The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

Spirits were high in Texarkana following World War II, until a couple was attacked at lovers' lane by a man wearing a hood.  Three weeks later, another couple are found murdered, sending shockwaves throughout the once serene town.  Now dubbed the Phantom Killer, it's up to Sherriff Barker and criminal investigator J.D. Morales to track him down.  They eventually do, but the Phantom Killer is able to escape, never to be caught.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown is loosely based on The Texarkana Moonlight Murders which took place in the spring of 1946.  Five out of the eight people attacked were killed.  At sundown, terrified residents barricaded themselves in their homes, armed with guns.  The Phantom Killer was never captured but was believed to be Youell Swinney. The film received mix reviews upon release and certainly drags in places, but is still worth a watch.  The Phantom Killer is noted for being a clothing trendsetter for future mass murderer Jason Voorhees. 

Visiting the part of Texarkana where filming took place was like stepping back in time, similar to my trek to Loleta, CA for Halloween III: Season of The Witch (1982).  I dreaded ;-) the drive to and from during my stay in Dallas, but it was definitely worth it.  Not much had changed and there was a very creepy feeling as practically no one was around.  As you'll see in the photos, the buildings of the town are quite dilapidated so if you're thinking of checking out the locations, I would get thee to Texarkana.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown was filmed in Texarkana, TX, Texarkana, AR and Shreveport, LA


Location: The Train Station
Address: 100 E Front Street, Texarkana, AR  Union Station

Location: The Hotel  

Address: 101 W Front Street, Texarkana, AR

Location: The Police Station

Address: 100 E Front Street, Texarkana, AR

The police station is connected to the train station...

Location: The Paramount Theatre
Address: 101 W Front Street, Texarkana, AR

Location: The College Auditorium
Address: 2500 N Robison Road, Texarkana, TX   Texarkana College

The building seen in the film was torn down...

Location: The Church
Address: W 14th Street & Bowie Street, Texarkana, TX

Another location that is no longer...

Location: The Cemetery
Address: 5399 Mandeville Road, Texarkana, AR

East Memorial Gardens Cemetery

Location: The Prom
Address: 601 Locust Street, Texarkana, AR

Location: The Trombone Murder
Address: 4303 N Park Road, Texarkana, TX  Spring Lake Park

This is not the exact area where the scenes were filmed but it gives you an idea.  One of the actual murders took place nearby...

Location: Palmer's Grocery & Meats
Address: 1738 W 7th Street, Texarkana, TX

Originally I thought this location might be in Shreveport, LA.  It turns out it is actually located in Texarkana.  Thank you to Matthew Dainey Carson for this information.  Here are a few shots from Google...

Thanks to GrahmsGuide for providing information on several locations.


Locations Visited: October 2019

Locations Master List