The Town That Dreaded Sundown

Episode Transcript
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Ashley (00:08):
Welcome to Criminal Adaptations, the show where we
take a look at some of yourfavorite movies and the true
crime stories that inspired them.
I'm Ashley.
I'm a clinical psychologist andforensic evaluator in the state
of Oregon.

Remi (00:21):
And I'm Remy.
I spent over a decade workingin the film and television
industry in Los Angeles,California.

Ashley (00:28):
And welcome back everyone to Criminal Adaptations
.
Remy, how are you feeling thismorning?

Remi (00:35):
I'm feeling pretty okay.
All things considered.
It's a new episode, a new dayand a new true crime movie for
us to go over.
How are you doing today, ashley?

Ashley (00:46):
I'm doing pretty good.
We are gearing up to go toHawaii, so we're trying to bust
out several episodes before wego to make sure we stay on track
, so there might be a bonusepisode coming at some point.
We haven't decided yet on whatwe're going to do or how that's
going to look like, but it maybe in your future and ours.

Remi (01:07):
Yes, we have gotten pretty busy.
It's that busy time of year foreveryone, I think, with the
holidays coming up, and we are abit behind schedule.
We're recording this episode, Ithink, two days before it airs,
which is the closest we've everdone one of these.
But we are going to get theseepisodes out to you in a orderly
fashion.
But we may have to plop in abonus episode during our Hawaii

(01:31):
trip.
But don't worry, it will beamazing and it will be a
thousand times better than anybonus episode you have ever
heard in your entire life, Ipromise.

Ashley (01:40):
But today we are not doing a bonus episode, we are
doing a regular episode about anolder movie.
I think it came out what?
In early 70s and it is creditedas being the first slasher
movie Remy.
What are we talking about today?

Remi (01:57):
Today we will be discussing the 1976 film the
Town that Dreaded Sundown.
There was a sort of remake,meta sequel type thing that came
out in 2014 by Ryan Murphy.
We are not covering that one.
We did watch that one, so wewill discuss it.
But yes, this is a very old 70shorror slasher film that

(02:20):
predates even Halloween by, Ibelieve, two or three years, so
this is one of the horror filmsthat started it all.
I'm not saying it's one of thebest ever, but it is maybe one
of the first.

Ashley (02:33):
Quick correction when we say that it's by Ryan Murphy,
he didn't direct it, he didn'twrite it.
He was the executive producerof it and we'll touch on it at
the end.
But my big question to him waswhy?

Remi (02:47):
Ryan Murphy did, I believe , produce the 2014 version.
He had nothing to do with the70s version because he was
probably a little child at thetime, but do you know anything
about this town, that dreadedsundown or this crime?
Had you heard anything about itbefore we decided to do this
episode?

Ashley (03:12):
I had not heard of either of these movies and I had
not heard of this case at all.
The first time I heard of itwas when you told me about it.
You learned about it from acoworker, and really the main
thing that interests us about itis that there's some sort of
like celebration in the townTexarkana every year around the
time that some of these murderstook place, which just seems so
odd to me.

Remi (03:30):
The 2014 film actually touches on that a lot.
It centered around thisTexarkana film festival, where
they screen the town, thatdreaded sundown, which is pretty
crazy, because Texarkana is thetown where a real killer did
terrorize the community for aperiod of time, and the fact
that they made a slasher filmabout it that they now screen

(03:53):
every Halloween is prettymind-boggling to me.
I don't think that there areany other films that do that
sort of thing, and after seeingthe film, I am even more
surprised that it's a traditionthat continues on.
It's.
After seeing the film, I ameven more surprised that it's a
tradition that continues on.
It's not a good movie, people.

Ashley (04:08):
And hearing about this case like it's horrendous.
It's still technically unsolvedto this day and the surviving
victims of the Phantom Killerwhich is what the murderer was
dubbed by the media many of themnever recovered like
psychologically or took years to.

Remi (04:27):
And in the 2014 film, a lot of it centers around how the
community is very upset thatthis tradition is happening
every year.
It's very disrespectful to thevictims and it leads to more
bloodshed in the sequel.
But enough with the sequel.
Should we get into the 1976version of the Town that Dreaded

(04:47):
Sundown?

Ashley (04:48):
Yes, I'm very interested to see what you dug up on this
movie and also just what it wasall about, because we did a
pretty good job of keeping ourlips sealed during the prep work
for this one, so I'm proud ofus.

Remi (05:01):
That may partially have to do with the fact that we were
both so busy trying to get theepisode done, but yeah, I really
don't know anything about thetrue case in this situation,
which is pretty rare, but let'sget into it.
The Town that Dreaded, sundown,is a 1976 horror film directed
and produced by Charles B Pierceand written by Earl E Smith.

(05:22):
The film stars Ben Johnson,andrew Pryne and Don Wells.
Who of that cast is yourfavorite?
Ashley?

Ashley (05:29):
I can't say any of those names, including the director
or the writer, ring any sort ofbells.

Remi (05:36):
The director, writer and cast did not go on to an awful
lot after this film.
Surprise, surprise.
I will touch on that a littleat the end.
But the most famous person inthis cast is Dawn Wells, who
played Marianne on Gilligan'sIsland.

Ashley (05:50):
Well before my time.

Remi (05:52):
Yeah, I've never seen Gilligan's Island, but I know
that she played Marianne on it,just from my research.
I'm going to make a lot ofreferences to old TV shows I
haven't seen but still feelcomfortable in making the
analogy.
I haven't seen but still feelcomfortable in making the
analogy.
Director Charles B Pierce beganas an art director at KTAL-TV
in Shreveport, louisiana, duringthe mid-1960s before later

(06:15):
becoming a weatherman andhosting a children's cartoon
show for the channel.
In 1969, pierce relocated toTexarkana, texas, bought a 16mm
camera and opened an advertisingagency.
His first big contract was withLedwell Son Enterprises, a
local company specializing in18-wheel trailers and farming

(06:36):
equipment.

Ashley (06:37):
Gotta get your start somewhere.

Remi (06:39):
Pierce developed commercials for the company,
filming trucks and farmingmachinery in action, with the
ads eventually airing across thesouthwestern United States.
So yeah you gotta beginsomewhere, and filming farming
equipment is some kind of start.
By the early 1970s, pierce madehis move into independent
filmmaking when he sought outfunding for his first feature

(07:01):
film, the Legend of Boggy Creek,from LW Ledwell, the owner of
Ledwell and Son Enterprises.
Though initially skeptical,ledwell agreed to finance
$100,000 of the film's $160,000budget.
Even for the time, this is anexceptionally small budget for a
film.

Ashley (07:21):
For 1976, $100,000 for a small independent film, that
sounds like a lot.

Remi (07:27):
I think that Ledwell felt that it was a lot too, but he
had by this time established apretty good working relationship
with Pierce, so I guess he waswilling to roll the dice on this
guy.
I have not seen the Legend ofBoggy Creek and I don't plan on
it either.
Of Boggy Creek and I don't planon it either.

(07:47):
The Legend of Boggy Creek hittheaters on August 23rd 1972,
and, according to Pierce'sdaughter, amanda, her father's
personal notes suggest that thefilm made an astonishing $25
million at the box office, whichwould be over $188 million
today if adjusted for inflation.
However, this figure has neverbeen verified by anyone and I am

(08:08):
extremely pessimistic in itsvalidity.
What we do know, however, isthat, according to Variety, the
film made around $4.8 million in1975 through theatrical rentals
across North America, so it didmake some decent money off of
that $160,000 budget.
Surprisingly, despite BoggyCreek's box office discrepancies

(08:29):
, the film was successful enoughfor Pierce to begin work on his
second film, the Town thatDreaded Sundown.
Pierce would cast himself in therole of a comic relief
character named Patrolman ACSparkplug Benson, and he is by
far the worst part of thisentire movie, and that is saying
a lot.
Actor Andrew Pryne, who playsthe lead role of Deputy Norman

(08:51):
Ramsey, has stated in recentinterviews that at the time he
was pretty much acceptinganything and everything he was
being offered and always knewthat the film would never win
any awards but would still be afun shoot nevertheless.
Pryne also claims to havewritten the last fifth of the
film because it originally hadno ending, so it doesn't sound

(09:11):
like this movie was very wellput together, so to speak, when
it began filming.
Co-star Ben Johnson, who playsCaptain JD Morales in the film,
had previously made a careeracting, mostly in westerns, as a
stuntman and world championrodeo cowboy, before settling
into more mature roles duringhis later years.
Johnson also has a bit of aloose connection to the Killers

(09:35):
of the Flower Moon, as he wasborn on the Osage Indian
Reservation in Oklahoma.

Ashley (09:40):
We like to bring it back to past episodes here.
It's fun to see even thesesmall connections.

Remi (09:46):
A last-minute addition to the film was actress Dawn Wells
as Helen Reed, who was contactedby Pierce on July 8th of 1976
to star in his film.
After the production hadalready begun, Wells arrived by
plane in Texarkana before noonthe following morning, never
read the script and completedall of her scenes in just two

(10:07):
days.
Despite this absurdly quickturnaround, Wells did make an
attempt to speak with KatieStarks, the real-life survivor
her character is based on, butwas ultimately unsuccessful in
her effort.

Ashley (10:20):
I doubt any of the survivors wanted anything to do
with this movie.

Remi (10:25):
I doubt any of the survivors wanted anything to do
with this movie.
I totally agree with you.
This movie is not respectfuland pretty trashy and I would
assume any victims or anyone whowas affected by the true story
would be pretty upset at thisfilm and its portrayal of how
everything went down.
But I do respect Wells for atleast attempting to do some

(10:47):
research.
For the part, it sounds likeshe really didn't know what she
was getting into and was justcalled last minute like we need
an actress.
Can you get here tomorrow?
She's like okay and did maybe atiny bit of research about the
true story, but I don't thinkshe necessarily realized what
kind of film this was.
The Town that Dreaded.
Sundown marked Don Well's secondtime working with director

(11:08):
Charles Pierce and her fourthfeature film after primarily
gaining notoriety playingMarianne on the classic sitcom
Gilligan's Island.
Now, surprisingly, there weresome successful people that came
out of this film, but none ofwhom you would expect.
For example, the killer in thefilm, aka the Phantom, is played

(11:30):
by Bud Davis, who went on towork as a stunt coordinator on
such films as Forrest Gump,castaway and Inglourious
Bastards.
So some pretty legitimate workafter this.
The film's poster art was alsopainted by renowned graphic
illustrator Ralph McQuarrie, whowould go on to paint the movie
posters for Close Encounters ofthe Third Kind Back to the

(11:51):
Future and the original StarWars trilogy, and his art is
still referenced a lot today assome of the best movie poster
art ever created.
Principal photography tookplace during the hot, hot summer
of 1976 in Texarkana and lastedfor about four weeks, with many
Texarkana locals being cast inboth leading roles and as

(12:12):
background extras in the film.
So with all of that, should wedive right into this 70s slasher
film about a town that dreadedsundown?

