The
Town That Dreaded Sundown (2015
remake/Image Blu-ray)
Pictures:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: D Film: C+
A
remake of the 1976 film, this new version from the producers of
American Horror Story is more grotesque and slightly more
updated to modern times. I haven't seen the original yet, so I can't
really compare the two but ultimately I felt like the plot was highly
reminiscent of Scream or even Scooby Doo where its basically a
whodunit mystery with some flashy gore in for good measure.
65
years after a masked serial killer terrorized the small town of
Texarkana, the so-called 'moonlight murders' begin again. Is it a
copycat or something even more sinister? A lonely high school girl,
with dark secrets of her own, may be the key to catching him. As the
body count stars to rise and the carnage amps up, our lead character
Jami delves deeper into the mystery with the help of the town
archivist Nick (Travis Tope), following clues that point her toward
the killer's true identity. Could the killer be Jason Vorhees from
Friday the 13th, Part Two? You will
have to see the film to find out!
The
film stars Addison Timlin, Veronica Cartwright (Ridley Scott's
Alien), Anthony Anderson, and Gary Cole and is directed by
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. Based on a true story, the film has a strong 80
minutes and a terrible ending with an overly long explanation of the
crime. The most interesting thing about the film is that its
released under MGM's Orion Pictures name, which hasn't had a feature
film released under its name since 1999. The opening also features a
nice little cameo of the original film playing on a screen in a
drive-in theater.
Captured
in 1080p high definition and a widescreen presentation, the film
looks great on disc with a lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1
audio mix that's pretty strong and definitely improves upon the
film's original VOD debut.
With
minimal extras, The Town That Dreaded Sundown isn't the worst
horror remake of recent knowledge or the worst. If you are craving a
slasher tale based on a true story then it may be worth a spin.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
