Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
In the spring of 1946,
in the small town of Texarkana,
on the Texas-Arkansas border,
a series of horrific murders
were committed
by a masked assailant known
only as "The Phantom Killer."
For three harrowing months,
the Phantom stalked the
back roads of Texarkana,
following young couples looking
for privacy to isolated areas,
where their screams for
help would go unanswered.
Though several
arrests were made in
connection with the
brutal slayings,
which ended as suddenly
as they began,
the killer's identity
was never confirmed.
Indeed, many people who lived
through that nightmare time
believed the Phantom spent
the rest of his days free,
walking the streets
of Texarkana
quietly, anonymously,
until his assumed death.
In 1976, a film inspired
by the infamous
Moonlight Murders was released.
Every year, on Halloween, The
Town That Dreaded Sundown
is screened somewhere
in Texarkana,
in tribute to the Phantom's
legacy of death and blood.
Today, Texarkana is a place
haunted by its past,
defined by a mystery
that was never solved,
and a tragedy that
could never be forgotten.
The following happened
in Texarkana last year.
Sammy! Sammy!
You're not enjoying
this, are you?
Oh, I just don't like these
kinds of films so much.
Why didn't you say so?
We can go.
Really? Do you mean it?
Stop it!
I mean, man, the last time I saw
this movie was when
I was, like, 12.
God bless you and the Texarkana
Fellowship Church invites you
to stop the Devil with gospel.
- Hello, sister.
- You take a look at this now.
This is a godless film
that you're watching here.
And I want you to listen
to my broadcast on Friday
and come to church on Sunday.
I'll tell you all about it.
Welcome back. This is KYGL,
Oldies on the Border.
It's Halloween night, so
if you're sitting at home,
waiting for the
trick-or-treaters to come by,
we'll keep you company with
our usual bag of tricks.
Real people died,
you know, young man.
Real people died.
That's right. That's right.
It's a godless film and I
want to see you on Sunday.
We welcome you.
That's good. You leave.
This is a godless film.
It's good that you're leavin'.
What?
I'm just having a good
time with you, Jami.
The only reason I
play football is
to get a scholarship
and go to SMU.
Yeah?
And how about you?
Where'd you apply?
Mmm. You did apply, right?
You're, like, super smart.
Yeah. Yeah, I did.
I applied to UT Austin,
NYU,
and Cal State.
Wow.
That's impressive.
Oh, I probably won't get in,
but, you know, aim high.
You should.
My dad used to write
for the Gazette, actually.
My grandma says
it's in my blood, so...
Even though no one reads it,
I like writing for the paper.
I could do that from here
and stay close to my grandma.
If I don't get in.
Right.
Well, I'm glad
you finally said yes.
Me, too.
Wait.
What? Did I...
Did I do something wrong?
No.
What the hell is he doing?
He's just a Peeping Tom.
He's not gonna do anything.
Corey, we don't know that.
But look.
See? He just wanted a show.
He's just some ***
from the drive-in.
Let's just go, though.
Is that okay?
Yeah.
Get out of the car.
Don't, Jami. Stay in the car.
Get out of the *** car or
I'll shoot her in the face.
Do your momma and daddy know
where you were tonight, boy?
The movie.
Yes.
Well, what about yours?
They're dead.
Take your pants off.
What? Take off your
*** pants.
Corey, just do it.
Okay, all right.
Come on, man.
Get down on the ***' ground.
Okay. All right, I am.
I'm not gonna run anywhere.
Now... Now, please,
can you just let her go?
No.
Please don't kill him.
You.
Turn around.
Do not look back.
All right, if you want money,
I can get you money.
I don't want money.
What do you want?
I said don't look back.
What are you doing? What are...
What are you...
Shut the *** up!
What are you doin'?
Shut the *** up.
Shut the *** up!
What are you doing?
What the *** are you doin'...
Corey!
No! Please, no! No, please!
Please.
No.
You looked.
This is for Mary.
Make them remember.
What are you doing?
No, please don't hurt me.
- Who is that?
- What?
Oh, no. Please don't hurt me.
- Is she okay?
- Are you okay?
