DVD REVIEW: THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN
DVD REVIEW: THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN
SHOCK ENTERTAINMENT CINEMA CULT SERIES
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7 /10
The Town That Dreaded Sundown, made in 1976, is based on a true unsolved murder case from Texakarna, Texas, when in 1946 a hooded man killed five people and tortured and terrorised many more in a seemingly random and unconnected series of attacks.
Delivered in a semi-documentary style, the film documents the influx of police and rangers from all over Texas to solve the crime, and the ultimate futility of their attempts. One day the attacks simply stopped, unexplained to this day.
One of the earliest psycho-killer films, The Town That Dreaded Sundown is made all the more real and graphic by drawing us into the Texakarna world: we get to know several of the law enforcers hunting the murderer. We see the carnage and the psychological effect of his crimes. And ultimately we’re left as frustrated and anxious as them when the bad guy is never found.
It’s far from a perfect film: the tension jumps about a bit like a car stalling at traffic lights as director Charles B Pierce introduces some irrelevant light-hearted moments that don’t sit completely comfortably with the whole – it’s as if Pierce was a little unsure about which direction to take the film in at a few key points.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown is well worth a watch though, and the hooded man’s scenes are graphic and chilling.
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Category: Movie & Theatre Reviews