DVD Review: The Town That Dreaded Sundown

The Town That Dreaded Sundown is not a remake of the 1976 film of the same name, but is a strange sort of sequel that incorporates the first film as a film into its story and framework, as well as the actual 1946 murders which that original film depicts. It opens like a documentary, with old-looking footage and narration about the original murders and how the identity of the killer was never confirmed. Interestingly, the narration mentions the earlier film: “In 1976, a film inspired by the infamous moonlight murders was released.” And there is a shot from that film, as well as a shot of its poster. So this film not only acknowledges the earlier film, but includes it as part of its reality. And then the narrator tells us, “The following happened in Texarkana last year.” It’s an unusual and intriguing opening, and I’m hooked.

The film then begins on Halloween at a drive-in theatre that is showing the original The Town That Dreaded Sundown. Oddly, most couples are seated on the hoods of their cars rather than inside. The camera comes in on one couple, but the girl, Jami (Addison Timlin) is not enjoying the film and so they leave. There is a great shot as the camera moves through the crowd, and we catch little snippets of things, including a man leaving religious flyers on cars, until finally the camera lands again on the couple as they drive out. It’s a well-choreographed shot, and in fact this whole film is shot well, with interesting uses of light and shadow.

The couple decides to park nearby, as teenagers are wont to do in horror films. Soon they see a masked man in the woods. They figure it’s someone from the drive-in, but decide to leave anyway. I like that they behave intelligently (and in fact were talking about colleges they’d applied to and such, rather than sex, before seeing the masked man), but before they can go, the man smashes the window with a gun, telling them to get out or he’ll shoot Jami. It’s a frightening moment. And after stabbing the boy, Corey (Spencer Treat Clark), the masked man tells Jami: “This is for Mary. Make them remember.” Interestingly, the film then cuts back to the drive-in, where the film print gets messed up and the audience shows its displeasure. That’s a nice little play on the reality of what we’re seeing, what we’ve just seen.

But one thing I really love about this film is that there is a good sense of reality to it. People don’t behave in unbelievable ways, and events actually affect the characters. We have a shot of Jami crying by herself a little later, showing she did really care about Corey, something that is often lacking in horror films. And she sees a therapist. I also like that the authorities aren’t idiots. When Jami goes to them with a theory on the identity of the killer, they gently explain that they’ve already gone down that road. And though the film has a good sense of reality, it also has a definite style, which I appreciate.

This film also has a really good cast. Gary Cole plays Chief Deputy Tillman. Ed Lauter plays Sheriff Underwood. Veronica Cartwright plays Lillian, Jami’s grandmother. Edward Herrmann (in one of his final roles) plays Reverend Cartwright. And Addison Timlin gives a really good performance as Jami.

This film returns to the earlier movie several times, like when the man in charge of the investigation watches it for the first time. And Jami’s own investigation leads her to Charles B. Pierce, Jr., the son of the original film’s director (here played by Denis O’Hare, though apparently Charles B. Pierce, Jr. himself appears as an extra). The film certainly takes some interesting turns. It’s part horror (slasher) film, but also part mystery, and you do get caught up in the investigation just as Jami does. The only trouble is that the ending a little weak, a bit of a letdown.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and is scheduled to be released on DVD on July 7, 2015. The DVD contains the film’s trailer, but no other special features.