This is Texarkana 911.
What is your emergency?
We're at the
Twin Star Drive-In.
We need an ambulance
and the police.
Is someone injured?
Yes. Um, a girl and
maybe her boyfriend,
I don't know. She is hysterical.
All right. All right.
He was on top of me.
He could have killed me,
but he didn't.
You say the Phantom
told you something?
I don't know why,
but he said he was
doin' it for someone named Mary.
Were you drinkin'?
Doin' any drugs?
No. Did the doctors
find any drugs in her?
Well, as a precaution,
we're gonna
have someone in front
of your house.
I... I can do that.
Thank you.
Until we get some
more information,
Jami, we'd like
to ask you not to
discuss any of this
with the press.
They've been all over this
story, as you can imagine.
Once again, for those
just joining us,
24 hours after the shocking
Phantom-inspired *** of a
17-year-old high school student,
no arrests have been made.
It is unreasonable
to try and find meaning
in this grotesque
and godless crime,
but that is exactly what
we must do as a community.
Like a lost reel
from The Town That
Dreaded Sundown,
the attack on Halloween
night took place
in a secluded,
wooded cul-de-sac,
just off Highway 6,
an area that used to be
called Lovers' Lane.
Grandma, do you remember
anything about the murders?
Oh, dear girl, barely.
Just what I heard later.
You know, your great-grandpa
and your great-grandma lived in
this house when it happened.
I remember my momma once said
that it was like the town
was being tested
and nobody knew why.
Even the grown-ups were scared.
He was the bogeyman, they said.
Can't catch the bogeyman.
Can't kill the bogeyman.
His father is the devil
and his mother is a ***.
You know, before that summer,
everybody would leave
their doors unlocked.
And after the summer,
you saw a stranger,
you wouldn't wave hello.
You'd just cross the street.
And what about when
they made the movie?
What about it?
Were people still afraid?
The Phantom? No, that faded.
Nobody knew exactly who he was
or what he did,
just that he'd
lived in this town
and attacked some teenagers
on Lovers' Lane.
And then the movie
brought it all back.
This is for Mary.
REVEREND CARTWRIGHT Humility,
devotion, sacrifice.
Mr. Holland,
I just wanted you to know
that he was so brave.
You left my baby boy!
Margaret. You ***!
Margaret.
You ***! You left him!
It won't bring him back.
You left my baby boy!
It won't...
I want my baby!
Given what you've been through,
I'd like to prescribe a mild
anti-anxiety medication
to help you...
No, ma'am. Um, no, thank you.
I've spent the last seven
years on all different kinds
of medication after my
parents passed away.
I'm not interested in
anything like that.
In your file I read that
you applied to colleges.
To study, um...
Creative writing.
I'm not sure it's
something I'm ready for,
or made for that,
and leaving town...
I don't want to.
Especially not now.
What about these dreams
you've been having?
What do you think
they're about?
About Corey?
Well,
Corey asked me out
and I was flattered.
I don't get asked out
all that much.
So I just wanted to
show him that...
I...
That I was...
Grateful?
Yeah.
So, when he suggested
that we leave the movie,
I thought we could
go someplace.
And even if we just kissed for a
little while, he
would like me more.
You didn't do anything
wrong, Jami.
He was just
a really good person.
He was just a really good person
and he didn't deserve that.
He tried to protect me.
Jami.
Try writing about this.
It might help you
find a way through it.
Baby!
Glad you made it
home safe, baby!
You feel that, baby?
That's for you! Yes!
Oh, baby. I'm sore.
I need a break.
We've got four
in a row for you on KYGL.
There's a machine
by the stairs.
If they got cookies,
get me some cookies.
I need the sugar.
I love you, baby.
I love you, baby.
Hey, knock when you come back.
So I know it's you.
Help me! Help!
Help!
Help!
No!
Hello?
I'm going to do it
again and again
until you make them remember.
I think I need to tell someone.
Well, you just did. Me.
I mean, like a reporter
at the news or something.
He said he was
gonna do it again,
and if he has a message and
he's using me to get it out,
I have to say
something. It's...
And... And he's using you why?
