10 Horror Movie Villains You Didn't Know Were Based On Real-Life Monsters
2. The Town That Dreaded Sundown’s Phantom
The 1976 slasher flick tells the story of “Phantom attacks” committed at night in Texarkana. A man with a bag over his head with holes cut for eyes has been stalking the Texas town, killing teenagers pulled over in their cars on the side of the road. As the killings continue, the cops continue to chase the Phantom with little luck. With a killer on the loose, the town is thrown into a panic. Just as the cops move in, the Phantom escapes into the night.
The Phantom responsible for making sundown so dreadful was loosely based on the Texarkana Moonlight Murders’ “Phantom Killer.” In the spring of 1946, attacked eight people, five of whom were killed. Naturally, the murders sent the small Texas town into a frenzy, with locals arming themselves to the hilt and locking themselves indoors the minute sunset came around.
Other townspeople went the opposite route: Forming patrols and trying to bait the Phantom into capture. Alas, the Phantom disappeared as quickly as he came. The case, now over 70 years cold, remains open. Youell Swinney was the prime suspect for the crimes, with his wife having linked him to the murders. However, because his wife refused to testify against him, Swinney was never convicted.