Ashley (12:22):
I suppose we should.

Remi (12:34):
Our story takes place in Texarkana, a small Texas town
straddling the border ofArkansas, just eight months
after the end of World War II.
It is a bright and sunnyafternoon, with local residents
going about their daily routines.
As a documentary-stylenarration comments on the
political climate of the time,as well as the town's
adjustments to returning tonormalcy post-World War.

Ashley (12:56):
Oh, so it's the first slasher movie and also the first
documentary horror.

Remi (13:03):
I guess you could say that yeah, because this narrator is
going pretty much throughout theentire film checking in and out
.
So it is kind of a mockumentary, but at the same time it's not.
I think that this movie istrying to figure out what it is
because the slasher movieshadn't started yet, these
mockumentaries hadn't startedyet and this film is still

(13:24):
feeling it out.
And a few years down the roadis when other directors and
writers seem to have figured outthe correct formula of how to
do this sort of movie, andPierce, in my opinion, didn't
quite figure out the correct wayto bring all of this stuff
together.

Ashley (13:41):
But major props for trying something different.

Remi (13:43):
Sunday, march 3rd 1946.
A late-night movie showing hasjust ended and as the crowds
flood the street, we focus in onan ominous figure wearing work
boots whose face is obscured.
The man walks amongst a crowdunnoticed as his eyes lock onto
a young couple named SammyFuller and Linda Mae Jenkins,
who are both only 19 years old.

(14:05):
The couple get into their carand drive off, heading to a
secluded spot in the woods toget frisky with one another.
Once the couple arrive at theirdestination, they park their
vehicle and begin listening tosome smooth jazz music on the
radio.
When Linda says that she thinksshe hears a faint noise coming
from outside, suddenly a figureemerges from the shadows whose

(14:26):
face is concealed by a sack withtwo crude eye holes cut out.
The figure, whom I will bereferring to as the Phantom from
here on out, smashes the car'swindshield with a large lead
pipe, before dragging Sammy outof the vehicle and through the
jagged shards of glass, thenreturning his attention back to
Linda.
The opening credits roll as thesun begins to rise the

(14:48):
following morning, revealingLinda's bloodied and broken body
clinging to life by the side ofthe road.
She is discovered by a passingcar that screeches to a halt as
the driver rushes to her aid.
An ambulance soon arrives onthe scene, along with Deputy
Norman Ramsey, played by AndrewPryne, who radios back news to
the station, revealing thatsomehow both Linda and Sammy

(15:10):
miraculously survived theirattacks.
At the hospital we learn thatSammy had been beaten in the
head with a lead pipe andLinda's back, stomach and
breasts were all heavily bittenduring her attack, but they are
far too sedated to provide thepolice with any useful
information.
With this horrific incidentputting the town on edge,
sheriff Barker and Deputy Ramseywarned the local teens and

(15:33):
college students to avoidparking on any lonely roads or
secluded makeout spots.
Three weeks later, on SaturdayMarch 24th, we watch as
19-year-old Howard W Turner and17-year-old Emma Lou Cook hurry
to their car as a rainstormbegins to pour.
Howard is a war veteran andEmma is a recent high school

(15:54):
dropout, and the two have beendating for about six weeks now.
Unfazed by the earlier attack,the couple park their car on a
deserted road, completelyoblivious to their own impending
doom.
Back at the police station,deputy Ramsey has a gut feeling
that something isn't right, butshrugs it off and continues with
his regular patrol.

(16:14):
After hearing a gunshot off inthe distance, deputy Ramsey
races towards the source whileradioing for Becca.
And a personal side note herethe handling on all of these
1940s cars look absolutelyterrible, like they are sliding
all over the place like butteron a frying pan whenever they
even make the slightest turn.

(16:35):
I mean, it's crazy.
I don't know how anyone drovelike this.
It seems really, really unsafe.
Deputy Ramsey soon comes acrossan abandoned vehicle but is
dismayed to find no one inside.
As he searches the car, hehears two more shots ring out in
the distance.
Ramsey follows the sound deeperinto the woods to investigate,
until he stumbles upon thelifeless body of Howard Turner

(16:57):
lying motionless in the grass.
Just a few short meters away,ramsey discovers the corpse of
Emma Lou Cook tied to a tree andcovered in bite marks.
While the deputy is distractedwith the victims, the Phantom
manages to steal Ramsey's policecruiser and make his getaway.
And another personal side notehere these scenes were all shot
using a filmmaking techniquecalled Day for Night, which is a

(17:21):
method used to simulate nightscenes while filming in daylight
.
This effect is most commonlyachieved by adjusting the
exposure, applying color filtersor sometimes manipulating
post-production color grading.
There is a scene in Mad MaxFury Road that does an exemplary
job of this by utilizing a bluefilter to mimic the appearance

(17:42):
of a moonlit evening.
The town that dreaded sundown,however, is definitely an
example of how not to do thissort of thing correctly, as it
is painfully obvious that thisentire sequence was filmed
during the middle of the day,and the filmmakers just reduced
the camera's exposure to makethe scene appear darker than it
actually was.

(18:02):
It really looks awful.
He is searching the woods forthese bodies and they're like
four feet in front of him and hehas to pretend he cannot see
them.
They're just right there andhe's looking around like where
could they possibly be?
It's really really badly done.

Ashley (18:18):
I'm again going to give this director again props for at
least trying this.
I imagine this is a really hardthing to do for someone who's
not super experienced infilmmaking and it's only their
second year.

Remi (18:31):
I would say this filmmaker falls into the category of
someone whose ambition is notquite at the same level of their
actual talent.
But yes, he did give it a try.

Ashley (18:41):
Or let's say skill to be nice.

Remi (18:44):
The Phantom's second attack sends a wave of panic
sweeping through the town ofTexarkana and within 24 hours
nearly every gun store in townhas completely sold out, while
area locksmiths are overwhelmedwith incessant requests for
reinforced locks as feartightens its grip on the town.
That dreaded sundown.
I'm taking that from thenarration.

(19:05):
That is literally what thenarrator says during this part.

Ashley (19:08):
It is a good title.

Remi (19:10):
Yeah, you gotta name.
Drop that title this town thatdreaded sundown.
It is a good title.
I will give him that.
With still no leads, sheriffBarker calls in a private
investigator from the TexasRangers, known as the Lone Wolf,
named Captain JD Morales,played by Ben Johnson, to assist
in the investigation.

Ashley (19:29):
And there was a Lone Wolf in the remake which I
appreciated.

Remi (19:33):
My favorite part of the remake is when someone addresses
the Texas Ranger by a differentname other than Lone Wolf and
he corrects them of please,please, call me Lone Wolf.

Ashley (19:43):
I can't remember the actor's name who plays Lone Wolf
in the remake.
He's in a couple of the scarymovies and he's pretty funny.

Remi (19:50):
He's in the show Black-ish .
I know that and he was in, Ithink, scream 3 or 4, one of
those.
He's been in a lot of stuff.
He was in some Michael Baymovies.
His name is escaping me, though.
Morales, who arrives by trainwith cigars in hand, is sharp
no-nonsense and immediatelytakes control of the
investigation, dubbing themysterious killer, the Phantom,

(20:13):
in the process.
Morales' demeanor is a lot likeBoss Hogg from the Dukes of
Hazzard, and even though I'venever actually seen an episode
of the Dukes of Hazzard, I stillfeel pretty confident in making
that comparison.
Ramsay Morales and their driver, patrolman AC Benson, aka
Sparkplug, attempt to revisitthe crime scenes but are

(20:36):
unnecessarily delayed whenSparkplug can't find his keys.
I do not understand why thisscene is in the movie.
It's several minutes of himtrying to find his keys.
I do not understand why thisscene is in the movie.
It's several minutes of himtrying to find his keys.

Ashley (20:47):
Comic relief.

Remi (20:49):
From the director.
This spark plug character isthe director of the film and
definitely the worst part.
Morales grows increasinglyfrustrated as more time passes
without an arrest.
Despite a town curfew, alongwith the use of decoy cars and
undercover police vehicles, theinvestigation has continued to
reach a dead end, even with theassistance of the FBI and state

(21:12):
police.
Ramsey theorizes that thekiller may strike again 21 days
after his last attack, just ashe had done before.
In preparation, decoy carsfilled with undercover policemen
dressed in drag, wieldingmassive shotguns are quickly
dispatched across Texarkana,setting a devious trap for the
Phantom that very evening and Ijust need to comment that there

(21:35):
is a lot of really bad comedy inthis film.
It is a chore to sit through,to say the least, and this bad
comedy takes up a surprisingmajority of this film.
That night, while the policeare all busy with their
hilarious stakeouts, theTexarkana teens dance the night

(21:56):
away to a live orchestra atArkansas High School's junior
and senior prom.
The prom concludes at around 1am with a short prayer from a
local reverend, followed byfestive balloons being dropped
from the ceiling as the bandplays Auld Lang Syne for their
closing number.

Ashley (22:28):
I recognize this.
Usually it's like Right.

Remi (22:37):
Yeah, this is typically a New Year's Eve song.
This is not typically a songthat you hear played at prom, I
would assume, because the lyricsare let all acquaintance be
forgot.
So you're basically sayinglet's forget all of these high
school friends and move on tobetter things.
It's just a weird song to playat a prom, in my opinion.

Ashley (22:57):
Also, my prom did not go until 1am.
That's crazy, right?
My?

