SashaDarko It's based on the original movie with same title, which itself is based on true events. Three layers of meta or so, since the characters here know and watch the 1976 movie, with the killer repeating the scenes. Unlike the 1976 movie, this one feels much more engaging and fresh - not just because of the intriguing story which keeps you on the edge guessing who is the killer, but also because of the visuals. It has some creative camera work which greatly adds to the overall atmosphere. The director from Spain was the right choice, because in case with some American horror director they most likely would make yet another boring by-the-book reboot. The main heroine is a way too lightheaded and naive though.7.5/10

Nigel P 65 years ago, a masked man attacked residents of small town Texarkana. Now it appears the miscreant is back. Speaking with a modulated voice in slow deliberate tones, the 'moonlight murderer' begins his killing spree all over again.The production values are decent, the acting is convincing. So why do I find this tortuously dull? How can something with a fair amount of screaming teens and restrainedly gruesome killings not arrest my attention? Could it be that Jami (Addison Timlin) speaks in a monotone and insipid manner no matter what the emotion? To be fair to her, her contempories are often much the same. Far from the strutting posturers that frequent such films usually (which is a mercy), they are on the other end of the spectrum. Humbly mumbling their lines to one another, it is difficult to work out one character from another. Inoffensive –sweet even - to the point of inertia, these characters are barely even cyphers for the marauding killer, who is also without much in the way of presence.It may be that I am simply not in the mood for this, but there seems to be no life in any facet of the proceedings. Even the occasional sex scene fails to break free of this miasma. Why is the murderer doing these things? Just *because*, really. I feel bad about my nonchalance – after all, a great deal of work has presumably gone into creating this: the bleakness of the locale is nicely conveyed by Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and Ludwig Goransson's musical score is nicely haunting; there's a good set piece where a couple wake up to find their scarecrow perched on the wooden stand has been replaced by the bloody corpse of a young girl … and then within moments the lacklustre performance of those trying to solve the mystery drags things back down again. Sadly unengaging throughout.

tvsweeney-39052 There's nothing new or innovative in this film. It's formulaic from beginning to end. With few exceptions, those going to die and what comes afterward are as clear as an outline.Though well-acted by a veteran cast, the movie is at times episodic-appearing, fading to a flashback and back again in such a way the viewer may think at first it's part of the current scene. The "Movie in the Park" is also intershot with the first chase scene, confusing the action. To further confound things, there are two voice-overs, a narrator and Jami.When grisly death occurs, it's surprisingly lacking in gore. Killings are shown in shadow or silhouette, as long shots, or the camera pans away at a strategic moment. Most of the famous "trombone knifing" scene concentrates on the killer's face.One very good and imaginative shot is from above a corn field, showing the killer going in one direction while his victim crawls on hands and knees in the opposite, their paths clearly delineated in artistic patterns by trampled cornstalks.The best things going for this film are its sometimes creative cinematography, and the fact that characters usually not killed, are, in this one.

Argemaluco I vaguely remember having watched The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) many years ago, but the only things I remember about it are the trombone murder and the absurd sense of humor the films directed by Charles B. Pierce used to employ (my favorite one from his filmography is Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues..., which I remember more clearly, because I have watched it approximately 10 times). So, I started watching The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014) without any nostalgic obstructions... and I liked it pretty much due to its sophisticated manufacture and narrative ingenuity. In fact, I wouldn't consider it a remake, but a kind of post-modern re-imagination which doesn't only recognize the existence of the original film, but also employs its fame and archetypes to enrich the narrative. In order to explain myself better, I will summarize the first scenes: in late- 2013, the main character and her boyfriend are watching the annual exhibition of the film The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) at a Texarkana drive-in cinema, during the anniversary of the real-life murders from 1946. She feels uncomfortable watching the horrors on the screen because she still suffers the consequences of having violently lost her parents while being a child. So, he suggests her to go anywhere else, and she accepts. Unfortunately, that place ends up being a "lovers lane", in which they find a sinister hooded figure, exactly like the one they saw in the film... and well, things quickly get worse. That ingenious combination of fiction, reality and meta-fiction characterizes the creative screenplay, which gets the important aid of the solid direction from Alfonso Gómez-Rejón, who employs a polished visual style supported by an extraordinary cinematography, exotic visual compositions and unusual camera angles. Sure, the style occasionally stands out more than it should, and it's not always compatible with the horror the film pretends to inspire us, but after having watched so many (SO MANY!) horror films which pretend to be rough or "grunge", it was very pleasant to find such a polished and well shot movie. On the other hand, it's possible that all that ornament and artistic chervil will be disliked by the fans of more traditional horror. That's a valid point of view, but personally, I found The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014) quite an interesting alternative which complements its images with a clever screenplay, built around a solid mystery with the obligatory suspects, false clues and unexpected twists (which aren't very original, but are well implemented). And we also have a competent performance from Addison Timlin as the "final girl" (and "initial girl" also, thinking it well), which is well complemented by the credible works from Gary Cole, Veronica Cartwright and the late Edward Herrmann and Ed Lauter. In conclusion, I think I can recommend The Town That Dreaded Sundown even to those who don't usually visit the horror genre, because it feels more like a thriller which occasionally employs the horror tools (bloody murders, masked villains) in order to bring more forcefulness to the experience, without betraying the spirit of both genres.