Back in 1976 Charles Pierce directed and starred in
The Town that Dreaded Sundown, a film which to my mind is memorable only for how ridiculous it became after a genuinely tense start. It was based on the real-life murders of a serial killer known as the Phantom Killer who stalked the town of Texarcana, Texas, and if Pierce had played it straight the film might have worked, but damn..
.that trombone scene just ruined it. Thirty years later and
American Horror Story creator Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is attempting to get it right with a contemporary remake that looks pretty impressive.
Produced by Ryan Murphy (
Glee) and Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions, with a script by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (
Carrie), the new version gets a little meta by taking place 65 years after the original killings as very similar murders start taking place. Addison Timlin, Joshua Leonard (
The Blair Witch Project), Edward Hermann, and Gary Cole star, and this one looks like a vast improvement in the tension department.
The Town that Dreaded Sundown will debut at Fantastic Fest but doesn't have a release date.
The Town that Dreaded Sundown - Trailer by Dread Central