Remi (23:03):
prom was over at like 9 o'clock 1am.
That's insane to me.
As the students all depart forthe evening, we focus in on the
orchestra's trombone player,peggy Loomis, and her boyfriend,
roy Allen.
Peggy and Roy decide to ignorethe town's curfew and instead
drive out to Lover's Lane,despite knowing full well that a

(23:25):
killer is still on the loose,specifically targeting couples
that he finds in those exacttype of areas.
By 2am, the police have calledoff their sting operation, while
Peggy and Roy wait like sittingducks for the killer to strike
out in a secluded forest.
After realizing how late it'sgotten, peggy and Roy begin to

(23:46):
drive off before the Phantomreveals himself, dragging Roy
from the moving vehicle andcausing it to crash into some
trees.
Peggy then flees into the woodsas the Phantom proceeds to
bludgeon Roy with a lead pipe.
Despite her best efforts, thePhantom still catches Peggy and
ties her to a tree as shescreams for mercy.
After finally finishing off Roywith two shots to the head from

(24:09):
a concealed revolver, thePhantom grabs Peggy's trombone,
tapes a knife to the end andproceeds to play the instrument,
while simultaneously stabbingPeggy to death with it.

Ashley (24:20):
This is extremely tasteless.

Remi (24:23):
Yes, this is the standout scene of the film.
If you've seen this movie, thisis the one thing that you would
remember, and I do remember inthe part where we were watching
the remake, the lone wolf iswatching the original movie at
the sheriff's station and itstarts to play this part Like
you see the trombone, you seehim get the knife, and then it

(24:50):
just shows the lone wolf staringat the TV screen with just this
look of confusion andfascination, like what is he
about to do, and I think that isthe most accurate reaction a
person could have watching thisscene go down Just like what the
fuck?
This third murder bringsnational news attention to the
small town of Texarkana and areward of $8,000 is now being
offered to any informationleading to the arrest and

(25:11):
conviction of the killer.
One evening, ramsey Morales andSheriff Barker have dinner with
a psychiatrist named Dr Kress,who theorizes that the killer is
a highly intelligent sadist,around 35 years old, who may be
driven by an abnormally strongsex drive.
Dr Kress also believes that thePhantom relishes the attention

(25:32):
he's been receiving from thepolice and news stations, which
may be why the theatrics of thePhantom's crimes have escalated
to using a trombone as a murderweapon.
Does that check out in yourmind, ashley?
Does that seem plausible?

Ashley (25:46):
I suppose it's a clever way of incorporating that into
the movie and noting that it'swild.

Remi (25:54):
Dr Kress is also highly doubtful that the Phantom will
ever be apprehended, and it isimplied that the Phantom could
even be sitting right next tothem enjoying a succulent meal
in that exact same restaurant.
What follows is a series ofutterly useless scenes involving

(26:14):
the officers investigating asupposed lead from a man
claiming to have given thePhantom a lift while he was
hitchhiking.
Based on the man's information,the police pursue some guy in a
green car, leading to anothermind-numbingly stupid Dukes of
Hazzard-style police chase,culminating in Morales, ramsey
and Sparkplug winding up in alake along with their police

(26:35):
cruiser.
And then it turns out that thiswhole thing was because the
driver of the car picked up thehitchhiker and the hitchhiker
promised he would give him somemoney for gas, and then the
hitchhiker just left withoutgiving him any money.
So this guy went to the policeto claim that this man was the
Phantom in order for him tosomehow get his like three
dollars in gas.

Ashley (26:56):
Or at least exact his revenge.

Remi (26:58):
It's so bad.
What are we even doing here?
May 3rd 1946.
What are we even doing here?
May 3rd 1946.
The summer has begun and thePhantom follows a woman named
Helen Reed, played by Dawn Wells, back to her farmhouse.
As Helen's unsuspecting husbandFloyd sits comfortably in his
lounge chair enjoying theevening paper, he is shot
through the neck by the Phantomfrom just outside the window

(27:21):
directly behind him.
Helen scrambles to the phone tocall the police but is shot
twice in the face by the Phantombefore she is able.
Miraculously, helen is stillalive somehow and manages to
escape into a nearby cornfieldas the Phantom grabs a pickaxe
and slowly stalks the trail ofblood leaking from Helen's body.

(27:42):
Side note here while filmingthis scene in the cornfield,
actress Dawn Wells was almostattacked by a bulldog, but
luckily the crew managed toscare the dog off before she was
harmed.

Ashley (27:53):
Well, if that would have happened, the Phantom could
have followed a real trail ofblood instead of just red dye
corn syrup.

Remi (28:01):
This is not the type of movie that anyone should risk
bodily harm for.
I hope no one actually got hurton this set, because this is
not top tier filmmaking in myopinion.
Against all odds, helensuccessfully escapes to a
neighbor's house and is broughtto a local medical facility,
where she lingered in criticalcondition for several weeks

(28:22):
before gradually recovering.

Ashley (28:25):
It always blows my mind when people are shot in the face
and live.

Remi (28:29):
That happens more than once in this movie, where
someone is shot through the headand they are not instantly dead
.
In my mind, if you're shot inthe head, you die right away.
But although it's uncommon,people can get shot in the face
and live a completely normallife afterwards.
50 Cent was shot in the face.
Like it's crazy.

Ashley (28:47):
A long time ago, when I was doing my training, I
evaluated someone who, after hehad committed his crimes, he
tried to commit suicide byputting a gun in his mouth, and
he lived, but it like blew hisjaw off.

Remi (29:01):
Something horrible like that is I just can't imagine.
I can't imagine.
After Helen's attack, nearly150 police cars from nine
different police organizationsare brought in to routinely
patrol the streets of Texarkanafrom dusk to dawn every evening.
Four months pass withoutanother incident, until one

(29:21):
random day when Ramsey andMorales just so happen to
stumble upon a car which wasapparently at the scene of one
of the crimes.
The officers follow a trail outinto the woods to a sandpit
where they coincidentally comeacross the Phantom, who's just
sort of standing there with hisgun out, gazing off into the
horizon.
Morales takes his shot at thePhantom and misses, causing the

(29:43):
Phantom to flee with Morales andand Ramsay hot on his heels.
The Phantom narrowly avoidscapture by jumping in front of a
passing train, creating amomentary barrier between him
and the pursuing officers.
Now, instead of me telling youthe fun background fact of this
scene, I'm going to let AndrewPryne discuss what it was like

(30:03):
filming this specific scene.

(30:06):
I wrote the last fifth of the picture because it didn't have
an ending.
And the train and all of that.
I wrote all of that because wehad no ending and so I
consequently fictionalized thedeputy and the sheriff.
There was never a chase or anyof that, but we had to have some

(30:26):
sort of an ending because theynever got the guy.
We had to have some sort of anending because they never got
the guy.
And I particularly remember thetrain sequence because both Ben
and I were so hungover we couldhardly turn our heads without
fainting, and it actually addedto the picture because we were
very strained.
That was a tough day, that wasa bad day.

(30:49):
We'd had a wonderful night, Iwas told.

Ashley (30:52):
I like this guy.
He seems fun.

Remi (30:58):
He is very brutally honest and I appreciate that.
He was a very good interview inall the clips that I watched of
him and yeah, he just lays itout Like there was no ending.
I had to write it.
We got super drunk the nightbefore and filmed the entire
ending that I wrote veryhungover.

Ashley (31:12):
Hopefully you got a screenwriter credit.

Remi (31:14):
I didn't check, but I would hope so too.
The Phantom then disappearsinto a swamp, vanishing without
a trace, never to be seen again.
Side note the swamp scenes areactually just recycled footage
from the Legend of Boggy Creek.

Ashley (31:29):
That's clever of him.

Remi (31:31):
You don't want to spend more time in a swamp than you
need to, I guess.

Ashley (31:35):
Especially not when it sounds like he made a whole
movie about a swamp, so might aswell.

Remi (31:46):
But whatever happened to the phantom killer no one really
knows for sure, but some say hewas committed for another crime
and may still be serving outhis sentence in a Kansas State
Penitentiary.
Others believe he simply diedin the swamp, but according to
the film, the Phantom may stillbe out there walking freely
amongst the good people ofTexarkana.
Through narration we then learnthat Captain JD Morales never

(32:09):
stopped looking for the phantomkiller.
He returned to Laredo, texas,in that same year and kept
searching and digging forevidence for the next decade in
one of America's most bafflingcases.
Today he is retired and makeshis home in Dallas, texas.
Chief Sullivan was re-electedthree more terms, retired and
died in 1970.

(32:31):
Sheriff Barker also wasre-elected for several terms and
never stopped working on thecase until his death in 1966.
Helen Reed recovered and isliving a normal life today in
Texarkana.
Linda Mae Jenkins moved awayfrom Texarkana and at this time
her whereabouts are not known.
And finally, deputy SheriffNorman Ramsey served all of his

(32:54):
adult life as a fine peaceofficer of Miller County,
arkansas, until he died in 1973.
And that was the town thatdreaded sundown.
Ashley, what do you think ofthis?

Ashley (33:07):
So I'm never going to watch this movie ever.
I don't have much interest indoing so.
But, like I have pointed out,even though it sounds like it
wasn't the best, I do respectthe director for trying new
things that did sound prettyinnovative at the time.

Remi (33:23):
I believe this movie gave a lot of much more talented
people inspiration to make moregroundbreaking cinema, which I
will go into in just a littlebit.
But a lot of these ideas, iftweaked a little bit, they could
have worked.
If you take out all the comedy,it could have worked more.
If you focused on maybe moremockumentary, it could have
worked more.

(33:43):
But it was trying to be amockumentary, a horror slasher
and a goofy comedy all at thesame time and in my opinion they
maybe should have picked onegenre instead of trying to cram
in a bunch.

Ashley (33:57):
Yeah, those ridiculous scenes sound like the ones they
were trying to throw in forcomic relief and in something
like this.
That's about this true casethat was filmed in this town by
a resident of this town.
It's a surprising spin to tryto put on it.

Remi (34:13):
Well, the town that dreaded Sundown currently has an
approval rating of 42% onRotten Tomatoes.
But Bloody Disgusting, which isa horror-focused news site,
gave the film five skulls,praising the film as hugely
entertaining and an atmosphericthriller.

Ashley (34:29):
Five skulls, I'm assuming that's five out of five
.

Remi (34:32):
There was no critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes
because there were not enoughreviews of this film.
I think there were like 12reviews.
The film's official box officenumbers were unavailable online,
so it's difficult to say justhow well the film actually did
in theaters.
However, due to a limited homevideo release, along with
frequent late-night TV airingsduring the 80s and 90s, the Town

(34:55):
that Dreaded Sundown graduallybecame a cult classic and by the
mid-2000s, a proper widescreenversion was aired on cable.
Then, finally, in 2013, anofficial Blu-ray DVD for the
film was re-released, putting anend to almost 20 years of
limited availability.
A follow-up meta-sequel by RyanMurphy and Jason Blum was later

(35:18):
released on October 16th of2014.

