The Town that Dreaded Sundown

[Utellme]

Post any information on this movie wheter its on a remake or Special Edition dvd or the movie in general.

[BlakeTyner]

Hehe...fun fact: Texarkana (the town where the murders happened) is just up the road from me and Jeans.

~Blake

[The Dream Master]

I rented this a long ass time ago on VHS. I hardly remember it. I wish we could get a good DVD release of it.

[Utellme]

Is this movie really a true story ? Scabboy said theres a chance of a new dvd of this film.He also said about a remake he refered me to this site but i couldn't find it gutsandgory.com

[The Dream Master]

Yeah, it is a true story, based on The Phantom Killer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_Killer).

[nickmeece]

Amazing film. A GOOD remake could do the story justice.

[BlakeTyner]

In case you're interested, another film based on a true story was made about the same area: The Legend of Boggy Creek. It's more of a documentary with recreations, but still quite good. Fouke, AR is in the same county as Texarkana, and the sheriff from Texarkana plays a bit of a role in the film.

There's a Texarkana, TX and Texarkana, AR - one city with 2 post offices, etc., split by State Line Avenue. The town's motto is "twice as nice." When you ride the train (Amtrak 21/22 Texas Eagle) and stop in Texarkana, one half of the train is in one state, and the other half is in the other. Pretty neat.

~Blake

[sCabbOy]

Is this movie really a true story ? Scabboy said theres a chance of a new dvd of this film.He also said about a remake he refered me to this site but i couldn't find it gutsandgory.com

John Gray has been heard saying he will be directing this. He's now working on a movie called Job (great cast). IK'm sure when that's released there will be a DVD (hopefully).

There's also another low budget remake called The Moonlight Murders:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=185894808

[Shoesalesman]

The Town That Dreaded Sundown is certainly worth the rental price. I keep checking for the VHS copy to appear in the sale bin at Blockbuster, but alas nothing yet.

[sCabbOy]

The VHS is fairly easy to find on eBay, but avaerages 9-20 bucks. I have 2 copies. One regular box by Goodtimes and a big box clamshell from Warner Brothers.

[Titan]

I know I have seen this at one of the movie stores around here. I'm going to have to try to find it because i'm quite interested in seeing it.

[skubydu87]

So I actually know a good bit about this movie because last summer I took a film making class about documentaries. We created and filmed a documentary about the Phantom Killer because the school I go to is in Texarkana. On the doc. I actually play the first victim attacked by the P.K. and she was not killed but beaten and raped with a gun...gross. Also, a great deal of the movie is fictionalized which probably shouldn't surprise anyone. They did have the guy who the police thought was the P.K. but were never able to arrest him. We actually got to see some interviews he gave before he died in Dallas. All in all it is a pretty interesting strory with background stuff the movie never gets into.

[kramerfan]

Id love this to get a dvd release with good extras.Maybe a docu on its history.

[CampNewBlood]

MGM was supposedly gonna release this on DVD....I read months ago at DVD Drive-In I believe.

No news since though.

[Joshg]

I've been interested in this film for a long time. Hope I can find it.

The Town that Dreaded Sundown

[Utellme]

Did you find it ? Also its been quiet in here for awhile anyone hear anything new about this movie ?

[sCabbOy]

Last I head that John Gray was going to remake it, but who knows if that was just a rumor.

[MaDMaNMaRz]

Here's a clip

c5oGKuNWdIE

I have heard loose rumors of a new DVD. I can't seem to find any info on it, so hopefully it's true. I've always liked this movie. It's not one of my favorites, but I like it alot. IIRC, they named the killing spree the "Texarkana Moonlight Murders"

[The Dream Master]

I'd love to see this film get a DVD release. It's long overdue. I wish I would have bought the VHS copy at my local store when they sold off all their old tapes.

[sCabbOy]

I'm pretty sure, like other movies, there are rights issues. The movie has been cataloged out to a few different distros- Media, Thorn EMI and so on. When that happens the rights issues become complicated.