'Cause he likes you?
Um...
I don't know.
Miss Lerner, I promise you
we will investigate this.
I will personally make sure
that it's investigated.
Thank you.
I just don't understand why
he thinks we deserve this.
Well,
I'll tell you what, I
wasn't born in Texarkana,
but I've been around here long
enough to know one thing.
And that's that just about
everyone around here
has got some kind of
blood on their hands.
Three weeks
after the shocking death
of high school senior
Corey Holland,
the town of Texarkana
has awoken yet again
to another gruesome
act of violence.
This time, two people
were found dead.
Corporal Daniel Torrens
was coming home
to spend Thanksgiving with his
girlfriend, Kendra Collins,
when they checked
into this motel...
At a few minutes past midnight,
the couple was
attacked and killed,
their bodies mutilated
almost beyond recognition.
A heart full of hate,
that'll do it.
A soul consumed
by vengeance. Sin.
The Sheriff's office has been in
contact with the Texas Rangers
to help with the investigation.
But in the meantime, a Town Hall
meeting has been scheduled.
Reverend Cartwright, will you
lead us in a word of prayer?
Our Dear Heavenly Father,
we ask you to deliver us
through this trial,
shield us during this
time of fire and blood,
of confusion and despair.
We ask you to lend us
some of your strength
and give it to these
fine young men and women
that they may help guide us
through this forest
of fear and darkness...
This town, where I was born,
where I grew up, is the
only place I've ever known.
Amen.
The Mayor's asked us
to hold this forum
to give you an update
and hear your concerns.
Well, an update would be great!
People are saying
the Phantom is back.
That after 60 some years
he's come back and that
we need to be ready. Ma'am,
he'd be 100 years old.
Every time we show
that GD movie,
there's a GD party out there!
The Phantom
is our dirty secret.
That movie will never be
shown in Texarkana again.
Not on the Texas side.
And not on the
Arkansas side, either.
And while you're at it,
why don't you tear down
that statue of Jim Bowie?
Isn't he holding one
of them GD knives?
Why don't you rip that down?
Everyone knows
some piece of the story,
but the whole truth
has been all but buried.
Oh, we're all so surprised
that the Phantom's back?
Of course he is.
You can't leave a candle
burning in a window for someone
and then be surprised
when he finally shows up!
Amen. Amen, sister, Amen.
Most of the people alive back
then are no longer with us.
Or they just don't
want to remember.
Then you shutter the bars.
But everything comes back.
The past is alive,
all around us.
Order!
"Disciples of Evil."
That's what my daddy said.
Hi.
The library's paper archives
only go back for 10 years.
They said I should come here
if I was looking for articles
in the Gazette from
the '40s and '50s.
Stuff about the Phantom?
Yes.
Uh, all the best stuff
is upstairs. In the jail.
Listen up!
As of this moment,
the Texas Rangers
are in charge of
this investigation.
Specifically, I am.
They moved everything in here
when they decommissioned
the prison. Now we just
use if for storage.
All of our archives and files.
It's in here.
Trust me, I understand
how you feel right now.
I once had a Texas Ranger come
into my house, and
it wasn't easy.
Sparkplug, give us the room.
Now, let's get down
to business.
I want open, clear
lines of communication
between Texas and Arkansas.
One person from each side
reporting directly to me.
So are you just
casually interested, or...
I don't think we'll figure
out who the Phantom is now
unless we figure out
who he was back then.
Cool. We have two
jobs, friends.
To capture this ***
and to keep the good
people of Texarkana
from killing each other
out of fear.
We are not
huntin' a ghost.
We are after a flesh and
blood, cold-blooded killer,
who, up to this point,
has not made one mistake.
Due respect, Ranger Morales...
Call me Lone Wolf.
I think very highly of myself,
and I've also earned it.
Uh, due respect, Lone
Wolf, he was videotaped.
I'd like to see that footage.
Oh, and the movie.
Believe it or not, I've never
had the pleasure of seeing it.
Everything from 1945 to
1952 is gonna be in here.
You know how that works?
The microfiche?
They were gonna throw it
out, and I said, "Hey, why?