Ashley (35:21):
What one did you prefer?

Remi (35:23):
I preferred the 2014 version because it's well-made.
I know we were watching it.
Within the first couple ofminutes you were like, oh, I
hope the one you watched isbetter than this and I just had
to sigh and go.
No, it really wasn't at all.
But the 2014 version at leastlooks good and the acting is,
I'd say, fine.
This one, the acting ishorrendous and all the scenes

(35:46):
look just fucking terrible, likeno cinematography, no good
lighting.
It really is an ugly lookingfilm.
The film would also usher in anentirely new generation of
horror movie slashers, includingMichael Myers in Halloween,
which was released just twoyears after this film, and
additionally, the sack that thePhantom wears to conceal his

(36:09):
identity also became theinspiration for the look of
Jason Voorhees in the secondFriday, the 13th film.
This was before he got hishockey mask.
He had one movie where he justhad like a potato sack on his
head, which was a lot like thetown that dreaded Sundown
Phantom.

Ashley (36:25):
Do you think that this movie inspired?
Those directors to make thoseit feels like it did?

Remi (36:31):
I absolutely 110% think that this movie inspired these
directors to make these otherversions.
It's very clear as day that theinspiration is there.
If you watch this movie and youwatch Halloween, you can see
the similarities.
But Halloween doesn't try to befunny and, as a result, it just
works a lot better as a movie.

Ashley (36:52):
There's a lot of similarities, like this
phantom-like character that justkind of appears out of nowhere,
kills without rhyme or reason,disappears as quickly as he came
, has this kind of slow walkingtowards his victims.
That's what Jason and MichaelMyers are.

Remi (37:11):
Yeah, he has all of those typical signs of a horror movie
slasher he's wearing work boots,he doesn't talk, he walks very
slowly and somehow alwayscatches up to his victims.
And, of course, the ridiculousover-the-top murders that he
does as well.
Well, specifically the one.
But Michael Myers and JasonVoorhees and all of them are

(37:35):
pretty much known for theirover-the-top creative murders
that they do.
But at least Michael Myers andJason Voorhees are not inspired
by a real-life crime, so I thinkthat they should be given more
leeway to do things like that.
But if you're adapting a truecrime, maybe steer clear of the
comedy and the creativeover-the-top murders.

(37:58):
Just my opinion.

Ashley (37:59):
I mean Scream didn't.
And look where they are today.

Remi (38:03):
Well, we'll see how closely this film matches the
real story.
But this film had a couple ofcontroversies that surrounded it
as well.
In February of 1977, texarkanacity officials voted to file a
lawsuit against the film's adcampaign, with Mayor Harvey
Nelson stating the ad is toomuch.
There's objection that thiswhole thing will be spreading

(38:25):
fear in the community.
There are relatives of victimsstill living here and this is
very unpleasant for them.
For the film's promotionalcampaign the advertising
department added the provocativetagline In 1946, this man
killed five people.
Today he still lurks thestreets of Texarkana.
Understandably, city officialsin Texarkana were furious about

(38:47):
this line's inclusion, so inresponse, director Charles B
Pierce attempted to have thephrase removed.
But despite his best efforts,the still lurking line remained
on many of the film's posters.
In 1978, mark Melton Moore, thebrother of real-life victim
Polly Ann Moore, took Pierce tocourt for $1.3 million for

(39:09):
invasion of privacy.
Moore claimed that his sister,who was renamed Emma Lou Cook in
the film, was inaccuratelydepicted as a promiscuous high
school dropout, when in realityshe had actually graduated high
school at the age of 16.
Moore's claim was denied in1979, and by 1980, the Sixth
Court of Civil Appeals inTexarkana agreed yet again that

(39:32):
the film's producers did notinvade Moore's privacy and he
was not entitled to anyfinancial compensation.

Ashley (39:39):
Because they changed all the names.

Remi (39:41):
On March 15, 1978, teenager Gerald Jedramas shot
and killed his high schoolfriend, james Grunstra while
watching the Town that DreadedSundown.
In court, gerald stated thatthe film inspired him to carry
out the murder so that he couldbe an outlaw like his hero, the
legendary train robber JesseJames.

(40:03):
And finally, in 2003, an annualtradition began during the
Movies in the Park HalloweenFilm Festival in the town of
Texarkana.
The free event, which issponsored by the Texarkana
Department of Parks andRecreation, occurs at Spring
Lake Park each Thursday duringMay and October, with the Town

(40:24):
that Dreaded Sundown being shownto the public every year as the
closing film of the festivalshown to the public every year
as the closing film of thefestival.

Ashley (40:31):
Also as a side note, I didn't have a good place to put
this in my part, but not onlydid they show that movie
annually but the City ofCommerce for a while gave out
free DVDs of the movie tovisitors.
The Country Club used to hold aphantom ball and the Chamber of
Commerce included the phantomstory in a brochure about the

(40:52):
town.
So it's wild that they likesued this production but then
like fully embraced it.
I think probably the reason isbecause they're kind of proud
that the movie's filmed there.
So in the brochure I think whatthey did is they included stuff
about the movie and then theyalso had like pictures of scenes
from the town that showcasedlike prominent buildings that

(41:13):
were shown in the movie.
But it's still wild that theywere so upset about this movie
which I get why they were andthen as the years passed it's
become like part of the town'sidentity, I guess yeah, it's
almost become like a marketingtactic for the town.

Remi (41:28):
come see the town that dreaded sundown texarkana.
It is wild to me.
I don't think that there areany other towns that have done
this sort of thing.
I could be wrong, but yeah, itis pretty crazy.
But this is probably the secondworst movie I've ever had to
watch for this podcast.
The film did have a fewentertaining Jason Voorhees
Friday the 13th type kills butbasically this entire film was

(41:52):
just a great big pile of garbage, in my opinion.
I also had the misfortune ofchoosing to watch this 90 minute
film on the streaming platformPluto, which included multiple
ads stretching this ungodly filmto over two excruciating hours.
So fuck you, pluto.

Ashley (42:09):
I know and you told me you watched it on Pluto over
Tubi.
I was like no, tubi is thebetter one.
It has way, way less ads.
We don't even have Pluto on ourTV.
I deleted the app because wetried to watch something one
time and it's like an ad, like athree minute ad spot, like
every 15 minutes.

Remi (42:26):
It was completely my mistake, but all listeners out
there don't make my mistake.
Never watch anything on Pluto,but that was the Town that
Dreaded Sundown, a awful moviebased on a real-life tragedy
that has since spawned a weirdfollowing and a yearly screening
during Halloween.
It's a pretty crazy story, butI'm actually even more excited

(42:49):
to find out the real version ofit because, believe it or not,
they didn't really talk aboutthe true crime aspect of this.
In a lot of the productionstuff I read Surprise, surprise.
So, ashley, would you mindtelling me about the real town
that dreaded sundown?

Ashley (43:05):
As you mentioned at the beginning, Texarkana is a small
town situated on the border ofTexas and Arkansas, Similar to
Kansas City.
Each side has its own mayor,municipal government, police
force and fire department.
From February to May 1946, bothsides of Texarkana were in a
perpetual state of fear, thanksto the Phantom Killer, Although

(43:28):
many believe they know who thePhantom was, the Texarkana
Moonlight Murders, whichinvolved the slaying of five and
brutal assault of three, areunsolved to this day.
25-year-old Jimmy Hollis and19-year-old Mary Leary were in
the process of dissolving theirmarriages when they went on a
double date on Friday February22, 1946.

Remi (43:49):
In the film.
This is Linda Mae Jenkins andSammy Fuller.

Ashley (43:54):
After seeing an evening movie, the group had a snack at
a local cafe before Jimmy droveeveryone home, saving Mary for
last.
Prior to saying goodnight, thecouple pulled into a secluded
lover's lane spot to talk alittle bit longer.
Immediately after Jimmy got outof the car to get a better view
of the stars, a man shined aflashlight in his face,

(44:14):
brandished a pistol and demandedhe remove his pants.
Although he complied, the manbrutally assaulted Jimmy before
turning his sights on Mary.
After she told the man shedidn't have a purse, she was hit
in the head with what felt likea metal pipe.
The man instructed her to runand continued his attack on
Jimmy before pursuing Mary.
When he reached her, hesexually assaulted her with the

(44:36):
metal object and left as quicklyas he appeared.

Remi (44:40):
They specifically say in the film that the Phantom did
not sexually assault his victim.
They make a point in sayingthat in the film.

Ashley (44:48):
It's kind of wishy-washy in the book because they didn't
have like formal autopsies orlike medical forensic medical
technicians doing theseexaminations.
But two of the victims wereassaulted, but this one with
like an object and the other onethey sounded like she was but
they weren't like absolutelyclear just because the medical

(45:10):
exam and techniques they had atthe time were so crude.

Remi (45:13):
Well, I will give the film credit for not including that.

Ashley (45:17):
Miraculously, both victims survived the attack and
were rushed to the hospital.
Jimmy was in a coma andcritical condition for several
days, with three skull fractures, but he was stable enough to be
released two weeks later.
With three skull fractures, buthe was stable enough to be
released two weeks later, likelybecause the attack was so
sudden and happened in the deadof night.
Mary nor Jimmy were able torecall much about their
assailant's appearance, and Marythought he was wearing a mask.

Remi (45:40):
Was it ever confirmed if he actually was wearing a mask
during his attacks?

Ashley (45:50):
No, because this happened at night, no one could
really get a good glimpse of him.
So Jimmy thought he was a whiteguy and Mary thought he was a
black guy wearing a mask.
And then the other survivingvictim, Katie Starks at the end,
couldn't see him through thewindow, so no one knows.

Remi (46:01):
And it sounds like all of these attacks happened very
suddenly and in the middle ofthe night, so it's not super
surprising that these peopledidn't get a good look at him.

Ashley (46:09):
Not super surprising that these people didn't get a
good look at him.
Since the assault seemedpersonal.
Bill Presley, the Bowie CountySheriff assigned to the case,
and his team wrongfully assumedthe assailant must know one of
them.
After their estranged spouseswere cleared, they suspected
Mary knew more than she wasletting on.
Nonetheless, jimmy and Maryseparately fled Texarkana

(46:33):
shortly after the assaults andexperienced PTSD symptoms for
years.
To come Around the time of thisassault, 29-year-old Richard
Griffin began courting17-year-old Polly Moore.

Remi (46:42):
Did you say 29?
I sure did 1940s man, Differenttime, I guess.

