Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- harsh
- stylish
- halloween viewing
- late night horror
What critics said
Critics generally found the film stylish and clever in its meta-horror approach, but unevenly scripted and too reliant on gore and a tired twist.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film follows a new series of murders while treating the earlier The Town That Dreaded Sundown as a film within its mythology.
The new phantom killer recreates the Texarkana Moonlight Murders decades after the original attacks.
Critics specifically praised the film's visuals, while its Texarkana setting and eerie lovers' lane attacks create a southern gothic atmosphere.
The film uses Scream-like meta commentary, references its source material, and builds suspense around whether the murders are a copycat performance.
Films like The Town that Dreaded Sundown, and why
Scream
meta slasher mystery with self-aware genre commentary, copycat violence, and teenage protagonists
The Strangers
stylized small-town slasher horror built around a masked killer and investigative suspense
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
self-referential horror mystery combining slasher conventions with cinephile awareness
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
southern gothic crime horror featuring a community haunted by recurring killings
Movie Details
- Director
- Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
- Release Date
- 2014-10-16
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (554)
Cast
- Addison Timlin
- Veronica Cartwright
- Travis Tope
- Anthony Anderson
- Joshua Leonard
- Denis O'Hare
- Spencer Treat Clark
- Andy Abele
- Gary Cole
- Edward Herrmann
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Town that Dreaded Sundown about?
- A masked copycat killer revives Texarkana’s infamous moonlight murders, drawing a secretive high school girl into a stylish, self-aware slasher mystery.
- What is The Town that Dreaded Sundown like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Town that Dreaded Sundown as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Town that Dreaded Sundown violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Town that Dreaded Sundown as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Town that Dreaded Sundown?
- Critics generally found the film stylish and clever in its meta-horror approach, but unevenly scripted and too reliant on gore and a tired twist.
- Which films are like The Town that Dreaded Sundown?
- Films with a similar feel include Scream, The Strangers, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
- How long is The Town that Dreaded Sundown?
- The Town that Dreaded Sundown runs 85 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Town that Dreaded Sundown?
- In United States, The Town that Dreaded Sundown streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