[cropsy]

I loved this film but have to say i have seen it on ebay before but has been harder for me to get then anything from The Burning. Certainly a film that if you haven't picked up you should. It has a great story and at its time was something to scare the piss out of ya.

[Patrick]

Yea this really needs a good DVD transfer, like......yesterday.

[sCabbOy]

The VHS I have is great quality, well as good as it gets on VHS- from a new shrinkwrapped video. That pretty much satisfies me ATM.

[Patrick]

Yea the VHS I have is pretty good. But I would just love the see it in it's original 2.35:1 aspect ratio to see all of the picture.

[sCabbOy]

was it shot in 2:35:1? That's pretty sweet... I'd love that too, and a 5.1 soundtrack, but I doubt we'll ever get it. Who knows if any good original 2:35:1 print is available.

[Patrick]

I assume it was shot in 2.35:1 because the opening and end sequences on the Goodtimes VHS are in 2.35:1. Not to mention that once you see the opening and end in 2.35:1, it's obvious that certain scenes are cropped.

[sCabbOy]

I assume it was shot in widescreen, I just never made the link between the opening and the end. Thanks for pointing that out!

[Patrick]

You bet. :) Yea it looks so different when you see the opening in Widescreen. Kinda makes it hard to watch the rest of it in pan&scan.

[Patrick]

I emailed the dude at DVD Drive-In and he emailed me back today. He says that MGM does in fact still hold the rights to The Town That Dreaded Sundown.

Maybe this Halloween we will finally get a DVD released.

[The Dream Master]

Let's hope so, SS. I haven't seen this flick in years now. In fact, it was one of the last VHS tapes I ever rented before my local Blockbuster got rid of them all. And perhaps a Blu release is in the cards as well? We can dream, I guess.

[Patrick]

That would be a great release for this fall..a Blu-ray of Town That Dreaded Sundown.

[kramerfan]

I so hope this comes to dvd this fall.

[sCabbOy]

I'm sure it will eventually be released. Like I said before the trailer has been remastered and is on a BD collection of trailers. Original prints/negatives of trailers are generally harder to find than theatrical prints/negatives right?

[Utellme]

the trailer has been remastered and is on a BD collection of trailers.

Why on only the trailer be remastered and not the whole movie ? and on a BD ? And wheres this collection of trailers ?

[sCabbOy]

It was reviewed on DeadPit.com, I'll hunt down the name of the disc.

Man the clips of the trailer are beautiful.
ADDED:
That was quick.

it's called Grindhouse Universe.

http://www.deadpit.com/blog/?p=311

However, the clips from the trailer are on this review. I must have seen them in the forums on DP.

[Utellme]

OK thanks Scabb its allway's good to hear some news on this movie cause its really underated imo.

[Skye]

My mom told me that when she was younger, she and 3 of her friends saw this in the theater and were scared shitless driving home. :) I would like to see it.

[Utellme]

Well this movie can be bought for a fairly low cost.

[Patrick]

Can you watch the HD trailer online anywhere?

[sCabbOy]

I dunno, can't find the DH trailer but here's a clip that seems to be in damn good condition.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=c5oGKuNWdIE

[WesReviews]

Is this movie really a true story ?
Yes.

Here is one of the best accounts of the still-unsolved Texarkana Phantom murders online.

The Texarkana Phantom (http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/unsolved/texarkana/index_1.html)

Very interesting, and spooky stuff. Very reminiscent of the Zodiac Killer, as far as his apparent preference for "lovers lane" type settings.

What I love about the movie, is that it has this creepy Unsolved Mysteries re-enactment type vibe running throughout. At any minute, you expect the UM theme to start playing and Robert Stack to step out of the shadows and fog to narrate the on-screen action. Very good flick, and I hope MGM will come through with a DVD this fall. There are rumblings.

[kramerfan]

Does MGM own other slasher films not on dvd yet also?

[cropsy]

I so hope they(MGM) releases this soon. I so need a new version of this.

[WesReviews]

Does MGM own other slasher films not on dvd yet also?
Through various library acquisitions over the years, they own several. As of last I heard, these were among them...

