The Town That Dreaded Sundown
- R
- Year:
- 2014
- 86 min
- 468 Views
In the spring of 1946,
in the small town of Texarkana,
on the Texas-Arkansas border,
were committed
only as "The Phantom Killer."
For three harrowing months, the Phantom
stalked the back roads of Texarkana,
following young couples
looking for privacy to isolated areas,
would go unanswered.
Though several arrests were made
in connection with the brutal slayings,
which ended as suddenly as they began,
the killer's identity
was never confirmed.
Indeed, many people who lived
through that nightmare time
believed the Phantom
spent the rest of his days free,
walking the streets of Texarkana
quietly, anonymously,
until his assumed death.
In 1976, a film inspired by the infamous
Moonlight Murders was released.
Every year, on Halloween,
The Town That Dreaded Sundown
is screened somewhere in Texarkana,
in tribute to the Phantom's legacy
of death and blood.
Today, Texarkana
is a place haunted by its past,
defined by a mystery
that was never solved,
and a tragedy
that could never be forgotten.
The following happened
in Texarkana last year.
Sammy! Sammy!
You're not enjoying this, are you?
Oh, I just don't like
Why didn't you say so?
We can go.
Really? Do you mean it?
Stop it!
I mean, man, the last time I saw
this movie was when I was, like, 12.
God bless you and the Texarkana
to stop the Devil with gospel.
Hello, sister.
You take a look at this now.
This is a godless film
that you're watching here.
And I want you to listen
to my broadcast on Friday
and come to church on Sunday.
I'll tell you all about it.
Welcome back.
This is KYGL, Oldies on the Border.
It's Halloween night,
so if you're sitting at home,
waiting for the trick-or-treaters to come by,
we'll keep you company with our usual...
Real people died, you know, young man.
Real people died.
That's right. That's right.
It's a godless film and I want to see you
on Sunday. We welcome you.
That's good. You leave.
This is a godless film.
It's good that you're leavin'.
What?
I'm just having a good time
with you, Jami.
The only reason I play football
is to get a scholarship and go to SMU.
Yeah?
And how about you? Where'd you apply?
You did apply, right?
You're, like, super smart.
Yeah. Yeah, I did.
NYU, and Cal State.
Wow. That's impressive.
Oh, I probably won't get in,
but, you know, aim high.
You should.
My dad used to write
for the Gazette, actually.
My grandma says it's in my blood, so...
I like writing for the paper.
I could do that from here
and stay close to my grandma.
- If I don't get in.
- Right.
Well, I'm glad you finally said yes.
Me, too.
- Wait.
- What?
Did I... did I do something wrong?
No.
What the hell is he doing?
He's just a Peeping Tom.
He's not gonna do anything.
Corey, we don't know that.
But look.
See?
He just wanted a show.
He's just some a**hole
from the drive-in.
Let's just go, though. Is that okay?
Yeah.
- Get out of the car.
- Don't, Jami. Stay in the car.
Get out of the f***ing car
or I'll shoot her in the face.
where you were tonight, boy?
The movie. Yes.
Well, what about yours?
They're dead.
Take your pants off.
- What?
- Take off your f***ing pants.
Corey, just do it.
Okay, all right.
- Come on, man.
- Get down on the f***in' ground.
- Corey.
- Okay. All right, I am.
I'm not gonna run anywhere.
Now... Now, please, can...
can you just let her go?
No.
Please don't kill him.
You.
Turn around. Do not look back.
All right, if you want money,
I can get you money.
- I don't want money.
- What do you want?
I said don't look back.
What are you doing?
What are... What are you...
- Shut the f*** up!
- What are you doin'?
- Shut the f*** up. Shut the f*** up!
- What are you doing?
- What the f*** are you doin'...
- Corey!
- Please, no! No, please!
- No!
Please.
No.
You looked.
This is for Mary.
Make them remember.
What are you doing?
No, please, don't hurt me.
- Who is that?
- What?
Oh, no. Please don't hurt me.
This is Texarkana 911.
What is your emergency?
We're at the Twin Star Drive-In.
We need an ambulance and the police.
Is someone injured?
Yes. A girl and maybe her boyfriend,
I don't know. She is hysterical.
All right. All right.
He was on top of me.
He could have killed me, but he didn't.
You say the Phantom told you something?
I don't know why, but he said
he was doin' it for someone named Mary.
- Were you drinkin'? Doin' any drugs?
- No.
Did the doctors find any drugs in her?
Well, as a precaution, we're gonna
have someone in front of your house.
I... I can do that.
- Thank you.
- Until we get some more information,
Jami, we'd like to ask you not to discuss
any of this with the press.
They've been all over this story,
as you can imagine.
Once again, for those just joining us,
Phantom-inspired murder
of a 17-year-old high school student,
no arrests have been made.
It is unreasonable to try and find meaning
in this grotesque and godless crime,
but that is exactly
what we must do as a community.
Like a lost reel
from The Town That Dreaded Sundown,
the attack on Halloween night took place
in a secluded, wooded cul-de-sac,
just off Highway 6, an area
that used to be called Lovers' Lane.
Grandma, do you remember
anything about the murders?
Oh, dear girl, barely.
Just what I heard later.
You know, your... great-grandpa
and your great-grandma
lived in this house when it happened.
that it was like the town was being tested
and nobody knew why.
Even the grown-ups were scared.
He was the bogeyman, they said.
Can't catch the bogeyman.
Can't kill the bogeyman.
His father is the devil
and his mother is a whore.
You know, before that summer,
everybody would leave
their doors unlocked.
And after the summer,
you saw a stranger,
you wouldn't wave hello.
You'd just cross the street.
And what about when they made the movie?
- What about it?
The Phantom? No, that faded.
Nobody knew exactly
who he was or what he did,
just that... he'd lived in this town
and attacked some teenagers
on Lovers' Lane.
And then the movie brought it all back.
This is for Mary.
Humility, devotion, sacrifice.
Mr. Holland...
I just wanted you to know
that he was so brave.
You left my baby boy!
- Margaret.
- You slut!
- Margaret.
- You slut! You left him!
It won't bring him back.
- You left my baby boy!
- It won't...
I want my baby!
Given what you've been through,
I'd like to prescribe a mild
anti-anxiety medication to help you...
No, ma'am. No, thank you.
I've spent the last seven years
on all different kinds of medication
I'm not interested in anything like that.
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"The Town That Dreaded Sundown" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Nov. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_town_that_dreaded_sundown_21489>.
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