That's him! That's him! Mister, you owe me a dollar for driving you today!


The Town The Dreaded Sundown
Rated: N/A
Genre:Horror/Drama
Release Date: February 3,1977
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Starring: Ben Johnson (The Swarm, Terror Train) Andrew Prine (Freddy's Nightmares, V) Dawn Wells (Gilligan's Island)
Director: Charles Pierce
Writer:Earl E Smith
DVD Extras: Not on DVD
The Story:Set in the late 40's the residents of Texarkana, Texas are left terrorized by a mysterious hooded killer who is stalking victims during the evening and leaving the local police at a loss.
Tag line:In 1946 this man killed five people... Today he still lurks the streets of Texarkana, Ark.
Where I picked this up: Old VHS

After Charles Pierce's passing earlier this month, it was time to finally track down a movie that had kept me wondering for a few years now. Why you ask well I will tell you. Going to Flashback weekend and hanging out with the Monster Kids Classic Horrors Film Board I have heard allot about this movie. From gray market copies to really hard to pass up posters and t-shirts you must admit this movie looks interesting. Also, legend would have you believe that "Phantom" was the inspiration for Jason Vorhees on Friday the 13Th Part 2. This is also a very sought after VHS with fans screaming for a DVD release.

To give this movie the documentary feels we get a narrator (Vern Stierman) to set the tone. He will fill in the story and let you know how the town folk feels. Some people really do not like this part of the movie but myself I feel it was a good fit. Now the opening scene with the "Phantom" (Bud Davis Child's Play the blob '88) plays out really well. He hides in the shadows and creeps up very well. After beating the snot of the two kids he gets a little wimpy picking up a gun. Sure this is based on a true story and maybe the guy gets smarter. After almost getting caught the second time he gets a silencer for his gun. I do really like the idea of the Phantom its simple and works. He works well-slowing hunting down his victims. I can see how this lead to the killers we have today.

Now as the movie goes on I feel it loses a bit of what it is working so hard to do. I feel as if nobody knows how to drive. Was driving so hard back then? The First car you see vers off the road then the cops can't drive and so on. It almost comes across as comedy relief.

The Odd Jazz Pop soundtrack did not fit so well also. I under stand that this was the 40's but the sound track was very week.
Is Sparkplug trying to act like Barney Fife? Maybe the writer was ahead of his time making a Horror/Comedy that does not work at all.

I'm glad I finally tracked down this Horror film just for the simple history behind everything. I will most definitely pick up a t-shirt this year at FBW.The movie is worth finding if you are into low budget low horror and more thriller then gore you will find this movie did have a big impact on what we see today.

In today's remake craze this one would really fit the bill. This has Strong remake value. When they do a DVD I sure hope they will not turn out a bare bones disc. I would love a commentary and bonus features.

3 1/2 Bloody Brains out of 5

Power Man 5000 - Somewhere On The Other Side of Nowhere


Lead singer Spider (aka Michael Cummings the younger brother of Rob Zombie), the underground electro-metal band Powerman 5000 earned a popular cult following after 1997's "True Force" but it was not until the Napster craze that I found "Mega-Kung Fu Radio". After that, I was hooked. This new space age sounding electro metal was a new sound I have been waiting for. Then came "Tonight the Stars Re-Volt" that the band found its legs. Their love for old Sci-Fi and Horror flicks really help drive the sound of this band. But then came a string of not so powerful albums. Even so the band stayed together putting out their sound to the fans for over 12 years now. I was looking to give them a new shot and picked up the CD "Somewhere on the other side of nowhere". It is not to bad in fact I was unaware of their new tracks until this week. The release date was October 2009. After hearing "V is for Vampire" on the radio last week, I picked it up. There are a few gems on the album like "Horror Show" and "Time Bomb, Baby" help shape this into a good Metal CD. Nothing really new from the Powerman sound but if you're into Electic sound metal then this is worth picking up. If you are a fan of the band then you already have.
3 Bloody Brains out of 5

Charles B. Pierce 1938-2010


Another one of our genre's unsung heroes has passed on, and while he's not exactly a huge name in the industry, two of his films have been nothing if not influential to a lot of filmmakers still toiling away today.
Filmmaker Charles Pierce who was best known for his two films The Legend of Boggy Creek and The Town that Dreaded Sundown, has passed on quietly at the age of just 71 in his Dover, Tennessee, Nursing Home.
Charles also worked on such other classics as Boggy Creek 2: And the Legend Continues, Sudden Impact, Coffey, Killer Bees, and The Outlaw Josey Wales.