Hospital Massacre (1982)
Madhouse (1981)
Too Scared to Scream (1985)
The Outing (aka Scream) (1981)
Open House (1987)
New Year's Evil (1981)
Rush Week (1989)
To All A Good Night (1980)
Bits & Pieces (1985)
Home Sweet Home (1981)
Terror on Tour (1980)
Dreamaniac (1986)
Savage Weekend (1979) (though, this was also released illegally by a bootleg company a year or so ago)

[Utellme]

I want a remastered dvd with as many extras as they can give us.


I would not even mind a remake as long as they would stay true to the original.

[MaDMaNMaRz]

I'd love to see an official release for Home Sweet Home and Terror on Tour. Well, all of them really....but especially those 2.

[The Dream Master]

I'd like to see a lot of those flicks from Wes's list get a good DVD treatment. I especially want to see Scream (1981).

[Utellme]

Scream 1981 Does the newer Screams have anything to do with this one ?

[MaDMaNMaRz]

Scream had potential to be good, but it fell short IMO. The only thing I liked about it was the score, which actually added some atmosphere to it. But other than that, it was a turd.

[The Dream Master]

Scream 1981 Does the newer Screams have anything to do with this one ?

Nope, they just share the same title.

[kramerfan]

I want dvd releases of every single slasher on Wes list.

[Patrick]

I have never heard of most of those on Wes' list but, I would love to have them all also on DVD. I love retro slasher movies.

[Utellme]

When is a SE dvd for this or blu ray getting released or remake something anything gonna happen for this movie ?

[Chucky's back]

Is it true Steve Miner was inspired by this film when he gave Jason the burlap sack mask in part 2?

[sCabbOy]

People say that, but people also say no. Besides that I think it was the producers' idea for the sack.

[The Dream Master]

I've heard people throw out the Elephant Man as a possible source of inspiration for Jason's look in part 2 as well.

[sCabbOy]

I think it looks more like The Elephant Man since it only has one eye hole.

[Monkey]

I saw this movie probably around 20 years ago (1989?); it's still in my memory.

One of the better horror flicks out there, especially since it's based on a true story. You can never tell how sadistic people are. I find movies like this (for example, Wolf Creek), stories that are realistic, have a fear element that just isn't present in NOES, Jeepers Creepers, vampire movies, etc. The supernatural killer movies are fine, but I don't find myself thinking about how Freddy's going to get me in my dreams or worry about a vampire sucking my blood, etc.

If you find yourself watching a movie and think, 'this could actually happen', then it's all the more terrifying, IMO. :scared:

[sCabbOy]

I remember I saw it about that time too, maybe 87ish at the earliest. My father rented it, and I started to watch it and thought it was like a Dukes Of Hazard style movie but really loved it when the pace sort of picked up.

[The Dream Master]

I used to rent this from my local Blockbuster up until a few years ago when they got rid of all their VHS stock. I should have bought it, but I figured it'd be on DVD sooner or later. :misery:

[Patrick]

I used to have the old clamshell VHS, but I sold it years ago.....like an idiot. Now I have the GoodTimes VHS.. :(

[Utellme]

I used to have the old clamshell VHS, but I sold it years ago.....like an idiot. Now I have the GoodTimes VHS.. :(
What do you mean by clam shell ? Any pics of these clam shell vhs's ?

Also any new news of anything for this movie anything ?

[sCabbOy]

It's a WB clamshell, right? I think I have seen it. Same cover as the Goodtimes but orange and black gradient like this?
http://i14.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/f2/0a/a995_1.JPG

[Patrick]

Yea it's just like that.

[JVM]

Looking at the clip...this movie looks kick ass. I love pillowcase killers. We need more like that.

[sCabbOy]

THere's a great review of it on oh-the-horror.com if you want to read about it more.

[WesReviews]

Hopefully anticipating a DVD release soon, I reviewed this movie last week at oh-the-horror.com.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) (http://www.oh-the-horror.com/page.php?id=279)

[Patrick]

The movie...to me....is very atmosperic and creepy. The way he breathes and makes the hood go in and out on his mouth is freaky.