Ashley (46:48):
Despite the noticeable age difference, no one really
raised any eyebrows about it andthe relationship was described
as wholesome.

Remi (46:56):
Like I said, 1940s very, very different time.

Ashley (47:00):
Richard was a carpenter and cabinetmaker who joined the
Navy after he traveled to Hawaiito help repair damage caused by
the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Once he completed his service,he returned to Texas, spending
weekends in Texarkana visitinghis mom and five siblings.
Polly graduated high school atage 16 and got a job at a

(47:20):
defense plant checkingammunition before loading it
onto trucks.
She met Richard shortly aftershe moved into her mom's
cousin's spare room in Texarkanato be closer to work.
On Saturday, march 23rd,richard and Polly went to dinner
and a midnight movie.
After stopping at a cafe for aquick snack, they pulled into a
lover's lane around 2 am.

(47:40):
At 9 am the next morning, apassing motorist called the
police to report a parked car inthe secluded area, since it was
unusual for vehicles to bethere that time of day.
Upon arrival, law enforcementfound the bodies of Richard and
Polly.
Both were shot, but there wereno signs of bodily assault.

Remi (47:57):
That sounds very different than the other attack.

Ashley (48:01):
Yeah, no one was beat, no one was assaulted, they were
just shot in the head.

Remi (48:12):
Is that something that happens a lot, where a serial
killer, or whatever you classifythis guy as, will kind of
change his MO from crime?

Ashley (48:16):
to crime.
It might have been that he waslike learning, I guess, how to
be more.
This is an awful way to put it,but efficient.

Remi (48:24):
Okay, I guess, yeah, that does make sense.

Ashley (48:27):
The area immediately filled with spectators and
investigators once the newsbroke.
Law enforcement did not securethe scene and the light morning
rain washed away any tracks orpotential clues.
A bullet was recovered fromRichard's body and ballistics
determined the murder weapon wasa .32 caliber Colt pistol.
Sheriff Presley immediatelylaunched an area-wide

(48:48):
investigation enlisting the helpof law enforcement from both
sides of Texarkana, the FBI,texas Department of Public
Safety and the Texas Rangers.
With no suspect or motive, over50 people were taken into
custody and questioned withinthe first four days.
By the beginning of April, 200false leads had been
investigated, but police were nocloser to finding their culprit

(49:11):
.
During an April weekend,exactly three weeks later,
16-year-old James Martinborrowed his brother's truck and
drove the 100-plus miles toTexarkana to visit some friends.
James' mom moved the family toKilgore, texas, after her
husband unexpectedly died whenJames was 11 years old.
In addition to catching up withhis childhood friends, james

(49:31):
was excited to go on a date with15-year-old Betty Booker, a
popular beauty queen he hadknown since elementary school.

Remi (49:37):
In the film Betty is called Peggy Loomis and another
little connection to Halloweenthe doctor's name in the
Halloween film is Dr Loomis,which I do not think is by
accident.

Ashley (49:50):
And who was James Martin ?

Remi (49:53):
James Martin is Roy Allen in the film.

Ashley (49:55):
On the night of April 12th she performed the saxophone
at a show with a band of otherhigh school students.

Remi (50:01):
This must be the trombone thing.

Ashley (50:05):
James was waiting for her outside after the four-hour
show ended around midnight.
The young couple planned tomeet up with some friends at a
slumber party, but Betty wantedto drop her expensive instrument
off at home first.
Betty's mom grew concerned whenher daughter still wasn't home
several hours later While shewas calling around to see if any
of Betty's friends had seen her.
A young couple and their sonwere driving out of town to

(50:27):
visit family for the day whenthey saw the body of a young man
on the side of the road.
Police quickly learned the bodywas that of James Martin.
His car was found at Spring LakePark, which is where this movie
is shown several times a year,about a mile and a half away
from his body.
By the time police arrived atthe park sometime after 6 am,
hundreds of people were alreadythere, again complicating the

(50:49):
investigation.
Betty's body was found about amile and a half in a different
direction behind a group oftrees.
Each died from several gunshotwounds.
A physical examination revealedevidence of semen with a saline
wash, ruling out that it camefrom James.
The FBI also confirmed the samemurder weapon was used in both
double homicides 32 caliber Coltpistol.

(51:11):
The police also found threesets of fingerprints near both
vehicles that did not belong tothe owners or the victim.

Remi (51:17):
Wow, they even got fingerprints for this guy.

Ashley (51:21):
Well, they don't know if they were the killers, because
none of these crime scenes weresecured and they were just
bombarded with people.
So there was no way to know ifthey were the killer, if they
were the police investigatingwho didn't wear gloves, or if
they were the residents thatwere coming and touching the
cars.

Remi (51:38):
Or even literally someone walking by and just putting
their hand on a car for twoseconds for no reason.

Ashley (51:43):
Exactly, and there was no large fingerprint database
DNA of people who had beenarrested.
So there's no way to know wherethese fingerprints came from,
unless, you like, actuallydirectly compared them, like
with a microscope.

Remi (51:57):
In my mind I keep thinking that this occurred in the 70s
when the film was released, butit's the 40s.
So yeah, technology was prettycrude, I would say, back then,
as far as investigating thissort of thing.

Ashley (52:10):
It is miraculous.
They solved any crimesBasically back in the day unless
you had like a confession.
It was just so much harder tolink people to things.

Remi (52:20):
You had to basically be caught red-handed, it seems, to
get any sort of punishment.
I really don't know how anyonewas ever caught for crimes back
in the day.

Ashley (52:30):
Police agencies used everything in their arsenal at
the time, including a privateplane, to allow for quicker
travel to investigate potentialleads.
Anyone who could possibly be apotential suspect was arrested
and questioned, with all tipswithin a 100-mile radius being
thoroughly investigated andruled out.
Bill Presley, along with TexasRanger Manuel Lone Wolf Gonzalez

(52:53):
, became the official spokesmanfor the investigation and held
regular press conferences Whilethe two agencies worked closely
together.
The Texas Rangers had a privatespace in the back of a
drugstore where they could talkprivately about the case.
During one of these meetings,it was suggested traps be set
for the Phantom, resulting inmen with female mannequin

(53:16):
co-pilots posting up in lover'slanes after dark.

Remi (53:20):
So not the cops dressed in drag.

Ashley (53:24):
Not the cops dressed in drag, but they did go in cars,
took mannequins, put wigs onthem and then just sat around at
all these lover's lanes forhours waiting for the phantom.

Remi (53:33):
Interesting.
All right, there's moreauthenticity to that than I
would have thought.

Ashley (53:38):
Lastly, since Betty's saxophone was not in James's car
, the serial number wasdistributed to pawn shops and
music stores across severalstates.
This tactic did lead to onearrest, after a suspicious man
tried to sell a saxophone at apawn shop in Corpus Christi,
about 450 miles away fromTexarkana.

Remi (53:59):
So the girl was not murdered with the saxophone?
No, not surprising.

Ashley (54:04):
Do you remember who was born and raised in Corpus
Christi?

Remi (54:09):
Not off the top of my head .
Who is it?

Ashley (54:11):
Selena.

Remi (54:13):
Ah yes, Selena Quintanilla .

Ashley (54:15):
Police were hopeful they found their culprit when bloody
clothing was found in thisman's possession, but his alibi
and claim of being in a barfight checked out.
The news of a second doublemurder, exactly three weeks
apart from the first, sentTexarkana into a panic.
Within a few days, a rewardfund for information skyrocketed

(54:36):
to $6,425, which is over$108,000 when adjusted for
inflation.
The media nicknamed theassailant the Phantom Killer,
since he was elusive, appearedout of nowhere and left nothing
but death in his wake beforefading into the darkness in
which he emerged.
The community also took extraprecautions, electing to have a

(54:57):
weekend curfew, closing popularteen hangout spots early and
canceling midnight movieshowings.
When people ventured out atnight, they were often in groups
or armed With no suspects andlittle evidence left behind at
the crime scenes.
Everyone was suspicious ofeveryone and rumors swirled
about additional murderscommitted by a killing sex fiend

(55:19):
.
Tensions grew as the three-weekmark approached, including at
the Texarkana Gazette, afterthey received an eerie hang-up
call predicting that the Phantomwould soon strike again.
Exactly three weeks later, onthe evening of May 3, 1946,
37-year-old Virgil and36-year-old Katie Starks were

(55:46):
having a restful night in.
The couple had known each othertheir entire lives recently
celebrated their 14th weddinganniversary.
I can't imagine being 36 andalready have been married for 14
years.

Remi (55:58):
They got married very young back in the day.

Ashley (56:01):
And they lived about 10 miles outside of Texarkana.
Virgil worked as a welder,primarily operating out of a
barn shop near the house.
Around 9 that evening twoArkansas State troopers drove
their patrol car past the Starksand noticed an old model car
parked along a dirt road.
While they ordinarily wouldhave stopped to investigate,

(56:21):
they were on a tight deadline asexpense reports were due at 10.
Instead, they made a mentalnote to check it out on their
way back.
At the same time, virgil was inhis living room reading a
newspaper and listening to theradio while Katie was getting
ready for bed.
Moments after Katie heard asound in the backyard, virgil
was shot twice in the back ofthe head by an intruder standing

(56:43):
outside of the living roomwindow.
Katie couldn't see the man anddidn't see where the shot came
from.
She rushed to the phone to callfor help, but before she got
there she was shot twice in theface.
Remarkably, she was still aliveand able to run outside.
As she heard the killer crawlthrough the kitchen window, she
dashed to the nearest neighbor'shouse and was rushed to the
hospital in critical condition.

(57:04):
The two Arkansas troopers whonoticed the suspicious vehicle
were the first to arrive to thescene.
They assumed the car must havebelonged to the killer, since it
was nowhere in sight.
On their return trip, they weresoon joined by every officer
who heard the call, with eachone leaving their own sets of
finger and footprints behind.

Remi (57:23):
Just contaminating that crime scene left and right.

Ashley (57:27):
Although the officers took plaster castings of
deformed footprints in the mudand removed a piece of the
linoleum floor with a bloodyshoe print, there was no way to
be sure if those tracks wereactually left by the killer,
Although robbery was thesuspected motive.
Katie's purse, which was infull view, wasn't touched and
nothing was missing from thehouse.
The bullets and casings werecollected and determined to

(57:50):
likely be from a .22 caliberColt, but it was unclear if the
weapon was a pistol or a rifle.
A red flashlight without printswas found in a hedge near the
kitchen window, stronglysuggesting it belonged to the
killer.
A few days later, the TexarkanaGazette featured a photo and
description of the flashlight,making it the first color

(58:11):
photograph ever featured in aUnited States newspaper.

