The Town That Dreaded Sundown 2014

On October 31, 2013, in the quaint town of Texarkana, nestled along the Arkansas and Texas border, the local drive-in theater screens its annual Halloween showing of the notorious 1976 movie The Town That Dreaded Sundown. This film is steeped in the harrowing true story of the Phantom Killer, whose violent reign of terror gripped Texarkana in 1946. Among the audience are Corey Holland (Spencer Treat Clark) and Jami Lerner (Addison Timlin), who, realizing that Jami isn’t enjoying the film, decide to leave. As they park in a secluded area, their intimate moment is shattered when the Phantom appears in the woods. Suddenly thrust into a nightmare, the Phantom breaks their window, forces them out, and brutally slashes Corey while Jami is ordered not to look back. In a chilling moment, he taunts her with the words, >“This is for Mary. Make them remember!” Jami narrowly escapes, only to collapse back at the drive-in.

The following morning, police question Jami at the hospital before she’s released. That night, she and her grandmother, Lillian (Veronica Cartwright), watch the news recounting the violent incident, spurring Jami to research the original killings. She mourns at Corey’s funeral just days later. Kendra Collins, another young woman, faces her own terror when her boyfriend Daniel Torrens returns from military service. After a passionate reunion at a motel, she is met with horror as the Phantom smashes the window, launching her into a frantic escape that ends in tragedy.

As Jami receives threatening phone calls from the Phantom, saying, >“I’m going to do it again and again until you make them remember,” she confides in her police escort, Deputy Foster (Joshua Leonard). The town gathers in fear, securing their homes during a meeting. Jami continues her investigation at the City Hall archives, enlisting help from Nick (Travis Tope). The case is taken over by Texas Ranger Lone Wolf Morales (Anthony Anderson), who looks into the mystery further.

As Jami’s research deepens, revealing eerie connections to the past, she uncovers a threatening e-mail. Despite her concerns being dismissed by the police, she attends a vigil, where the masked Phantom makes a shocking appearance, only to be shot down by a marine. What they thought would signify safety only leads to more bloodshed. The narrative takes dark turns with the murders of band members Johnny and Roy, and the revelation of another killer lurking in the shadows, amplifying the town’s dread.

While investigating further, Jami learns that Reverend Cartwright ([Edward Herrmann]) sent her that threatening e-mail, but suspicions linger about his involvement in the ongoing terror. With a twist of fate, Jami and Nick discover the story of Hank McCreedy—a forgotten victim of the original Phantom, which hints at a disturbing connection to the current killer.

Christmas Eve brings another tragedy as the Phantom ruthlessly murders a woman in a shocking act of violence. As tensions rise, Jami learns of her acceptance to college in California and shares a fateful night with Nick before tragedy strikes again.

Following her grandmother’s injury at a gas station due to the Phantom’s attack, Jami’s fight for survival leads her into a deadly confrontation at the Union train station. In a heart-stopping climax, she fends off two individuals masquerading as the Phantom: one is Deputy Foster, and the other is her supposedly deceased boyfriend, Corey. With revelations about the legacy of violence in Texarkana, Jami confronts her fears, ultimately killing Foster in self-defense.

In the aftermath, Jami escapes the clutches of her traumatic past, leaving Texarkana for a fresh start at college, but not without an ominous reminder—the chilling shadow of the Phantom lurks, suggesting her ordeal is far from over.