"You know, it works.
Bring it here."
Well...
Well, thanks.
Yeah. Good luck.
Oh, ***, sorry.
You're Jami Lerner, aren't you?
I'm Nick.
I went to Evans High with you.
We were in the same chem class.
We were?
Yeah, you sat in the
front to the side.
I sat in the back
to the other side.
And when I recognized
you, I thought...
"Holy ***, that's her,
and I hope she's okay."
That's all. I just wanted
to see if you're okay.
Yeah, I am.
Oh, and, uh, give you this.
It's the greatest
hits the Gazette
published back when
it was happening.
And then they did
a retrospective.
It's usually $12
for xeroxing, but you can...
Don't worry about it.
Just go ahead.
Thanks.
Well, I'll just be downstairs,
manning the desk,
if you need anything.
From the KYGL
on the Border family
to your family,
stay safe out there.
If you do go out, go out in a
group, and don't play hero.
You see someone that looks
suspicious comin' your way,
cross to the other side
of the street, will you?
Oh, my God.
"They couldn't catch me
66 years ago
"and they never will.
"I come and go as I please.
"I kill when I please.
"You may think I'm
a horrible, sick murderer,
"but I'm not.
"I love my neighbors.
"I wish they would stop and
let my soul rest in peace."
"For you see,
I am the soul of Texarkana.
"I am the reckoning foretold."
Oh, look, I can understand
how this can be upsetting,
but it's also
most likely a fake.
Well, the Zodiac, he sent a
manifesto to the press and...
Yes. And so did the Son of Sam,
and the Axeman of New Orleans,
but to reporters,
not teenagers.
We all realize it could
be a hoax, Deputy.
But until it's 100% confirmed,
we will take it and this
young lady seriously.
I want my entire team to
hear what you have to say.
If you think it's important,
we think it's important.
Well, um...
I've been researching
the original case,
and going through
the court transcripts.
Do you know who
Benjamin Sewell is?
He was a car thief, arrested
in 1946 in Texarkana
for possession of
a stolen automobile.
A lot of people think that he
was the Phantom because...
Well, the killing stopped
once he was arrested.
How long was he in for?
- Thirty years.
- Thirty years.
And then Benjamin Sewell
died, Ms. Lerner.
Yes, sir. He died last summer.
In a hospital in Fort Worth.
I spoke to a nurse
that worked at the hospital,
um, since before
Benjamin died...
Now, come on, we don't
have time for this.
Hold on. She said a young
man used to visit him.
His son, they thought.
What if it's him?
That the passing of his
father set him off
and he came back here
to finish his father's work?
Benjamin Sewell did
have a son, Ms. Lerner,
but he died in a bar
fight two years ago.
He did?
It's all right, Jami.
We went down that
same rabbit hole.
This is KYGL,
Oldies on the Border,
and if you've got us on,
you're probably
getting ready for
the big football
game this weekend.
The Texas High Tigers versus
the Arkansas High Razorbacks.
It's gonna be
a blood match, folks.
But as always...
He said he'd shoot me
if I got any closer.
Well, that's his job.
How'd it go at the station?
Uh, not so well.
It's no surprise.
Grandma, this is...
Nick Strain.
I went to the same
high school as Jami.
Hmm. And now?
I work at the archives.
Uh, researcher.
I found you some
really cool stuff from
back when they were
making the movie.
You know, some of those people
are still around. So...
Uh, no college, huh?
Just making some money first.
Family? Grandma.
My parents moved to
Denton last year,
so I'm living with
some buddies.
I'll be in in a minute, okay?
All right.
Sorry about that.
You want to sit down?
You know, they did tons of
research for the movie.
The director and his son.
Thanks for bringing
me this stuff.
Yeah.
Can I ask why you're
helping me with all this?
I always wanted to talk to you.
Why didn't you?
Didn't think I'd get very far.
I never saw you with a...
Boyfriend or friends or...
I asked around and...
I was like, "What's her story?"
Then someone told me about...
About my parents?
Or that for the last seven years
I've been totally
out of it and...
Both.
My parents didn't
really move to Denton.
