Scream! Factory is at it once again releasing a little seen gem of the 70's. To my knowledge "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" has never seen a DVD/Blu-ray release before. So toss out your second gen bootlegs boys & girls because this is the definitive release. Also it should be noted as a bonus, Scream Factory has included a second film in this set. Charles B. Pierce's "The Evictors", starring Jessica Harper (Suspiria), Michael Parks (From Dusk Till Dawn) & Vic Morrow (Bronx Warriors). So this review will focus on both films.
"The Town That Dreaded Sundown" is a highly effective and taut docudrama. Based on true events, the film takes place in 1946 Texarkana. Everything is peaceful enough, until
the quiet little town is shocked to it's core when a couple is
viciously attacked. This couple had their little make out session
interrupted by a large fellow with a sack over his head. Who rips out
some of the cars electrical wires out and then drags the boyfriend
out of the passenger side window. As he attacks the young women we
cut to the following morning. Deputy Norman Ramsey (Andrew Pine) is
driving along a stretch a road and finds the young women, bloody,
beaten and unconscious on the side of the road. The police aren't
able to obtain any relevant information from the shocked couple. They
put out a warning to all the towns folk but that doesn't stop another
young couple from heading out to a deserted stretch of road for a bit
of romance. At this time Ramsey is driving by and hears gunshots only
to find the boyfriend dead and the girlfriend tied to a tree with a
bullet lodged in her and bite marks on her back.