The Town That Dreaded Sundown

For me, exactly between three and four stars, which is a pleasant surprise. The film is… well, actually… not a remake… neither a reboot… I don’t know, in 1976 there was this film, The Town that Dreaded Sundown, taking place in Texarkana and inspired by the real murders of the “Phantom Killer” during the 1940s. This year’s film takes place in the same town, in the present, and it works both with the original murders and as with original film, it even has the character of the son of the director of the original film, who speaks about the sequel to the original film he is supposed to make. Well. So the creators used the meta approach very popular today, but the film itself doesn’t feel at all like a modern and sterile remake, but actually incredibly retro. If the characters didn’t have mobiles and computers, I would have thought that it takes place in the 1980s and that the film is intentionally styled in the era. The cinematography also deserves praise, it’s amazing. The actors are alright, the atmosphere is good, the feeling is pleasant overall, and the murder scenes are also OK. The final twist is a quite insane, but that’s already usual in whodunits. Overall, a pretty pleasant surprise, we haven’t had such a good slasher-flick without additives for a long time. (19/10/2014)

I don't like remakes, but I have to say that "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" quite appealed to me. It is also because the original film is taken as something given and built upon, rather than being completely redone. It is occasionally quite inventive, occasionally terribly boring, and the excessive number of characters is essentially unnecessary and could easily be done without. It would still work with fewer actors, but it wouldn't save the plot. It's not that great, just a nice average horror. (05/05/2015)