[WesReviews]

Though I also only have the Goodtimes re-release VHS, here is a pic of the original Warner Bros clamshell box...

http://www.rarevideo.com/videos/3152.jpg

[kramerfan]

Thats a cool cover Wes.

[Patrick]

Yea I miss mine. :( I used to have Piranha (1978) in one of the these when Warner Brothers released way back when. I'm getting sad......going down memory lane again.

[WesReviews]

I've not read it, but the author of Corroborating Evidence II (http://www.amazon.com/Corroborating-Evidence-II-William-Rasmussen/dp/0865345368/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214573964&sr=8-1) presents a theory that the Phantom Killer and the Zodiac Killer may have been connected (perhaps the same person). Highly unlikely, but interesting nonetheless.

[kramerfan]

Interesting Wes.

[cropsy]

I wish i had bought up all the copies of this when I saw a movie store going out bussiness. They had the old clam shell case and some of the old movie posters from it. They actually have some really cool posters from this and lobby cards on evilbay from it.

[sCabbOy]

I have the theatrical poster and one lobby card of The Phantom Killer kneeling down.

[cropsy]

I have a poster from it and I am looking on ebay for some more stuff. I actually don;t know what else I may have as I have bought so much stuff over the last few days and hadn't looked at what i had before in months.

[Utellme]

All the remakes and this one has not been done yet ?

[kramerfan]

I hope its not done either.

[Utellme]

I hope its not done either.
You might as well prepare yourself now cause it eventually will be id think anyway. And it won't bother me if they do 1. it will stir up more interest for the original maybe causing a nice SE dvd. and 2. It won't erase the original.

[sCabbOy]

About 2 years back John Gray from GaG hinted that he may be directing a remake soon. I have no idea if that will ever come to fruition because his directorial debut "Job" with Jonathan Davis as the killer is still in pre-production even after like 4 years. There is an unofficial remake of it already (finished?) called The Moonlight Murders, but it is filmed and set in the UK.

http://www.myspace.com/moonlightmurdermovie

I would love a real remake though, but I'd be afraid that they would bring the killer out of the shadows, show him unmasked, make an elaborate (and stupid) backstory and completely fuck the movie up.

I think I am going to hound both Michael Felsher and Don May Jr with emails to see if they know os an SE of this forthcoming, know who owns a nice 35MM negative, if it's being restored, etc.

[Utellme]

I agree with you on all that the real life killer no one knows any back story or what he looks like right ? If so id keep it that way.

I usually like backstory and unmasking for F 13th's but not for this movie. Let us know what you find out from the emails you send.

[sCabbOy]

Well, yeah. TTDS's killer was impactful because it could have been anyone, a minister, one of the police men, one of the survivor's family- anyone. Unmasking him would defeat the purpose of the sack.

The F13th unmaskings were great, but at the point of them we already had a clue who he was (in part 2) and then we knew who he was.

[kramerfan]

Oh if we got a nice SE of the original then i dont care if a remake comes.

[kiss_armyman1]

I first saw this when I was nine it scared the bejesus out of me! LOL
I would love to own a copy of this.Ive been looking for years!

[Utellme]

Oh if we got a nice SE of the original then i dont care if a remake comes.
Sad thing is that it might take a remake to stir up a SE DVD.

And Kiss Army this movie is on Ebay or amazon.

[Utellme]

Any news on this movie lately ? Been quiet for awhile ?


I hope i can post here without getting followed by my little lost puppy.

[SlasherFreak]

I actually watched this over the weekend for the first time in a long time. Very good flick, it still holds up. Im hoping it gets a proper dvd release with a commentary.

[Patrick]

Yea I wish we could get a good WideScreen version. That Pan-n-Scan crap doesn't cut it.

[sCabbOy]

At one time John GRay from PitOfHorror.com was going to direct a remake of this. Really, people speak of proper DVD, this or that, all I want is a DVD with a good transfer. I can care less about commentary and extras. I know the guy who played the killer is still alive though.

[Patrick]

Yea I would be happy with a barebones, properly framed, good quality WideScreen dvd.

