The Town That Dreaded Sundown (both the original 1977 film and its 2014 sequel) is a gore-filled slasher (pictured above) that might seem too over-the-top to be real, but its inspiration comes from a string of deranged killings in Texarkana in the Spring of 1946 by the Phantom Killer. Over the course of 10 weeks, eight people (all couples) were attacked in twisted ways (many of the women were sexually assaulted, and most victims were shot multiple times). Curfews were initiated and businesses began to close early, leaving streets looking like a ghost town by nightfall (hence the film's name). The killer was never found, but the teenagers in his first attack described him as a large man wearing a plain white mask that had holes cut out for his eyes and mouth.