Remi (58:14):
That is a very random, interesting fact.

Ashley (58:18):
I know, that's why I included it.
Yeah, it was the first time afull photo in color was ever in
print.

Remi (58:23):
Huh, Go figure.

Ashley (58:26):
Investigators tracked down the only shop in Texarkana
that sold this brand, but theshop owner couldn't remember who
brought it.
Police dogs tried to follow thescent of the killer, which led
them to where the car had beenparked and several discarded
cigarette butts, but the trailwent cold after that.

Remi (58:43):
So he was just sitting in his car smoking cigarettes,
waiting and watching.

Ashley (58:47):
That's what they suspect , and the fact that that car was
gone when the officers cameback and it was so close to the
Starks' house and the scentfollowed to that car really
makes you think it was thekiller.

Remi (59:00):
That is so creepy.

Ashley (59:02):
Law enforcement also set up a blockade along the major
highway and, even though prettymuch every single man within the
vicinity and who even knew theStarks was taken into custody,
they were all subsequentlyreleased.
The following Monday, 500people attended Virgil's
memorial service, which is kindof sad because Katie missed it.
She was in the hospital.
She was interviewed thefollowing day but didn't have

(59:24):
any useful information to share.
Texarkana was in absolute chaosafter the murder of Virgil
share.
Texarkana was an absolute chaosafter the murder of Virgil,
especially once reporters fromall over the country set up shop
in hope of being the first tocover an impending arrest.

Remi (59:37):
Texarkana is a pretty small town too, right.

Ashley (59:40):
It is how the book was described is everyone was really
on edge.
There were all these policeofficers from all over, and then
all these reporters swarmed in,so it was just chaos in this
really small town that's notused to this type of attention
or crime.

Remi (59:56):
Yeah, seems like it was a slow, small Texas town until all
of this happened.

Ashley (01:00:02):
Residents bought out the town's supply of guns, window
shades, door hooks and otherprotective devices.
Well-off residents slept athotels for the night while the
less affluent bolted their doorsnailed down and covered their
windows with quilts, and builtmakeshift house alarms out of
chairs and cookie pots.

Remi (01:00:19):
The quilt thing is real.
They showed this in the movieand my first thought was what is
nailing a quilt over yourwindow going to do to protect
you?

Ashley (01:00:28):
Well, because Virgil was shot through the window so the
killer saw him sitting there.
So they're like, if we cover it, they're not going to see who's
inside.

Remi (01:00:35):
Okay, that does make sense .

Ashley (01:00:38):
Virtually no one left their house at night.
High school prom attendees hadpolice escorts and the
classifieds were filled withpeople looking to buy or sell
guard dogs.
Close to 50 officers patrolledthe town.
At all times.
They were bombarded with callsabout gunshots or prowlers that
turned out to just be backfryingcars or animals getting into
garbage cans.

(01:00:59):
Every call was taken seriously,with more than 1,300 suspects
being checked out and cleared.
Despite their best efforts,there was little to go off of
cleared.
Despite their best efforts,there was little to go off of.
In 1946, law enforcement lackedthe investigative tools used
today.
Dna was decades into the future.
There was no computerizedfingerprint database, no refined

(01:01:20):
ballistic techniques, noadvanced fiber or blood analysis
.
Heck, there wasn't evenstandardized crime scene
protocols, which is why theywere left unprotected from
spectators and the elements.
Life in Texarkana slowlystarted to return to normal once
the three, then four, thensix-week mark passed without
incident.
One day, trooper Max Tackettwas examining car theft files

(01:01:43):
for Texarkana and noticedsomething odd.
The day after each attack, acar was reported stolen, while
another, previously missing one,was abandoned.
Towards the end of June, hereceived a phone call from an
old farmer who called about ashort-term tenant leaving
without paying rent.
I wonder if this is supposed tobe the hitchhiker guy.

Remi (01:02:02):
Possibly.

Ashley (01:02:04):
This tenant was Yule Sweeney.
The farmer had written downSweeney's license plate number,
which turned out to be a vehiclethat was reported stolen on
March 24th, the weekend of thefirst double murder of Richard
Griffin and Paulie Moore.
The car was spotted weeks laterby happenstance in an old lot
where Sweeney's family said heoften parked.

(01:02:24):
Tackett and his partnerpromptly arrested the woman who
approached the car, 21-year-oldTexarkana resident Peggy Stevens
Sweeney.
Just hours before her arrestshe married Yule in Shreveport,
louisiana, but now had no ideawhere he was.
This was problematic, as theofficers had no idea where he
was going or what he even lookedlike.

(01:02:46):
Two weeks later, sweeneyapproached an oil worker in
Atlanta, texas, asking if he wasinterested in buying his car.
This was suspicious for severalreasons.
First, it was a newer model, sowhy would someone be interested
in selling it?
Second, he said he was on hisway to Texarkana, a town he
would need a vehicle to get to.
And third, he didn't have theregistration with him.

(01:03:07):
The worker jotted down thelicense plate and phoned it in,
sending Tackett and his partnerback to Texarkana.
Although they still didn't knowwhat Sweeney looked like, they
knew he probably got a glimpseof the officer who arrested
Peggy.
So a plan emerged.
One would go into places theythought Sweeney might be like
bars and cafes, while the otherwatched the crowd's reaction.

(01:03:29):
Once a man at a coffee shopbolted for the door.
As soon as they entered theofficers knew they had their man
.
It's a very clever plan.
Upon arrest, sweeney whoremember was only a suspected
car thief made a few oddstatements, such as you want me
for more than stealing cars.
I will spend the rest of mylife behind bars this time.

(01:03:50):
What do you think they'll do mefor this?
Will they give me the chair anddo you think I could be lucky
enough to get out in 25 years?
But he refused to give any moredetails when asked what he
meant.

Remi (01:04:03):
I'm sure his lawyer was very glad that he didn't
elaborate on any of thosestatements.

Ashley (01:04:08):
Yule Sweeney was 29 years old when he was arrested
in July 1946.
Born in Arkadelphia, Arkansas,which it's funny that these
towns like to like merge thenames of two cities.

Remi (01:04:20):
I was going to ask does this border Philadelphia, the
border from Texas andPhiladelphia?

Ashley (01:04:26):
He had four siblings and a rather tumultuous upbringing.
His parents owned a farm andgrew or raised virtually
everything they needed to feed alarge family.
His father was an alcoholic andtreated Sweeney the poorest of
all of his children.
For example, family memberssaid there were times his father
forced his young son to sitoutside in the cold and watch
through the window while therest of the family ate dinner

(01:04:48):
and watched through the windowwhile the rest of the family ate
dinner.
His parents divorced when hewas nine years old and they had
a weird custody arrangement.
Half the children, includingYule, went to Mr Sweeney and the
other two stayed with theirmother.
Sweeney's arrest history startedwhen he was arrested for theft
and possession of stolen goodsat age 12.
Per a newspaper article, he wasinvolved in a racketeering gang

(01:05:09):
, which is their words, not mine, because the other two young
children with Sweeney made theircandy and cigarette money from
reselling stolen goods to pawnshops.
I think that is a crazyorganization to call
racketeering.
How organized could this littlecrime ring of eight to 12 year

(01:05:29):
olds have been?

Remi (01:05:30):
Candy.
Racketeering is a serious issue, ashley, or at least it was
until the police put an end toit.

Ashley (01:05:36):
Three years later he was arrested again for breaking
into and stealing from a school.
He likely spent time injuvenile detention for these
charges, but that's notcompletely confirmed, since
arrest records for juveniles aresealed.
Sweeney was incarcerated formost of the first decade of his
life.
Before his last prison releasein December 1945, just six

(01:05:57):
months before he was nabbed forsuspected car theft and about
two months before these attacksstarted, he spent time in two
state and four federal prisonsfor convictions of possessing
counterfeit coins.

Remi (01:06:09):
Like he was literally counterfeiting like nickels they
were worth more back in the day, but that seems like it would
be harder to counterfeitactually.

Ashley (01:06:18):
Escape car theft and one armed robbery.
So before he is arrested atthis time, all of his arrests
were mainly for stealing carsand possessing counterfeit coins
.
There was really only this oneviolent crime and no one was
killed.

Remi (01:06:33):
Call me crazy, but I don't think that this guy is the
Phantom.

Ashley (01:06:37):
It doesn't sound like it would be his MO, but let's
opine on this towards the end.
The FBI was informed ofSweeney's arrest, given the
likelihood that he drove stolencars across state lines, which
would make it a federal crime.
Although he spoke sparingly andguardedly in July 1946, he was
not hesitant to cop to stealingat least three cars.

(01:06:58):
Cop to stealing at least threecards.
He also acknowledged being inTexarkana at the time of each
crime but couldn't provide asolid alibi outside of being
with Peggy each time.
He was now the primary and onlysuspect for the phantom
killings.
Towards the end of the month,peggy agreed to talk and gave
three formal statements over thecourse of two days.
Peggy met Sweeney in lateJanuary or early February while

(01:07:21):
she was in the Texarkana jailfor public intoxication, and he
was there to bail out anotherwoman real charmer.
They went on their first dateon Valentine's Day but briefly
split around the time of theassault on Jimmy Hollis and Mary
Leary.
According to Peggy, thatweekend she was at a cafe with
another man when Sweeney walkedin, struck her, dragged her

(01:07:41):
outside and said if he couldn'thave her then no one could.
According to her statements,the pair spent the next several
months driving oil workers orothers in need of transportation
really all over the UnitedStates, and always in stolen
cars, using Dallas and Texarkanaas hubs.
They were in Texarkana mostweekends, including during each
of the phantom killings, andstayed in hotels or with Peggy's

(01:08:04):
family.
Most of the information duringthis and her subsequent
interrogation focused on thesecond murder, that of teenagers
James Martin and Betty Booker.
By the end of her thirdstatement, peggy said she was in
the car when Sweeney killed theteens, with robbery being the
main identified motive.
However, there were alsoinconsistencies in her statement
, like how many times eachvictim was shot and where

(01:08:27):
supposed clothing was discardedor burned.
She also claimed that she wasat a hotel alone during the
murder of Virgil Starks, but thehotel keeper proved that her
and Sweeney arrived together andmuch later than she alleged.
Despite giving these verbalstatements, which officers
believed were accurate, albeitwith her role in the crimes
minimized, she refused to sign awritten document or testify

(01:08:51):
against her husband.
Peggy wasn't the only person whoimplicated Sweeney as the
phantom killer.
Several of her family membersplaced him in Texarkana during
the weekends of each attack,with many backing up Peggy's
account of where they stayed andwent.
There were several accounts ofSweeney selling a .22 Colt
pistol, but the purchaser wasnever located.

