In our jaded present, it’s hard to imagine that there was once a time when film audiences took the “based on a true story” claim seriously. At this point, we’re all fully aware that artists sometimes have to embellish the truth in order to prove a point – and sometimes simply to entertain. In fact, the very act of creating a faux-reality to tell a story has since evolved into an artform in and of itself. While Ruggero Deodato is often credited with having invented Found Footage with 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust, the truth is that the genre and its current off-shoots have been slowly creeping into existence since the early days of cinema.
Pioneers like Benjamin Christensen (1922’s Häxan) and surrealist Luis Buñuel (1933’s Land Without Bread) were already experimenting with the idea of combining fact and fiction in convincing pseudo-documentaries, and that’s not even mentioning Orson Welles...
Pioneers like Benjamin Christensen (1922’s Häxan) and surrealist Luis Buñuel (1933’s Land Without Bread) were already experimenting with the idea of combining fact and fiction in convincing pseudo-documentaries, and that’s not even mentioning Orson Welles...
- 12/4/2023
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
72 Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
By Tim McGlynn
During the 1970s, small distribution companies such as Sunn Classic Pictures, began to carve out a niche in the film industry by concentrating on low budget family-oriented movies. With the MPAA rating system firmly in place, moms and dads needed to search for G-rated titles they knew would be suitable for younger audiences. Aside from Disney features, it was often difficult to find such films.
Documentaries with educationally sound titles such as Cougar Country, In Search of Noah’s Ark and The Outer Space Connection played matinees at theaters across the country. Usually shot in 16mm and sometimes a tad boring, these movies were a safe destination for parents looking to drop the kids off for a couple of hours.
If any of these children happened to be unloaded at a local cinema playing The Legend of Boggy Creek, they...
By Tim McGlynn
During the 1970s, small distribution companies such as Sunn Classic Pictures, began to carve out a niche in the film industry by concentrating on low budget family-oriented movies. With the MPAA rating system firmly in place, moms and dads needed to search for G-rated titles they knew would be suitable for younger audiences. Aside from Disney features, it was often difficult to find such films.
Documentaries with educationally sound titles such as Cougar Country, In Search of Noah’s Ark and The Outer Space Connection played matinees at theaters across the country. Usually shot in 16mm and sometimes a tad boring, these movies were a safe destination for parents looking to drop the kids off for a couple of hours.
If any of these children happened to be unloaded at a local cinema playing The Legend of Boggy Creek, they...
- 2/18/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Stars: Addison Timlin, Veronica Cartwright, Anthony Anderson, Travis Tope, Joshua Leonard, Andy Abele, Gary Cole, Edward Herrmann, Ed Lauter, Arabella Field, Denis O’Hare | Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Earl E. Smith | Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
What do you get if you remake a movie, but in truth make it more of a sequel to the original? The answer is The Town that Dreaded Sundown, a film that ends up being a likeable oddity, even if a little generic in terms of being a horror…
65 years after a masked serial killer terrorised the small town of Texarcana, the killing returns to strike again. Jami (Addison Timlin) a victim who manages to escape his initial attack becomes obsessed with discovering who the killer is. Is it a copycat killer? Or has the ghost returned to remind the people of the town of his past deeds?
The Town that Dreaded Sundown is a...
What do you get if you remake a movie, but in truth make it more of a sequel to the original? The answer is The Town that Dreaded Sundown, a film that ends up being a likeable oddity, even if a little generic in terms of being a horror…
65 years after a masked serial killer terrorised the small town of Texarcana, the killing returns to strike again. Jami (Addison Timlin) a victim who manages to escape his initial attack becomes obsessed with discovering who the killer is. Is it a copycat killer? Or has the ghost returned to remind the people of the town of his past deeds?
The Town that Dreaded Sundown is a...
