Bud Davis might not, truth to tell, but we're still picking this one:
This is a good little movie that is almost a small gem - a documentary style horror flick about the never-caught killer who terrorized Texarkana Arkansas in the mid 40's. Ben Johnson and Andrew Prine are worth their weight in gold as the law enforcement officers on the case; and the scenes with the hooded killer are creepy as hell. The only thing that mars the movie - and prevents it reaching gem status - is the WTH decision by director Charles B. Pierce to throw in a Barney Fife-like deputy character with horrendously bad comic relief scenes - and then to play the role himself! He has three major scenes that ground the movie to a halt for what feels like an eternity each time - and that goes triple for the "undercover drag" scene.
Other than that nonsense - this is a solid thriller - and it looks really good in the new Blu-Ray edition I recently added to the video vault. Pierce may be a terrible actor - but he's a decent low budget director - and it's pretty amazing how much period flavor this movie has considering the money involved.
If you would like to check it out sometime - even tonight - it sits ready to spin in the video vault. You just have to brave the darkness to come see. Remember - they never caught this guy - and he might still be spry at the age of 100+!
Until next post, you Can Poke Me With A Trombone, Cause I Am Outta Here!
And it's got Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island !
ReplyDeleteIndeed it does!
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