(01:09:12):
Perhaps the most damning pieceof evidence outside of Peggy's
statements was a khaki shirtwith Stark faintly printed on
the collar found in Sweeney'spossession.

Remi (01:09:22):
I may have to retract my statement.
There's looking like he mayhave been involved after all.

Ashley (01:09:28):
Laboratory testing found sand, brown hair and metal
matter in the pocket.
The sand and metal matter weresimilar to material found in
Virgil Stark's barn, but littlecould be done about the hair
sample since he was long buriedand there was no DNA testing
available.
Although Katie initiallyidentified the shirt, the next
day she backtracked and wasn'tcompletely sure if it belonged

(01:09:51):
to her late husband.
When asked about this shirt,both Peggy and Sweeney basically
said that whenever he did likecar sealings he would take
clothing, like he just reallyliked taking people's clothing.
So he's like oh, I probably gotit from a carjacking and it did
say there was like a big dealabout how it said Stark instead
of Starks, but the Stark waslike really thinly, like it was

(01:10:14):
fading, so it could have beenthe S was faded, so they
couldn't say for sure if itbelonged to Virgil Stark Starks,
sorry, so they couldn't be forsure if it belonged to Virgil
Stark Starks, sorry, so theycouldn't be for sure if it
belonged to Virgil.
But Stark and Starksa with an Sare basically the same thing.

Remi (01:10:29):
They're very similar and it is very easy for one letter
to get rubbed off an article ofclothing.

Ashley (01:10:35):
Especially because it was like a work khaki shirt and
he's like a welder, like heprobably wears the same types of
shirts all the time.
Law enforcement also found ithighly suspicious that the
murders miraculously stoppedafter Sweeney was apprehended.
Since they were convinced theyhad their killer, the Texas
Rangers quietly startedwithdrawing troops so not to

(01:10:56):
alarm their residents or hintthat a suspect was in custody.
On November 1st a judge granteda motion to have Sweeney moved
to Arkansas State Hospital ashis attorneys were considering
using a mental health defensefor the car theft In their
possession.
They said they believed he maybe not guilty by reason of
insanity because he was obsessedwith cars.

(01:11:19):
They also cited his familyhistory of mental illness, a
spinal injury during adolescenceand his dad's opinion that his
son was quote not normal asreasons they believed their
client was mentally ill.
At the hospital, sweeneyconsented to the use of sodium
pentothal, aka truth serum, adrug not yet admissible in court

(01:11:40):
but was gaining popularity asit was believed to relax the
inhibition so patients couldspeak freely.
This backfired because he wasgiven so much that he just went
into a really deep sleep.
Currently, truth serum isclassified as abusive and
condemned as an interrogationtool as it doesn't prevent lying

(01:12:00):
and increases the risk of falseconfessions.

Remi (01:12:03):
They use it in movies.
I'm not going to say all thetime, but I see it pop up from
time to time where someone willbe injected with truth serum and
then questioned and they haveto say the answer no matter what
, and it always seemed a littleout there when I saw those types
of scenes.

Ashley (01:12:20):
It's basically similar to a sedative.
You're just like really, reallyrelaxed and have loose lips.
But you know what they sayloose lips, sink ships.

Remi (01:12:29):
I will say the best scene was in True Lies with Arnold
Schwarzenegger, when he wasgiven truth serum and he
explained how he was going tokill all of the guys who had him
captured, one by one, andproceeded to do so.

Ashley (01:12:46):
This same month, peggy agreed to give another statement
, this time a signed one andwith the assistance of a
polygraph.
In this statement she providedthe most extensive account of
the murders of James Martin andBetty Booker.
She said Sweeney drove toSpring Lake Park with the plan
of committing a robbery.
Once there, he ordered theteens into his vehicle, drove
around for a bit, shot JamesMartin four times which was
accurate this time around tookhis wallet and tossed some

(01:13:08):
papers from his pocket near abush.
He then drove a little further,ordered Betty out of the car
and came back alone 30 minuteslater.
He supposedly wanted to takethe saxophone but discarded it,
believing it was too hot to pawn, although law enforcement still
thought she was minimizing herrole, this statement had a few
details that hadn't beenreleased to the public.

(01:13:29):
Specifically, betty's saxophonewas found a few weeks earlier
near where Peggy said she sawSweeney toss it.
It was only like 150 yards orsomething away from her body, so
I have no idea why it was notfound earlier.
Also, the papers she said hethrew out of James' pocketbook
were recovered during theinitial investigation, but that

(01:13:50):
was not shared with the publiceither.
Three days later, the couplewere both charged with grand
larceny related to the theft ofthe car they were driving when
Peggy was arrested.
Despite this signed statement,there were several barriers to a
successful prosecution.
Peggy was unwilling and couldnot be compelled to testify in
court since her and Sweeney werestill married.

(01:14:12):
No murder weapons wererecovered and all the other
evidence against him wascircumstantial.
As they were not confident intheir ability to secure a
conviction circumstantial asthey were not confident in their
ability to secure a conviction,the prosecution decided to rely
on the Texas Habitual OffenderLaw to ensure Sweeney was locked
up for as long as possible.
This law is essentially likeCalifornia's three strikes law,

(01:14:32):
in that anyone arrested for athird felony could be sentenced
to life in prison without thepossibility of parole.
Although there is no evidence ofthis, the author of the book I
read, who just so happens to bethe nephew of Bill Presley, the
Bowie County Sheriff initiallyassigned to the case, claims
there was proof that Sweeneytook a plea deal, agreeing to be
sentenced as a habitualoffender for the car theft in

(01:14:55):
exchange for not being chargedwith murder and thus avoiding
the possibility of a deathpenalty.
But there's no written documentof this deal.
Regardless of whether or not aformal deal was made, sweeney
represented himself in court onFebruary 11, 1947.
He initially tried to pleadguilty, but since the Habitual
Offender Act required a trial,he was kind of forced to try his

(01:15:18):
hand at navigating the briefproceeding.
After an hour of jurydeliberation, 37-year-old
Sweeney was convicted of cartheft and sentenced to life in
prison.
Mind you, this is a crime thatcarried a maximum sentence of 10
years and he is now a37-year-old man going to prison
for life for car theft,regardless of if he was this

(01:15:38):
killer or not.
That's a crazy sentence forsomeone for stealing a car.

Remi (01:15:44):
Isn't that what the three strikes thing is for Like?
If you get arrested andconvicted three times the third
one, you're basically going infor life.

Ashley (01:15:54):
Yes, and I have a lot of thoughts about that law because
of cases like this.

Remi (01:15:57):
Is it still enacted?
Is it still like a thing thatoccurs today?

Ashley (01:16:02):
I know California still has the three strikes law.
I don't know if Texas still hasthis habitual offender act, but
I assume they do.
But I think maybe there mightbe some more.
Like, you don't have tosentence someone under this
habitual offender or threestrikes law.
You can choose it if you wantsomeone to be locked up, but
it's.
I don't think it's like anautomatic thing.
Okay, choose it if you wantsomeone to be locked up, but I
don't think it's an automaticthing.

Remi (01:16:22):
Okay, so it's at the judge's discretion.

Ashley (01:16:25):
Yes, we do not have something like this in Oregon.
Also, while three felonies mayseem like a lot, it's really not
.
There's a lot of people thatget charged with trumped up
crimes, and should someone go tojail for the rest of their life
for taking three cars?
I don't think so, but maybe I'mjust a bleeding heart liberal.

Remi (01:16:45):
It does seem excessive life in prison for stealing cars
.

Ashley (01:16:50):
Over the next several years, law enforcement received
at least 10 groundlessconfessions containing
information that didn't meshwith the facts not made public.
They remained steadfast intheir belief that the actual
assailant was behind bars.
All bet for a completelydifferent and non-violent crime.
Despite his life sentence,sweeney started to file motions

(01:17:10):
in 1967, often citing that hehad been in prison for 20 years
for a crime with a maximumsentence of 10.
When this failed, fellowjailhouse lawyers told him the
key to overturning his habitualoffender sentence was to attack
any of his three previous felonyconvictions.
What followed were severalappeals and evidentiary hearings

(01:17:31):
involving his claim that he didnot and was not informed of his
right to legal representationfor his convictions in 1941 and
1947.
This tactic eventually provedsuccessful, as the court records
for his cases were so poorlykept.
Many key players like judges,prosecutors and sheriffs had
since died and any livingwitness to his trial proceedings

(01:17:54):
couldn't remember what happenedduring them.
On October 16, 1973, under anorder by the Texas Appellate
Court, sweeney was released fromprison after 27 years.
They basically said that therewas reason to doubt whether his
constitutional right to counselwas withheld.
You would think that thislengthy incarceration and his

(01:18:17):
age of being in about hismid-50s.
At this time would have beenenough to deter his criminal
lifestyle, but it wasn't.
Two years later he was arrestedagain for car theft and
counterfeiting coins.

Remi (01:18:27):
Ah, Sweeney.

Ashley (01:18:29):
He was in and out of jail until he was last paroled
in 1989 at the age of 72.
He died of lung cancer in aDallas nursing home on September
15, 1994.
He was 77 years old and neveradmitted to being the Phantom
Killer.
Since his relatives didn'tclaim his body, it was donated
to the University of TexasHealth and Science Center.

(01:18:51):
So what happened to thesurvivors of the Phantom Killer?
Mary Leary remarried and died oflung cancer in 1965.
She was only 38 years old andnever psychologically recovered
from her assault.
James Hollis, her date inFebruary 1946, also remarried,
fathered twins, became a civilservice employee and briefly

(01:19:13):
worked for NASA.
He died unexpectedly while inOklahoma for his brother's
funeral in 1975 at the age of 54.
That poor, poor family.
Katie Starks, went to businessschool and lived with her sister
and brother-in-law for 10 years.
She worked as a secretary andremarried in 1955.
She was 84 years old when shedied in 1994.