- 8/17/2015
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
*full disclosure: a DVD screener of this film was provided by Visual Entertainment Inc. Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. Writers: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Earl E. Smith. Cast: Addison Timlin, Veronica Cartwright, Anthony Anderson and Travis Tope. A new slasher is set to release this summer. The horror film is titled The Town that Dreaded Sundown. Astute horror film fans will realize that this is the second film to be based on the "Moonlight Murders." In 1946, a serial killer stalked the local lovers of Texarkana. He killed eight and assaulted several more. He was never caught. In the latest version of The Town that Dreaded Sundown, writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa ("American Horror Story") tries to bring some fictional closure to events, which took place over sixty-nine years ago. Though, the real life murders are more horrifying than the ones shown here. This latest film is an homage to the 1976 original film; but, it lacks any real terror.
- 6/28/2015
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Stars: Addison Timlin, Veronica Cartwright, Anthony Anderson, Travis Tope, Joshua Leonard, Andy Abele, Gary Cole, Edward Herrmann, Ed Lauter, Arabella Field, Denis O’Hare | Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Earl E. Smith | Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
When you think about it, John Carpenter and Wes Craven are to blame. Without them we wouldn’t have the stone-cold genre classics Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street. And without them we wouldn’t have their dubious legacy of derivative sequels, remakes and reboots that has plagued multiplexes for going on fifteen years now.
Outside of such an environment, a remake of (or sequel to?) The Town That Dreaded Sundown would never have been greenlit. The blind greed of studio executives is the only logical explanation for this movie’s existence. The creative merit of the enterprise certainly evades me.
Perhaps you need some context; I certainly did. The original was a 1976 slasher...
When you think about it, John Carpenter and Wes Craven are to blame. Without them we wouldn’t have the stone-cold genre classics Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street. And without them we wouldn’t have their dubious legacy of derivative sequels, remakes and reboots that has plagued multiplexes for going on fifteen years now.
Outside of such an environment, a remake of (or sequel to?) The Town That Dreaded Sundown would never have been greenlit. The blind greed of studio executives is the only logical explanation for this movie’s existence. The creative merit of the enterprise certainly evades me.
Perhaps you need some context; I certainly did. The original was a 1976 slasher...
- 3/18/2015
- by Mark Allen
- Nerdly
Stars: Addison Timlin, Veronica Cartwright, Anthony Anderson, Travis Tope, Joshua Leonard, Andy Abele, Gary Cole, Edward Herrmann, Ed Lauter, Arabella Field, Denis O’Hare, Spencer Treat Clark, Wes Chatham, Morganna May, Jaren Mitchell | Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Earl E. Smith | Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
In 1946, the American town of Texarkana was rocked by a series of murders. Dubbed “The Moonlight Murders” by the press, these were real, tragic events that scarred the town. In 1976, Charles B. Pierce directed The Town That Dreaded Sundown, a film “based on true events” depicting the events of the killing spree thirty years earlier. There’s an ongoing tradition in Texarkana to show a drive-in screening of the film on Halloween every year.
And now in 2014, American Horror Story‘s Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has created a new version of Town that finds itself with a unique premise. Acknowledging that both the 1946 murders took place, and that the 1976 film was released,...
In 1946, the American town of Texarkana was rocked by a series of murders. Dubbed “The Moonlight Murders” by the press, these were real, tragic events that scarred the town. In 1976, Charles B. Pierce directed The Town That Dreaded Sundown, a film “based on true events” depicting the events of the killing spree thirty years earlier. There’s an ongoing tradition in Texarkana to show a drive-in screening of the film on Halloween every year.
And now in 2014, American Horror Story‘s Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has created a new version of Town that finds itself with a unique premise. Acknowledging that both the 1946 murders took place, and that the 1976 film was released,...