I just said that 'cause
I didn't want your grandma to
think I was this, you know,
basket case.
Which, of course, now I
really seem like one.
Where are they?
Well, my dad killed
himself last year.
He was an, um, an alcoholic,
and my mom, uh, kinda...
She just got lost after that.
Um, she's at Trans-Allegheny.
Well, it's a loony bin.
Oh, hey, um, they're having a
vigil tonight at the school.
For the soldier
and his girlfriend.
And for Corey.
You wanna go?
You don't mean that fellow
they call the Lone Wolf
- of the Texas Rangers?
- That's right.
Hmm.
Since I'm in charge of this investigation,
things are gonna have to be handled my way.
We got a cold-blooded
killer here.
A man who nobody sees.
A Phantom who
so far hasn't made
any mistakes.
What are you doing?
No, please, don't hurt me.
Please.
I guess it was crazy of me to
think I could help the police,
but I'm gonna keep researching.
Keep writing.
Their stories need
to be told, so...
Arrest me.
- Arrest me!
- On the ground!
He killed Danny. But I got him.
I got his ***!
- Jami.
- No! No, Nick...
Wait! No! I need to know!
Excuse me. May I, please?
Ladies and gentlemen, Sheriff
Underwood has just informed me
that the man who killed
Corey Holland,
the man who killed,
viciously, that couple,
that man has been shot,
I'm told.
And I don't know
what his condition is,
but I do know that
no one else was hurt.
And that that,
finally, is something
that we can give thanks for.
Reverend Cartwright,
would you please lead us in
a brief prayer of gratitude?
Sweet Heavenly Father,
we have been delivered.
We praise the men and women who
have led us through
this darkness.
Sweet Jesus, thank you
for your mercy.
- Amen.
- Amen.
Now, we've had
a quiet night here.
But I do believe that
it would be appropriate
for us to have a little music
that we could dance to,
so, gentlemen,
I'm gonna lead you off.
One, two...
One, two, three, four.
What was she doing?
"A one..."
The worst dance moves ever.
Straight home now.
Yes, sir.
It's right here.
Remember when we
used to come over here
and smoke cigarettes?
Thought we were such hot ***.
So...
So how does this work?
I don't know.
I thought maybe you could...
You know.
What?
You know.
Go down there,
and suck it.
Suck it?
I don't know. Maybe a little?
What, is it hard?
Yeah. Isn't yours?
Yeah.
You first.
And then I'll do you.
Maybe we could
jerk off together.
Dude, drive!
Come on! Hurry up, come on!
Run, Johnny! Run!
No!
Hi.
Who was that guy at the vigil?
Name's Paul Mason.
A freshman over at
Texarkana College.
He's a messed up kid but...
He's not the Phantom? No.
Some stupid teenager went
out looking to get shot.
Left a suicide note
in his dorm room.
But just because
he wanted to die
doesn't necessarily mean
he's not the Phantom, right?
Hell, Jami...
I... I did not want
to tell you this
but you're...
There was another
*** last night.
It was two boys.
We're checking security
cameras at the scene,
but it does look
like it happened
after Paul Mason was shot.
It was Sunday, March 3rd, 1946.
The beginning of a
reign of terror
for the people of Texarkana
and surrounding areas
of Arkansas and Texas.
Well, that's the most god-awful
thing I've done in a long while.
They asked me if their...
Their sons
were dead before
he mutilated their bodies.
I lied.
I, uh, told 'em
as far as I could tell,
they had passed
before the worst of it.
Maybe they had.
They cried.
These two grown men, I've
known 'em all their lives.
Since they were boys.
We catch him, we kill him,
that'll make it better.
That'll at least
bring them peace.
I agree.
To that end,
after our friend kills those
kids with the trombone,
who does he go after next?
In the movie, after
the trombone killin',
there's a double homicide
at the farmhouse.
Every damn house
out here is a farmhouse.
Texarkana looked normal
in the daylight hours but
everyone dreaded sundown.
Maybe I was wrong, Nick.
Maybe there is no
connection to the past
and the Phantom is
just the bogeyman.
Like my grandma says.
