason from Friday part 2, but a lot less effective and sloppier. We have some interesting characters in our authorities that are trying to track this madman down, but that leads to awkward and somewhat out of place comedic moments. Not as awkward or as slapstick as The Last House on the Left’s famous comedic moments, but it does some close to the area a time or two.
Still, the film has a good length, remains interesting, and it even manages to have a cool atmosphere to it. While not nearly as good as its rep would lead to believe, we do get some memorable things from The Town that Dreaded Sundown. Among the things we see that are cool is a death by trombone. That alone makes this film worth at least checking out once. I will also give major props to the ending. While the film’s proper ending might be a little light (it WAS based on true events, right?) the last sequence before the movie wraps does make up for it a little bit and I did find that cool.
– Audio Commentary with Historian Jim Presley
– Interviews with Actors Andrew Prine and Dawn Wells
– Theatrical Trailer
– Essay by Brian Albright
– Poster and Stills Gallery
– Feature Film “The Evictors” (DVD Only)
