31 Days of Horror 2022 Day 12 The Town that Dreaded Sundown

 

TITLE-The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976)

SOURCE-Shudder

This is a film I had heard about for years. Never saw it for rent  back when I was in a video store every week renting movies. Never saw it airing on TV. Then during my decade in Southeast Texas I finally saw it. A buddy's mother was an extra in the film. And she happened to have a VHS copy of the movie. I watched it and found the film to be a bit slow.

Skip ahead 22 years and I was flipping through all the streaming services I have. Trying to find something to watch. Saw Shudder had this movie and put it on. This viewing I was glued to the screen.

Based on true events,this is set in the Texarkana area in the mid 40s. A person  wearing what looks  like a flour sack over his head is going to the various places teens would go park and make out. 

This killer ,who still hasn't been caught,killed 8 people over the span of a few months. I'm betting whoever the killer was is dead by now. And I doubt we will ever  learn who the killer was.

Now the cast of the  film is mostly unknowns,with lots of local people making up the non-major parts. The only person in the film I knew was Dawn Wells,best known for being Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island. 

The film has a very documentary style feel. There is a narrator,Vern  Steirman,and the scenes of the attacks feel like the re-enactmonts from all the true crime shows that flood the cable tv channels currently.

I've always wondered if Jason's look in Friday the 13th part 2 is inspired by this film. From what I can find The Town that Dreaded Sundown was a cult hit. One of those films that most horror fans had heard of,but one that very few had scene.

Overall the film isn't bad. Sure it is a bit slow paced. And it doesn't contain the over the top violence you expect now from a slasher film.  But if you go into the movie with all that in mind and aren't some ADHD kid you should enjoy it.

The Town that Dreaded Sundown gets a C+

31 Days of Horror Day 16 Killer's Delight

Title-Killer's Delight

Source-Code Red DVD

Before finding this DVD I had never even heard of the movie. Made in 1978 this is one of the many proto-slashers that came out before Friday the 13th took the subgenre and exploded it into mainstream.

As I mentioned in my review of Blood Feast II,this was the other DVD I found while waiting in line. I saw the cover. Saw it was from Code Red and took a chance on it. It was cheap and I know that most Code Red stuff that goes out of print jumps up in price pretty quick. So figured I would get home check it's value sealed. Then if it wasn't worth a bunch open it up and give it a watch. Well turns out this is one of the early releases from Code Red and I guess there is enough supply to satisfy the demand for the DVD. Cause used copies are selling for about what I paid for it new. And sealed copies are at the most 10 bucks. Yep that means I am gonna open and watch it.

Set in San Francisco in the late 70s this movie was inspired by the unsolved Zodiac Killer murders and the then unsolved Ted Bundy murders.  Seems like this movie didn't do much in theaters. Then was forgot about until it got retitled The Dark Ride during it's VHS release. Then got retitled again as The Sports Killer when it got released in syndication for TV airings.

Now Killer's Delight is less like the serial killer movies we have gotten in the last 30 years and is more like a 70s cop drama. The focus is on the two cops trying to solve the murders. And the killer is kept a bit mysterious for a good chunk of the film.

The cast is almost all people I don't know. Outside of 2. First up is Martin Speer.

 Now while most horror fans won't know his name,they will remember him as Dee Wallace's husband in the original Hills have Eyes. And in this movie he is good. The other known actor/actress is Susan Sullivan.

 I know she has been around for decades. I best know her as Kitty on Dharma and Greg. 

The DVD has a decent amount of extras. We get some trailers. But the best extra is the commentary. With the director and a moderator. It is pretty informative and entertaining. 

I wish Code Red had used a different cover. There is plenty of nice movie posters for this movie. Ones that don't make the movie look like a super sleazy piece of 70s exploitation. Which this film really isn't. Hell there isn't much in this movie that would have to be cut for it to air on TV today. And really it feels a lot like a 70s TV show version of an episode of Law and Order SVU than a late 70s slashers.

While I am glad I found and got to see this movie,mostly cause I love finding slashers or proto-slashers I have never seen,it isn't one I see myself watching often. Since I bought it I have watched it 4 times. 3 of the 4 times I watched it with the commentary. 

Killer's Delight gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2016 Film 03 Savage Weekend

Title-Savage Weekend
Source-Blu Ray

This is kind of a forgotten proto-slasher from the early 70s. I had never heard of it. Then on one of Mill Creeks 50 horror films in one huge boxsets I discovered it. This battered cropped and what I found out later on severely cut film caught my attention. And now thanks to the above pictured Blu ray you can see this oddity in it's original theatrical version.

Set in what I am guessing is upstate New York,a group of 5 young adults from the city go on vacation. Were after the gay member of this group gets the best of a bar full of rednecks,we find out that mentally challenged handyman Otis,William Sanderson in a very early role,has a history of violence. And not long after this we get a series of strangely shot and scored kills.And these kills are fairly bloody and for the early 70s halfway graphic.

This is a somewhat slowly paced film. But for me it was never slow enough it got boring.Every 7 minutes or so something was happening to keep me interested. I am betting Sanderson took some of this Otis role and used it when he was on the 80s sitcom Newhart.Also of interest is that Yancy Butler has a small role in this as one of the 5's daughter.

Since this blu has come out I am starting to see an increase in interest in this fairly fun,but a bit slow proto-slasher.

Savage Weekend gets a B-.

31 Days of Horror 2015 Day 12 Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays
Source-Echo Bridge 20 movies for $5 DVD pack

Before buying the 20 horror films for $5 pack I hadn't even heard of Home for the Holidays. I was looking at the back of the pack,saw this film's title and that Sally Fields was in it I had to grab it.Then I started looking it up. Seems it was made for TV in 1972. And Aaron Spelling was the producer.

A man calls his 4 daughters and asks them to come to his house for the X-mas holidays. They get there and he reveals he thinks his new wife is poisoning him and wants him dead. Then a horrible thunderstorm hits. And the killer appears. Wearing a yellow rain jacket and armed with a pitchfork. Now since this was made for TV the violence and gore levels are pretty much at zero. But the acting is really good and I was kind of surprised with how much I enjoyed this movie.

I like how this came out before Black Christmas and Halloween,both of which are considered the first slasher films,and all the slasher tropes appear in this film. For that reason since seeing it I have considered this film a proto-slasher. Kind of how like now Psycho is considered a proto-slasher.

The DVD is bare bones. And looks like it is a VHS rip. But considering the VHS is kind of rare,and this is the only DVD release of the film and how much this cost it is worth grabbing if you find a copy.

Home for the Holidays gets a A-.