The first time I heard about the
Phantom, I was eight years old.
I was at a sleepover at
my friend Chrissie's house.
I called my parents
to come pick me up.
And that was the night
of the crash.
That night in the woods,
he was on top of me
and I thought, "This is it."
You know, it should
have happened
when I was eight years old.
It's finally
caught up to me now.
Death.
It's following me and it's
only a matter of time.
I guess I'm a little messed up.
I don't think you are.
Well, yeah, that's just
'cause you are, too. Good.
Nick, what are you doing?
It's okay.
No, it's not okay!
I thought that...
I can't believe
you just did that.
Look, I'm sorry, I just
thought that we had this...
I need you to get out
of the car right now.
Nick, I mean it!
Get out of the car!
Are you serious?
Oh, that looks just fine.
Mmm-hmm. That's very nice.
You got everything now,
the scallops? Yes.
The potatoes and the ham?
Ranger.
Hank.
Well, Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Reverend.
Merry Christmas, Joe.
Well, what can I do
for you gentlemen?
Is there a place the three
of us can go and talk, Joe?
Mmm-hmm.
I didn't send this e-mail.
Well, the FBI traced it
back to you, Joe, so...
Why'd you send it to the girl?
To muddy up the waters?
I don't know what to tell you.
Here's what I think. I don't
think you killed anybody.
But I do believe
you sent this message.
See, I hear you
at night, preachin'.
Nothin' much for me
to do in my hotel room,
so I wonder, "Are you doing
this for publicity, or..."
He chose that girl
to be his herald.
His messenger. He is
doing the Lord's work.
He's killin' our kids, Joe.
My church is more full
than it has been in years.
People are coming to me asking
for redemption, for salvation.
They're scared, Hank.
They want to walk on the
righteous path again.
Now, I want to call the Mayor.
And then I want
to call my lawyer.
Merry Christmas, ma'am.
Merry Christmas.
I was wondering
if Jami's around?
He's kidding, right?
I'm sorry about what I did.
No, I'm sorry. I can't believe
I made you walk home.
I took the bus.
Hey, I wanted to tell you.
I found out Charles Pierce, Jr.
Is alive.
He's the son of the
director of The Town...
The Town That Dreaded Sundown?
Look, I know it's
a long shot, but...
I mean, the movie,
uh, defined Texarkana
just as much as
the murders did.
Anyway, he lives here,
in Texarkana.
Near here, out by the dredge.
You talked to him?
Uh, no, I've been
asking around about him.
He does odd jobs for the city,
doesn't even have a cell phone.
But worth a try. Right?
If I can get in touch with him?
Yeah, definitely.
Thanks. All right.
This is for you.
Nick.
Thank you.
This one's for all
the brave men and women
who are out there each and every
night patrolling the streets,
doing everything they can...
We do not, and I repeat,
we do not believe
that Reverend Cartwright
is the Phantom.
We have taken Reverend Joseph
Cartwright into custody...
Get me started, Elmer.
Every Christmas, Ardele.
They don't have you
working tonight?
Well, I just arrested
one of Texarkana's
most prominent citizens
for sending an e-mail, so...
That's enough for tonight.
We do not have
the Phantom in custody.
Hank.
Hank!
Mark it.
Action. Bud.
My daddy was
a genius visionary.
Could have been the next Orson
Welles if he'd
gone to Hollywood,
but he wanted to stay in Texas
and tell our stories.
You know, Texas stories.
Not all that
Hollywood ***.
Oh, that. Yeah,
that's pretty cool.
Yep. That's the original.
Go ahead and touch it
if you want.
No, thank you, sir. Go ahead.
That's okay. I don't...
I don't want to.
Okay.
Um... Mr. Pierce, I'm writing
something about the Phantom,
about his legacy
in our town and...
Well, I can tell you
who the killer is.
Would that be
interesting to you?
Sure, yeah.
Well, all right.
Well, my father,
when he was doing
his research, he
talked to everyone.
Most people believe that
Benjamin Sewell was the Phantom.
No, he wasn't. No, no, no, no.
Sewell was not the killer.
No, they railroaded that
poor son of a ***.
