The Town That Dreaded Sundown

The Town That Dreaded Sundown

Starring Addison Timlin, Travis Tope, Veronica Cartwright, Gary Cole

Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

The Story:
In the small town of Texarkana, in the 40s, a serial killer known as The Phantom terrorized the town, and was never caught.  In the 70s, a Hollywood movie titled "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" was filmed there, and every year the town celebrated the film by showing it.

One year ago, while watching the movie, Jami (Addison Timlin) isn't amused, so she and her boyfriend leave, and come into contact with a man wearing a burlap sack like the original killer, and kills her boyfriend.  He leaves her alive to tell the town that The Phantom is back.

As The Phantom begins his killing spree again, Jami and her new friend Nick (Travis Tope) attempt to find out who the killer really is, by digging into the past.  They find the son of the father who directed the film, and he gives them important information on something the police missed decades ago, which could unravel the mystery, or cost them their lives.

The Synopsis:
"The Town That Dreaded Sundown" is something unique in the realm of horror films.  It's not a remake, it's not a sequel, or a prequel.  It's sort of a movie within a movie.  It's aware of its past, and it gives you an odd feeling that you're watching something that's actually happening, if that makes sense.

The only other movie that I can think of that accomplished this is "The Human Centipede II," where the main villain centers his actions from the original film that he saw.  It wasn't necessarily a sequel, but what could happen when art imitates life, although it's still art because it's not real life.  "Scream" is another, more popular, movie that takes this formula.

Anyway, back to the nuts and bolts of the film, besides the unique premise I really enjoyed the cinematography, as it seamlessly blended past and present, and gave some fascinating editing techniques.  Besides that, the acting is pretty much on-par with most horror films.  Addison Timlin does admirably as Jami, who had a tortured past and an even more turbulent present as the only survivor of The Phantom, someone the town either sees as a survivor, or a herald of the devil.  She plays the Nancy Drew role well, but doesn't really connect to the audience.  The kills themselves are rather unique, as they follow the kills from the original film.

As the film continues it becomes a rich whodunit thriller, but then it seems to really cut to the chase quickly and ends rather abruptly, which was a disappointment.  Plus the fact that the killer walks normally down the road without so much as a peep, or that he can kill two people at a motel with no one watching, really takes away from the experience.  However, those are two small problems in an otherwise enjoyable film.

The Summary:
While it has some flaws, "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" is still a capable thriller with an exciting story.

The Score: B