The Night Brings Charlie

Plot

In the small town of Pakoe, Shannon Davis is beheaded by a man wearing swimming goggles and a burlap sack. Investigating this homicide and a previous one are new sheriff Carl Carson, and mortician Walt Parker. As the bodycount rises and the killer begins taunting the police, suspicion falls on Charlie Puckett, a disfigured gardener who wears a mask similar to the serial killer's.

Charlie is brought in for questioning, but he refuses to talk, so Carson requests help from Walt, who had served alongside Charlie in the Vietnam War. Walt gets Charlie to confess, but Carson has doubts about his guilt, so he sets a trap which flushes out the real killer - Walt. Carson explains that he had looked into Walt's history, and discovered that he had dismembered a civilian in Vietnam, though the charges were dropped. When Carson mentions that Charlie was released from custody, Walt panics, and reveals that Charlie is just like him; Charlie helped him kill the Vietnamese girl, and is the one who murdered all of the Pakoe victims after Shannon Davis.

Carson leaves to look for Charlie, while the detained Walt is allowed to call home. Walt's daughter Tanya informs him that Jenny, his stepdaughter, has left to explore the abandoned barn that Charlie was living in. Fearing for Jenny's safety, Walt escapes custody. Charlie reaches the barn (after killing several people, and wounding Carson) and corners Jenny, who is saved by Tanya. As the sisters flee Charlie, they accidentally shoot their father with Carson's gun, though as a last act Walt saves his daughters by setting Charlie on fire.

The next day, Carson and his men scour the lake Charlie that ran into, but the search is called off by the district attorney, who prematurely closes the case, content with stating that Walt was responsible for all of the murders. As the sheriff laments that it is not over, Charlie is shown picking up a female hitchhiker on the outskirts of town.

Cast

Reception

A 2/5 was awarded to the film by Justin Kerswell of Hysteria Lives!, who wrote, "Sadly, despite some good cheesy touches it's overall a trifle dull (a cardinal sin for any slasher flick, I'm sure you'll agree). Not a really bad film by any means but, despite its rareness, ultimately it's not one that you really need to hunt down."