No, the police just wanted
someone to be the killer.
How do you know that for sure?
How do I know? I don't know.
You can't know.
Oh.
You know, I'll tell you a
story that my father told me
about Hank McCreedy.
Hank McCreedy?
A few days after the last
*** at the Stark farm,
the police on
the Arkansas side,
they found a body
all in pieces.
It'd been run over by a train.
Now, this is
the Arkansas police
who say, "Oh, it's the Phantom.
"He committed suicide."
No more Phantom.
Based on what?
Nothin'.
It was based on nothin'.
But Hank McCreedy's
pregnant wife,
she demands an autopsy.
And then it come out.
He wasn't run over.
He was stabbed
more than two dozen times,
right next to the tracks.
My daddy, he had
a theory about that.
He said that the Phantom
killed McCreedy,
you know, his last victim,
his final goodbye.
And then he hopped
a train to California.
Mr. Pierce, I've read everything
there is to read on this.
I've never even heard
of this Hank McCreedy.
It should have been
front-page news.
But while the Arkansas
police were findin' McCreedy,
the Texas police,
they were arresting Sewell
and so you got
two different camps
each saying
they got the Phantom.
And what neither of them
is piecing together is that
Sewell was in custody
when McCreedy was killed,
proving that neither
one was the Phantom.
So Sewell was in jail,
and then, did anything
ever come from McCreedy?
Oh, he's dead.
Yep, and dead men
don't complain much.
But his pregnant wife, Mary,
she's pissed as ***.
Her name was Mary?
My daddy tracked
her down in 1974.
And, oh, she was still bitter.
She said that Texarkana
had done worse than
killed her husband.
It had shat on his memory.
And in the process, it was
*** on her life.
It was *** on
her son's life.
Who you think is the Phantom?
No! No!
Sorry.
Hank McCreedy's dead.
His son is dead. His grandson
is still alive.
That's your Phantom,
right there.
You're making this *** up.
No! Boy, listen to me.
I am telling you what
I know to be true.
That Mary McCreedy did pour
poison about Texarkana
into Hank Jr.'s ear.
Hank did the same
thing to his son!
They did, consciously
or unconsciously,
they bred themselves a killer!
Mr. Pierce, do you have any
proof of this being true,
or is this just something
that your father told you?
My daddy asked me to make
a sequel to Town,
to finish the story he started
and to set the record straight
about the McCreedys.
He was my best friend.
Now he's deceased.
I tracked down
Mary McCreedy in 1986.
I found that scary old
*** on her deathbed,
and she warned me.
She said that her
grandson would do
what her son didn't have
the balls to do.
Make Texarkana
pay for its sins.
Yeah. And no one else
has thought of this?
Not like the police,
or the FBI,
or the *** ***
Texas Rangers?
Do you believe his story?
Are you kidding me?
The man lives on a boat.
Wait, do you believe him?
I don't know.
Hey, I'm just saying,
if McCreedy did
have a grandson,
he'd probably be in his 20s
or his 30s, at least. Nick.
Come on.
As far as we know,
*** Charles B.
Pierce, Jr. could be the killer.
He doesn't have a reason to be.
His story was told, his
father's story was told.
Yeah, up until the sequel.
But they're a part
of the legend.
They're in the movie.
They're there somewhere.
All of them except for...
McCreedy.
Now, his name wasn't even
mentioned in the papers.
He doesn't have
a plaque anywhere.
He's not even in the movie that
they show every damn year.
It's... It'd be upsetting.
It's an injustice, Nick.
Hank McCreedy's grandson would
see it as an injustice.
Now, this is a very sad day
for us all.
It always is when you lose
an officer of the law
in the line of duty.
Now, I did not work with
Deputy Tillman long,
but you all know him
a lot better than...
How many of these
have you gotten?
This is the second
notice of acceptance.
Grandma, I just met somebody
and I think I might...
I am not gonna let this mess
be the most important
thing in your life.
Grandma, it already is.
I have talked to your
uncle in California
and he said that we can stay
with him as long as need be.
Pack up.
We'll leave before daybreak.
Tomorrow for sure?
