The Phantom is played by Bud Davis, who later worked as stunt coordinator on films such as Forrest Gump, Cast Away, and Inglourious Basterds.

The film's tagline claims that the man who killed five people "still lurks the streets of Texarkana, Ark.," causing officials of that neighboring city to threaten Pierce over the ads in 1977.

Before the "Phantom-attacks", which occurred about eight months after World War II, Texarkana was pleasant and citizens were preparing for a good future.

Soon, the hood of the car opens and closes and a man with a bag over his head with holes cut out for his eyes is seen holding wires he had yanked from the engine.

At the hospital, a doctor tells Sheriff Barker that Linda was not raped but that her back, stomach, and breasts were "heavily bitten; literally chewed."

On March 24, while investigating a lovers' lane in heavy rain, Ramsey hears gunshots and finds Howard W. "Buddy" Turner dead in a ditch and the corpse of his girlfriend, Emma Lou Cook, tied to a tree.

Sheriff Barker calls in help and tells Ramsey they are getting the most famous criminal investigator in the country, the "Lone Wolf" of the Texas Rangers, Captain J.D.

The Phantom attaches a pocket knife to the distal end of the slide of Peggy's trombone and kills her while "playing" the instrument by repeatedly projecting the slide-with-knife forward into her back while she is tied to the tree.

Morales and other officers meet with psychiatrist Dr. Kress at a restaurant, where he explains that the Phantom is a highly intelligent sadist with a strong sex drive, between the ages of 35 and 40.

At home that night, Helen asks her husband Floyd, who is sitting in front of a window in his armchair, if he hears somebody walking outside.

Years later, during the Christmas season of 1976, the film The Town That Dreaded Sundown premieres in Texarkana and the shoes of the Phantom are seen on someone standing in line.

McQuarrie had painted the poster for Pierce's The Legend of Boggy Creek, then later for his films Bootleggers (1974), Winterhawk (1975), and Winds of Autumn (1976).

McQuarrie became recognized for his talent and went on to paint posters for Creature from Black Lake (1976), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Battlestar Galactica (1978), Back to the Future (1985), and the original Star Wars trilogy.

[13] The advertising department placed the controversial phrase, "In 1946, this man killed five people...today he still lurks the streets of Texarkana, Ark."

[18] Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "A couple of professional actors, Ben Johnson and Andrew Prine, head the cast, but the film looks nonprofessional in every other respect.

Film never reaches the truly frightening level of Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a much more stylish exploitation pic with a similar theme.

"[20] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "this week's trash picture," writing that the film had "no discernible point except to depict a series of particularly grisly killings with a lingering, graphic morbidity.

"[21] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave it half a star out of four, calling it "a dumb film" that "ends unsatisfactorily without our knowing who the killer is, his motive, or whether he is now dead or alive.

Morales, and, "Although the picture lacks a strong ending, Pierce does one of the most credible jobs of engineering the tense, horrifying murder scenes.

"[23] Mark Melson, Shreveport Times Amusement editor, opined that it "may prove interesting to some viewers for one reason or another," but was "ultimately unsatisfying.

"[24] William Whitaker of the Abilene Reporter-News gave the film a negative review, stating, "where I was expecting a dramatic retelling of the mysterious case concerning the phantom killer and his bizarre murders, I was greeted with an extremely uneven picture, collapsing into the most sickening, blood-weltering scenes one minute and then lapsing into some incredibly bad comedy relief the next.

A reporter in El Paso, Texas, gave it a mixed review, writing that "this mixture of humor with fact saved The Town... as it wakes the audience when things begin to lag.

"[26] Scott Weinberg from FEARnet gave the film a positive review, in writing it is, "Arguably the most accomplished feature from the late Charles B.

On the real morning of March 24, a passing motorist spotted a car and found the bodies of Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore inside before calling the authorities.

"Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas, the real-life Texas Ranger upon whom the character is based, did not come to Texarkana until after the second double-murder near Spring Lake Park.

[34] The film then shows a high school prom with the character "Peggy Loomis" playing a trombone, and officers setting up decoys in an attempt to capture the Phantom.

He claimed his sister, who was portrayed as "Emma Lou Cook" in the film, was depicted "as a high school dropout and a woman with loose and low morals; when in fact none of such was true."

The Sixth Court of Civil Appeals in Texarkana agreed again that the film's producers did not invade his privacy and that he was not entitled to any money.

[39] A follow-up metasequel by Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum was released on October 16, 2014, in select theaters and then on Video on Demand the following day.

Addison Timlin plays the lead role and is supported by Gary Cole, Ed Lauter, and Veronica Cartwright.