66 years after the original murders – the Phantom has returned to Texarkana.

I’ll be honest. I consider myself a well seasoned veteran of the horror game. Yet I never saw the original Town That Dreaded Sundown until about two years ago. It’s not uncommon to watch an older film for the first time and understand why it was shocking for its time, but that wasn’t the case for me. That movie was insanely violent and brutal. Even by today’s standards. If you haven’t seen it – get on that. For now, lets talk about the reboot.

Sundown 2014 takes place in a self aware world. One that remembers the tragedy that inspired the 1976 film. In fact, the youth of Texarkana get together once a year for an annual screening. The town doesn’t seem to have evolved much over the last 38 years. The kids are still driving around in automobiles from the mid 70’s and every home we enter seems to have been untouched by the modern civilization. It was strange at first, but it helped keep a retro sort of vibe to a film that is very much 2014.

Our  main character is kept alive purposely by our returning Phantom to act as a messenger. He wants her to make the town remember the murders. “Make them remember” he says. Interestingly enough, no one really seems to have forgotten. You know, annual screenings and everything. I suppose we can explain this request due to the fact that the town youth seems to be making light of the original events. Our Phantom wants them to remember fear.

The story works quite well – all things considered. The characters are somewhat ample. Some suspiciously unnecessary. There were also some strange decisions made in casting these roles. Anthony Anderson and Gary Cole are both law enforcement. Men that are usually cast in comedic roles. This could have worked out well – since law enforcement was often comedic in the original, but none of that here. These guys are all business. They do well enough … just strange to see.

When it comes to the Phantom he is as brutal as ever. He is one of the most aggressive horror icons in history. Also one of the few that can straight up shoot a motherfucker with a gun and not get docked points for creativity. After all, his favorite musical instrument does make an appearance. The scares are often “jump” induced – so make sure you are watching this one with the surround sound cranked up. They’ll get ya. After the jump scare though, some good old fashion violence usually ensues. Sundown 2014 pulls few punches here, but certainly keeps it tasteful… if thats a thing in our industry.

I say you put The Town That Dreaded Sundown on your watch list ASAP. Hell, make it a night and watch both of them. I feel confident that you will come away satisfied with each.