The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a 1976 American slasher film by producer and director Charles B. Pierce, who also co-stars as a bumbling police officer named A.C. Benson, also known as “Sparkplug.” Pierce’s fifth film is narrated by Vern Stierman, who had previously narrated Pierce’s 1972 film The Legend of Boggy Creek. Ben Johnson stars as Captain J.D. Morales, the fictionalized version of real-life Texas Ranger Captain M. T. “Lone Wolf” Gonzaullas. Dawn Wells (Mary Ann of Gilligan’s Island) appears as one of the victims. Cindy Butler (Pierce’s girlfriend at the time) plays Peggy Loomis, the trombone victim. The Phantom is played by Bud Davis, who later worked as stunt coordinator on films such as Forrest Gump, Cast Away, and Inglourious Basterds. The film was mostly shot around Texarkana, and several locals were cast as extras. The world premiere was held in Texarkana on December 17, 1976, before its regular run in theaters on December 24. The film is an early example of a slasher film, having been released two years before Halloween (1978), and just two years after Black Christmas (1974) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), two films considered some of the earliest in the genre.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014) Review
Overall a good movie that hits above its weight let down by a poorly thought out denouement.