- 11/4/2014
- by Dan Woolstencroft
- Nerdly
Reviewed by Kevin Scott
MoreHorror.com
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976)
Written by: Earl E. Smith
Directed by: Charles B. Pierce
Cast: Ben Johnson (Capt. J.D. Morales), Andrew Prine (Deputy Norman Ramsey), Dawn Wells (Helen Reed), Charles B. Pierce (Patrolman A.C. Benson), Robert Aquino (Sherriff Otis Barker), Jimmy Clem (Sgt. Mal Griffin), Jim Citty (Police Chief R.J. Sullivan), Cindy Butler (Peggy Loomis)
If I had seen this film, it’s been a fleeting memory, and my recollections of it were sketchy to non-existent. I had to watch it when I saw it on Netflix. This happens to be one of the granddaddy’s of the slasher film genre when there was no genre at all. At this particular point in 1976, there was only one other, and that was “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. No “Halloween” yet, and “Friday the 13th” was even further down the line. My expectations...
MoreHorror.com
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976)
Written by: Earl E. Smith
Directed by: Charles B. Pierce
Cast: Ben Johnson (Capt. J.D. Morales), Andrew Prine (Deputy Norman Ramsey), Dawn Wells (Helen Reed), Charles B. Pierce (Patrolman A.C. Benson), Robert Aquino (Sherriff Otis Barker), Jimmy Clem (Sgt. Mal Griffin), Jim Citty (Police Chief R.J. Sullivan), Cindy Butler (Peggy Loomis)
If I had seen this film, it’s been a fleeting memory, and my recollections of it were sketchy to non-existent. I had to watch it when I saw it on Netflix. This happens to be one of the granddaddy’s of the slasher film genre when there was no genre at all. At this particular point in 1976, there was only one other, and that was “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. No “Halloween” yet, and “Friday the 13th” was even further down the line. My expectations...
- 10/23/2014
- by admin
- MoreHorror
The Town That Dreaded Sundown
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Earl E. Smith
Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
USA, 2014
The Cabin in the Woods was the final frontier for slasher films… or at least it should have been. Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s 2011 horror-comedy took all of the subgenre’s tropes and turned them on their head. It acknowledged every character stereotype and rejected each one. The slasher film received a complete deconstruction, and now it may be best to simply pack it away. Sadly, The Town That Dreaded Sundown heralds an uninspired return to form. It just may be the blandest movie to feature violent homicide and ruthless killers.
A remake of the 1976 cult film, The Town That Dreaded Sundown heavily incorporates its predecessor into its story. Set in Texarkana, Texas, the movie takes place several decades after a string of serial murders were committed. Each Halloween the town...
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Earl E. Smith
Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
USA, 2014
The Cabin in the Woods was the final frontier for slasher films… or at least it should have been. Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s 2011 horror-comedy took all of the subgenre’s tropes and turned them on their head. It acknowledged every character stereotype and rejected each one. The slasher film received a complete deconstruction, and now it may be best to simply pack it away. Sadly, The Town That Dreaded Sundown heralds an uninspired return to form. It just may be the blandest movie to feature violent homicide and ruthless killers.
A remake of the 1976 cult film, The Town That Dreaded Sundown heavily incorporates its predecessor into its story. Set in Texarkana, Texas, the movie takes place several decades after a string of serial murders were committed. Each Halloween the town...
- 9/23/2014
- by Jacob Carter
- SoundOnSight
MGM is set to remake Charles B. Pierce's 1976 crime mystery The Town that Dreaded Sundown, which originally starred Ben Johnson and Andrew Prine " Variety reports that MGM had no comment, however they've been asking agents for possible takes from writers for the reboot of the film first written by Earl E. Smith. The original film set in Arkansas, 1946, follows a Texas Ranger on the hunt for a hooded serial killer who terrorizes residents of a small town. It's loosely based on a true story.
- 11/28/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
MGM is set to remake Charles B. Pierce's 1976 crime mystery The Town that Dreaded Sundown, which originally starred Ben Johnson and Andrew Prine " Variety reports that MGM had no comment, however they've been asking agents for possible takes from writers for the reboot of the film first written by Earl E. Smith. The original film set in Arkansas, 1946, follows a Texas Ranger on the hunt for a hooded serial killer who terrorizes residents of a small town. It's loosely based on a true story.
- 11/28/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
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