(01:19:35):
She was laid to rest next toVirgil and her second husband
was buried on the other side ofher when he died in 2009.
Although there is a method toclear FBI cold cases when people
are long gone that is lessstringent than formal trials,
the Texarkana Moonlight murdersare still formally unsolved, and
that is the true story ofCharles B Pierce's, the Town

(01:19:58):
that Dreaded Sundown.
Before I ask what you think,remy, do you think Sweeney was
the phantom killer?

Remi (01:20:04):
I'm going to throw out a theory here.
I think that the first assaultwas not committed by the same
person that did the followingones, because the MO is so
drastically different, in myopinion.

Ashley (01:20:17):
So I'll tell you how the officers describe that.
That happened the same weekendthat Peggy and Sweeney were on a
quote unquote break and she wasat this bar with another man.
So the officers thought he wentout looking for them, came
across this couple and thoughtit was them.
So he was already like enragedand once he realized it wasn't

(01:20:38):
them, instead of like backingoff, he took his rage out on
this couple.
That was their theory.

Remi (01:20:44):
Interesting.
All right, I am not sure.
I think that there is a lot ofstuff that points to him, but
again, it does all seemcircumstantial and because this
was so long ago they reallydidn't have the means or
technology to look into this theway that was needed.
So I can't say for sure.

(01:21:05):
I think he very well could havebeen, but I also have my doubts
, so I'm not sure.

Ashley (01:21:11):
I know.
I feel like the only way theycould have linked him is if they
were able to save that semensample from Betty Booker for
years and been able to get somesort of DNA sample from him.
But I don't know.
It sounds like it probablywasn't preserved and they didn't
have.
Like you know, they wouldn'thave known how to preserve it in

(01:21:32):
1946.
So it could have been tested.
But I agree, her statement iscompelling.
But on the other hand, youcould say that the reason why
she was able to give more andmore is that she was being fed
some of this information,whether intentionally or not,

(01:21:52):
from law enforcement and that'swhy her accounts kind of got
more detailed and in line withthe actual events as time went
on.
That is certainly not unheardof.

Remi (01:22:01):
I was actually going to say the exact same thing Again.
It is something that did occura lot back in the day.
Especially, and it is somethingthat still can occur.
A person is sort of guided inthe direction that the police
need them to be for the story tocheck out.

Ashley (01:22:19):
And the other aspect that gives me pause is that it
just seems crazy that while, yes, yul Sweeney is a career
criminal, he steals cars andmakes counterfeit nickels and
then all of a sudden, for thisfive months that he was released
, he just turns into this likepsychopathic murderer who's just

(01:22:40):
killing anyone for no reason.
That just doesn't really seemin line.
Well, I'm not going to say itdoesn't seem in line.
It's not in line with what wekind of know about the
trajectory and psychology ofserial killers.
So that's kind of the big thing.
That just seems really reallyweird and unexplainable to me.
But the author of this book islike it was 100% him and I agree

(01:23:02):
.
I just don't think there'senough information to conclude
that.

Remi (01:23:06):
Well, with that, I think we should jump into our new
recurring segment that we aredoing our objection of the week,
your honor, I object.
And why is that, mr Reed?
Because it's devastating to mycase.
Overruled.
Good call.

Ashley (01:23:25):
Remy, I think I know what you are going to say, so
why don't you start us off?

Remi (01:23:30):
My objection of the week.
There's a lot you can pick fromhere and again, the objection
of the week is a change made inthe adaptation that is
completely unnecessary anddoesn't really change the story
and is yeah, just why did theymake that change?
But mine is going to besomething that is in the entire

(01:23:51):
movie and doesn't affectanything, and that is the
character of Sparkplug, who isplayed by the director, charles
Pierce.
He does not affect the plot,but he is in a lot of the movie
and he does awful jokes.
I believe your objection ifit's the one I'm thinking may
even include him.
And, yeah, every single partthat he is in is unnecessary and

(01:24:12):
his character is one of the fewthat, to my surprise, is not
based on anyone.
A lot of the characters areactually based on real people,
but his is completely fictitious.
So Sparkplug is my objection ofthe week.

Ashley (01:24:26):
Well then, I'll say the one I thought you were going to
say it's going to be theofficers dressing in drag to
stake out the Phantom, insteadof just putting mannequins in
the car with wigs.

Remi (01:24:36):
Sparkplug was one of the officers in drag during that
scene and the other officer issort of coming on to him while
they're having their stakeoutand it's really cringy.

Ashley (01:24:47):
Okay, these are both really, really good.
I had several other ones thatwere like smaller, but since
mine includes Spark Plug, I'llgive it to you this week.
Touche, remy.

Remi (01:24:58):
Huzzah, all right One for having to sit through Sparkplug,
but now let's go to the finalportion of our podcast At the
conclusion of each episode, ourhosts will deliver a verdict
based on the film's accuracy.

Speaker 4 (01:25:13):
If the film is an honest portrayal of the events,
then it will earn a not guiltyverdict.
If the adaptation is mostlyfactual but creative liberties
were taken for the sake ofentertainment, the film will be
declared a mistrial.
But if the film ultimatelystrays too far from the truth,
then it will be condemned asguilty and sentenced to a life
behind bars.

Ashley (01:25:35):
I will start us off here , and I thought for sure I knew
what verdict I was gonna go intowhen we started this, but I've
changed my mind.
I am shocked to say this, butI'm gonna give this film a
mistrial, even though everythingabout Yul Sweeney is omitted,
which it should have been,because it was just about the
killings and although the actualscenes depicting these murders

(01:25:59):
were fabricated, made moreextreme A lot of the details
about these people, the dates,the town's panic around them,
the officers' investigativeefforts were really in line with
the true facts of the story.
There is some comedic reliefthrown in there.
Some things are dramatized tomake it funnier or to streamline

(01:26:22):
things a bit, but there was alot in this movie that actually
was in line with the actualTexarkana Moonlight murders and
so for these reasons I amshocked to say it gets a
mistrial verdict from me.
What about you, remy?

Remi (01:26:37):
I am shocked to say that I agree with you as well.
I went into this positive thatthis film was going to get a
guilty verdict.
And yes, there's a lot ofliberties taken.
The deaths are over the top.
The spark plug character is alot like.
Gomer Pyle or something likethat.
It's another show I've neverseen, but I feel like I get the

(01:26:58):
reference from old Simpsonsepisodes.
But the framework of the truestory, along with a surprising
amount of details, is all there.
I am very, very, very surprisedto say but yeah, I would say,
even though a lot of libertieswere taken, it still tells the
story.
It is not completely made upout of the blue as I assumed it

(01:27:20):
would be.
So, yeah, mistrial all around.

Ashley (01:27:24):
Shocking.
This is probably my mostshocked I have ever felt at
giving a verdict, but I mean, Ithink it was a pretty easy one
to come to.

Remi (01:27:32):
I was slowly coming to that realization.
As you were going through thetrue story In my head, I was
like shit a lot of this is inthe film, and am I going to have
to give this a mistrial?
I really, really did not seethis coming at all.
I was positive that they justmade up all of this and made it
as out there and over the top aspossible in every regard.

(01:27:56):
They did do that, but they alsokept the facts, too
surprisingly.

Ashley (01:28:00):
I had the same realization when you were
describing the actual movie,like I don't know if you looked
over at me, but there wasseveral times like my eyes were
like bulging, because I was like, oh my god, this is way more in
line than I would have eversuspected.

Remi (01:28:16):
We can't go into these things with any preconceived
notions.
I guess this is a big shockerfor me.
Actually, this is one of themost surprising verdicts I think
we've done.
But we have some new materialto go over next week that does
not involve murder or serialkillers or slashers or anything
like that, and is actually madeby a prestige director, ridley

(01:28:38):
Scott.
We will be going over the filmAll the Money in the World,
which has a very interestingproduction backstory around it.
But, ashley, have you seen thismovie?
Do you know of the true story?
It's about the kidnapping of arelative of John Paul Getty.
That's what I know off the topof my head.

Ashley (01:28:59):
Yes, one of his grandkids were kidnapped.
I have not seen this movie.
As a little background, johnPaul Getty was an oil tycoon and
at one point, the richest manin the world, hence why the
title is called All the Money inthe World.
Briefly, his grandson iskidnapped and he refuses to pay

(01:29:20):
the ransom.
Even though they do crazythings to this kid, like chop
off his ear and mail it to thefamily, he still is like nope,
not giving them a dime.
I have not seen this movie, butthere was a show on FX called
Trust and I believe it was withDonald Sutherland as John Paul
Getty.
It had Hilary Swank as thegrandson who gets kidnapped his

(01:29:44):
wife.
I think John Paul Getty'sgrandson might have been played
by the star of Lords of Dogtownwith the blonde hair, the long
blonde hair.
I think I could be wrong, butBrendan Fraser is also in it as
a detective and it's a very goodshow.

Remi (01:29:59):
I saw this movie once, I think, with a DVD screener back
in LA and I don't think I waspaying full attention and I
don't really remember much aboutit.
But I know the film has a lotof interesting controversy
around it because Kevin Spaceywas originally the actor who was
going to play John Paul Gettyand he was canceled and

(01:30:22):
rightfully so removed from theproject just a few weeks before
it was going to be released andthey brought in Christopher
Plummer to record everything ina crazy short amount of time.
So interesting backstory and Ilook forward to discussing it
next time.

Ashley (01:30:38):
I've already started reading the book that the movie
is based on and I'm reallyexcited to talk about it.
It's very fascinating how thisman accumulated his wealth.
If you remember back to ourKillers of the Flower Moon
episode, the Getty family wasone of the people who bought a
plot that turned out to be justan oil mine.

(01:31:01):
It was the one that the oilspewed up into the air like a
geyser.
That was bought by the Gettyfamily.
So that's kind of like whatstarted their transcendence into
the oil tycoons that theybecame.

Remi (01:31:16):
Well, until then, everyone , if you have enjoyed what you
have heard and we hope that youhave, because a lot of time and
energy goes into it please like,comment, subscribe, tell a
friend, tell a relative, tellanyone who has a functioning
phone or internet.
Five star reviews are awesomeand we will read them on the air

(01:31:37):
or on the podcast or whateverthe term is.
We also have some social media.
Ashley, do you want to tellthem what that is?

Ashley (01:31:44):
Criminal Adaptations at Instagram, where you can see
comparisons of the real lifepeople and their movie
portrayals, as well as TikTok,also at Criminal Adaptations,
and you can also email us atcriminaladaptations at gmailcom.

Remi (01:32:01):
And until next time everybody court is adjourned.

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