I'm already packed.
You couldn't wait a day?
I'm not gonna see you.
I hate that.
I could come visit, though.
Yeah, of course.
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Grandma. I'll just be a second.
Okay.
So, I'm not sure
if anyone told you,
but my grandma and I are gonna
take off for a little while.
Yeah, she mentioned that.
Can I show you something?
It could be nothing,
but I just think
it should be
investigated by someone.
Who's he? His name's
Hank McCreedy.
He was the original
Phantom's last victim
but he's sort of
forgotten about.
I heard a story about him,
so I did some research,
and he's got a grandson
somewhere.
I've been writing an article.
I'm gonna try and finish it
when I get to California.
I'll look into it
for you, I promise.
Jami. Come on, hon.
Drive safe.
Never left Texas my whole life.
Isn't that somethin'?
Do you want anything else?
Just a coffee?
Mmm... A Danish.
And, uh, get some water.
Good morning. It's New
Year's Day here at KYGL,
and for you early birds,
here's a classic.
Grandma?
Grandma.
Grandma, no!
No... No!
Don't...
Help me, please, somebody!
The Phantom, he's...
Like a dog with a bone,
ain't ya?
What?
Oh, my God.
Oh, God, oh, God. Oh, no, no!
The ***...
Foster.
Go on, show her, boy.
No!
Hey, Jami.
No!
No!
No! I saw him die!
I watched you die! Shh!
I know... If you remember,
you actually missed most of it.
They found his body.
They found his body.
No, I found his body.
Was a poor runaway kid.
Cut up his face, knocked out
his teeth, left two of mine.
Are you Hank McCreedy's
grandson?
One of you is
Hank McCreedy's grandson.
I am.
And now, thanks to you,
they're gonna remember
my granddaddy.
Corey.
All those people died.
My grandma.
Why did you do it?
Born in Texarkana,
buried in Texarkana.
Well, not me, God damn it.
But I knew we were
the same, you and me.
Both of us trapped. No.
We are not the same.
Didn't this town
decide who you were?
The crazy girl, with the...
The dead parents?
Oh, it was the same with me.
I was the golden boy.
A football star.
I'd go to college like my dad
and I'd come back like my dad.
Well, *** that!
I wanted to be a part of
something special.
I wanted to be remembered!
Like the Phantom.
When people talk about
what happened in Texarkana,
about how the Phantom
came back,
oh, I'll know!
I'll know that I,
I made that...
They're gonna keep
looking for you.
They're gonna keep
looking for the... Jami!
Why would they?
No!
When I tell 'em
that I caught
the two kids who did it.
Who were so obsessed
with the Phantom,
that one faked his own death.
She killed her own grandma.
No! No, *** you!
And you know what?
They'll believe me.
Only because
everybody in this town
just wants to believe
this whole thing is over.
It is over.
This story is about Texarkana.
A town that is
really two towns.
Two sheriffs. Two mayors.
And in the end, two Phantoms.
After I came out of the
Redwater Bayous that night,
Ranger Morales
and his men went back in.
They wanted to close
the most terrible
chapter in our town's history.
Some people say the swamp
took Deputy Foster,
that the swamp gave him
the only burial he deserved.
Others believed I hadn't
killed the Phantom
'cause he was something
that couldn't be killed.
A demon or a spirit.
People believe what
they need to believe.
They make up whatever story they
need to keep living sanely.
Well, I did the Bootleggers,
and The Legend of Boggy Creek
and this is my third one,
Winterhawk.
The hardest thing
for my town has
been the wrestling to understand
how Clayborn Foster
and Corey found each other
and put on those masks
and did those inhuman things.
Their lives were
investigated and
there was nothing linking them.
They had nothing
in common except
the darkness in their souls.
And I swear, that
will keep the Phantom
alive as much as anything else.
As for me,
I did what my grandma
always wanted.
I left Texas. I moved away.
To a new life,
to a place where no one knows
who I am, or what I survived.
Where I'm the only
person that knows
that as quickly
and as senselessly
as death came to
Texarkana in 1946,
and then again late last year,
it could come back
the next time
the sun goes down.