The Town That Dreaded Sundown

R

Released Oct 16, 2014

1h 25m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

List

66%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

A masked maniac terrorizes the same small community where a murderer known as the Phantom Killer struck decades earlier.

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Critics Consensus

It may occasionally mistake more gore for genuine terror, but The Town That Dreaded Sundown is just stylish and clever enough to justify this second stab at the source material.

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Jonathan Romney

Observer (UK)

With its small-town atmospherics, a juicy supporting cast of character players, plus Addison Timlin's personable, plucky "final girl", this Town is pulled off with polished, enjoyable brashness ...

Rated: 3/5

Apr 19, 2015

Full Review

Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

This is an exercise in nostalgia as much as bloodletting. The filmmakers are paying their very own tribute to teen-horror pics of the 1970s.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 16, 2015

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

Not a straight remake of the 1976 cult horror movie, The Town That Dreaded Sundown is more a self-referential homage that takes the original film's legacy and embellishes it.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 16, 2015

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Bloody Disgusting

...that's my larger overall problem with The Town That Dreaded Sundown: it makes the capital mistake of thinking that graphic violence and visual panache is enough to keep its audience entertained.

Feb 22, 2020

Full Review

John Bleasdale

CineVue

So much obvious thought has gone into making the film visually striking that the script seems to have gone unread. There's no other explanation for the woeful stupidity of some of the characters' actions and the blandness of the dialogue.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 4, 2019

Full Review

Bill Graham

The Film Stage

While its tone wildly varies, when it comes to the glut of horror remakes, it's a slight step ahead of the standard batch.

Rated: C+

Mar 2, 2016

Full Review

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SkyRo P

After viewing "The Town That Dreaded Sundown," I had high hopes for a thrilling horror movie that would keep me on the edge of my seat. However, the film turned out to be a letdown, with a twist at the end being the only moment of intrigue. The rest of the movie felt drawn-out, absurd, and uninteresting. As the plot unfolded, it became increasingly clear that the film was leading to nowhere, and the gradual decline in quality left me feeling disengaged until the final twist involving the murderer. Despite some horror elements being teased throughout, they failed to deliver any significant impact, leaving the viewer with a sense of unfulfilled expectations. Additionally, the film relied heavily on sexual themes that felt unnecessary and out of place. Overall, "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" failed to live up to its potential as a captivating horror movie and instead ended up being a disappointing and unsatisfying watch.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/18/24

Full Review

Jules N

Un bon slasher bien gore et très froid dans l'exécution des meurtres.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/24

Full Review

Alec B

It's not the first horror sequel/remake to engage in meta commentary, but it's probably the only one where the original film is unremarkable and mostly forgotten. As a result, the killer's desire here to be remembered takes on a unique significance. Obviously it all falls apart by the end, but the movie is still an oddity worth checking out.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

Ray S

This film was just good enough that I didn't feel like I wasted my time watching it. The acting was good. Cinematography and editing was good. It gives you jump-scares but they're not cheap. The plot is dumb as heck though. There's nothing really memorable about this film although it's just-barely good enough that I won't include spoilers in this review.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/28/23

Full Review

KerryWhite's S

Rating: 7/10. 70/100

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/25/23

Full Review

L S

Pretty hollow hash of creepy mystery killer returning to keep the small town local legend alive. Doesn't really have any depth. But easy watch.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/23/23

Full Review

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Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Director

Addison Timlin

Jami

Travis Tope

Nick

Spencer Treat Clark

Corey

Veronica Cartwright

Lillian

Gary Cole

Chief Deputy Tillman

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Synopsis

A masked maniac terrorizes the same small community where a murderer known as the Phantom Killer struck decades earlier.

Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Producer: Jason Blum, Ryan Murphy
Screenwriter: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Distributor: Orion Pictures
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Blumhouse Productions
Rating: R (Language|Grisly Images|Brutal Violence|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 16, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 6, 2016
Runtime: 1h 25m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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