All Episodes

March 25, 2024 59 mins

February 22, 1946. A young couple in Texarkana, Texas pull over for a little loving, and  are forced out of their car by a man wearing a hood with two slits for eyes. The carnage that followed terrified an entire community for months, and eventually became known as the Moonlight Murders.  

In 1976, Director Charles B Pierce recreates these crimes in a quasi documentary style. Be mindful where you park your car for necking, because The Town that Dreaded Sundown was inspired by a true story.

This is the truth of the crimes behind 1976's The Town that Dreaded Sundown, which was indeed inspired by a true story.

Welcome to Inspired By A True Story, a podcast where every two weeks, our award-winning hosts and film critics discuss the genuine details that have inspired some of the most memorable true crime movies around. Each episode will break down the crime or crimes that inspired a specific film, and then discuss how factual that film is, versus how much is simply Hollywood magic.

A hooded killer terrorizes Texarkana, Arkansas in 1946, murdering several innocents before he finally stopped. This masked butcher was never caught. This is a dramatic recreation of those true-life events, also known as the Moonlight Murders and the Phantom Killer. 

Email your thoughts on this episode and/or suggestions of films to cover to Inspired@TheHollywoodOutsider.com

Listen to all episodes of Inspired By A True Story at https://www.thehollywoodoutsider.com/inspired-by-a-true-story/

Subscribe: 

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS Feed

Support the podcast and gain early access to episodes of Inspired By A True Story at https://www.patreon.com/thehollywoodoutsider

"Southern Gothic" and other music provided by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Ridiculous History

Ridiculous History

History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.