[kramerfan]

Me too.I just want a nice dvd.

[skuppy]

I read a post on another forum that BCI was looking to obtain the rights but of course, they went under, so who knows now.

[SlasherFreak]

Oh don't get me wrong, I'd prefer a really good transfer over everything and accept a barebones.

There's actually a bootleg floating around that claims to be widescreen.

[FallOutGirl]

No DVD release? I want to see this film, but I can't seem to find anything relating to a DVD :(. Sucks.

[Utellme]

No DVD release? I want to see this film, but I can't seem to find anything relating to a DVD :(. Sucks.


Ebay has it.

[sCabbOy]

I think the bootleg was cropped with Final Cut Pro, I know there was one someone talked about in a forum 2-3 years back. The title sequence of the movie is in widescreen, not sure if anyone noticed and then the rest is fullscreen. Someone on the board formatted the rest of the movie by merely cropping it. This was the retroslasher board, I think- not 100% sure.

[kramerfan]

Man i wish this would get a dvd release this year.

[Utellme]

So what was the killers motive ? Not that there has to be one but what do you think ?

And do you think the killer survived at the end ?

[kramerfan]

Id like to know how long the real killer lived to.Whoever he was.

[Utellme]

yeah that to Kramer.

Wonder if there is a novel for this and if theres anything different in it ?

[Utellme]

Been quiet in this thread forever to. Where you at Scab any news on a SE relelease ? A remake anything ?

[Ron]

Everytime I see this thread active I think I'm gonna see something on a dvd release. It's only a matter of time before it happens.

[Rich]

Seriously, for something to not be on DVD by now, there is no excuse.

[The Dream Master]

The excuse here is halfway decent at this point, as MGM owns the rights, and their shit is completely up in the air since their library is for sale.

[sCabbOy]

I think another valid excuse is that (well, I heard) that a full intact 35mm negative is sort of elusive. Why have a DVD if it's a full frame VHS rip?

[Rich]

I would be willing to accept a VHS quality DVD just so that I can own the film. I own a few VHS quality DVDs:

Child's Play
Leprechaun
Leprechaun 3
Leprechaun 4
Mortal Kombat/Annihalation
Prom Night
Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrafice
Maniac Cop
various old black and white public domain movies

[Utellme]

I think another valid excuse is that (well, I heard) that a full intact 35mm negative is sort of elusive. Why have a DVD if it's a full frame VHS rip?

Be cool to see a remake that would totally respect the original.

[Utellme]

Mang this movie gets nothing no attention, no post, no remake, no DVD release.

[The Dream Master]

I'm shocked that MGM hasn't released this as part of their DVD-R on Demand service they've got going.

[MaDMaNMaRz]

Hell, i'd more than welcome a remake. Only because then it might stir up some more interest in it to the people who haven't heard of it. Then we would hopefully see it on DVD. Seriously, release this on DVD already. :cry:

[Utellme]

Yeah do something anything even if its wrong do something please.

[Callum Sanderson]

Good movie, the killer is as frightening as a real murderer, I especially like the ending, where he has vanished and could have perished, or could be living a normal life and never brought to justice.

[WesReviews]

I'm shocked that MGM hasn't released this as part of their DVD-R on Demand service they've got going.

They've had a remastered print ready for years. It's made the rounds on MGMHD and Chiller as well, I believe.

[MaDMaNMaRz]

I didn't know they showed it on MGM HD. I usually look up that channel because they've shown some pretty good movies on their in the past....even Troll 2. :X

[The Dream Master]

MGM HD is pimp fucking tight; they were showing a slew of Poe/Price/Corman flicks, and they looked so awesome.

[MaDMaNMaRz]

I think they showed The Masque of the Red Death at one point too, which is an awesome movie. :D

I'm actually starting to like MGM HD more than IFC now. IFC was really good for awhile, but now they haven't really been airing any good movies....at least IMO.

[Lance Lives]

I've owned this movie on VHS for years now but still haven't watched it. I really need to get a quality VCR so I know my tapes won't get eaten.