The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1977)
With a script by Earl E. White, and with Charles B. Pierce in the director’s chair, The Town That Dreaded Sundown centres on a spate of murders that rocked Texarkana, Arkansas over the course of three months, in 1946. The film remains warmly embraced by the town of Texarkana, and it’s closed the town’s annual ‘Movies In The Park’ event – held in Spring Lake Park – every year since 2003. A loose remake of the film was later released in 2015, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.
In the film: A young couple is attacked while parked on a secluded ‘lover’s lane.’ Both survive, but bear injuries, including evidence of them being ‘chewed.’ Some days later, another ‘parked’ couple are attacked. This time, the young man is found shot to death, and the young woman is found tied to a tree, dead. A passing police officer identifies the assailant as a hooded man, and a renowned Texas Ranger – Captain J.D Morales (Ben Johnson) – is enlisted to help investigate the crimes, which are quickly attributed to this ‘Phantom Killer.’
Law enforcement theorize the killer attacks every 21 days, and they lay traps for him on the night of the high school prom. Despite their best efforts, however, he manages to kill another young couple and flees. Next, he stalks a woman back to her home, where he shoots her husband through the window and tries to kill her by shooting her in the face. She miraculously escapes, however, and police chase the killer – shooting him in the leg. In spite of his injuries, he escapes near a railway line and is never seen again.
In reality: Eight people were attacked in 10 weeks in Texarkana, in 1946, with five of the victims dying from their injuries. The victims were all couples, with the last one being attacked in their home. As depicted in the film, the husband was shot dead and the wife was shot twice in the face, but survived. The truth departs from the film there, however, as the injured woman raised the alarm with a neighbour, but the police never gave chase to the suspect. The spate of killings became known as the Moonlight Murders, due to their evening timings, although some in the press referred to the murderer himself as the Phantom Killer.
This period in 1946 is especially famous for the way in which the small town descended into panic and paranoia – with residents fortifying their homes and stockpiling weapons to defend against this mysterious serial killer. As it was, after attacking the last couple in their home, the Phantom Killer simply disappeared and never struck again – at least, not in Texarkana, anyway.