After Gilligan's Island, Dawn Wells Starred In A Slasher Movie Based On A True Story

Dawn Wells will forever be known for playing the archetypal girl next door, Mary Ann Summers, on "Gilligan's Island." But like her fellow castaways, Wells enjoyed a fruitful career outside of that beloved CBS sitcom, often appearing in projects that were about as far from "Gilligan's Island" as it was possible to get. Take the time she played Helen Reed, a victim of a killer known as the Phantom of Texarkana in the 1976 slasher "The Town That Dreaded Sundown."

"Gilligan's Island" turned its ensemble cast into household names, and for many of them, that became as much a curse as it was a blessing. For example, Professor Roy Hinkley actor Russell Johnson didn't always feel hugely positive about his time on Gilligan's Isle, initially struggling to break away from being typecast. Ginger Grant actor Tina Louise, meanwhile, turned down the chance to reprise the role in the "Gilligan's Island" animated spin-offs and the TV sequel films, preferring to branch out from her role as the glamorous movie star castaway. In the 1970s, Louise guested on the show "Kojak" as a heroin addict and played a vicious prison guard in the 1976 TV movie "Nightmare in Badham County." She wasn't the only one who moved away from charming sitcom silliness into more horrifying fare, either.

With "The Town That Dreaded Sundown," Wells found herself playing out the real-life experience of a serial killer survivor. The movie is loosely based on the 1946 Texarkana Moonlight Murders, a series of killings in the Texarkana area that saw five people lose their lives at the hands of a still unidentified killer.

After "Gilligan's Island," Dawn Wells reprised her role as Mary Ann Summers in the animated spin-offs and TV movies. But that didn't mean she was trying to reinforce the public's perception of her as the innocent girl from America's heartland. In a later filmSCHOOLarchive interview, Wells explained how, after "Gilligan's Island," she returned to stage productions, which she thought would be better than "trying to play the little farm girl for the rest of my life." She certainly proved her point, playing sex worker Doris in her very first post-"Gilligan's Island" production, "The Owl and the Pussycat."

Playing the victim of a serial killer in a horror movie that's more real than you might realize must have seemed like yet another opportunity to break away from Mary Ann. Wells was offered that opportunity by director Charles B. Pierce, with whom she worked on the 1975 Western "Winterhawk." A year after that movie, Pierce called Wells and offered her the role of Helen Reed in "The Town That Dreaded Sundown." The character was based on Katie Starks, who had survived an attack by the Phantom of Texarkana back in 1946.

That year saw the still-unidentified killer assault residents of the Texarkana area, murdering five and leaving three wounded in what the media dubbed the "Moonlight Murders." The ordeal prompted widespread fear and panic in the region, with locals stocking up on weapons and barricading themselves indoors at nightfall. Despite law enforcement in both Arkansas and Texas investigating the killings, the only suspect ever identified was never convicted. Not exactly the kind of tale you'd expect to see brought to life by Mary Ann Summers, but that's what happened.

Years after "Gilligan's Island," Dawn Wells and Bob Denver reunited for a charming Michael J. Fox movie. Prior to that, however, Mary Ann had to survive her encounter with the Phantom of Texarkana. In 1976, Wells shot one night on "The Town that Dreaded Sundown." As Helen Reed, Wells is seen settling in for the night at her farmhouse while her husband, Floyd, reads in the living room. Soon, the Phantom of Texarkana descends upon the home, shooting Helen through the mouth and killing Floyd. Helen then crawls her way to a neighbors' house with the killer in pursuit, and is eventually saved.

It turns out the shoot itself was almost as horrific as the events of the film. In her filmSCHOOLarchive interview, Wells recalls having to crawl through a corn field while a pitbull was chained up nearby. When the cameras rolled, the dog escaped. According to Wells, everybody in the vicinity started shooting in an attempt to bring the dog down. They never did, but for a moment, Wells thought her life was ending for real. Of course, she escaped unscathed and even seemed to like the finished film. "I thought it was very frightening and especially when you know that it's a true story," she told filmSCHOOLarchive. "[...] It was kind of fun to play that kind of a character."

Sadly, critics at the time didn't share Wells' enthusiasm for "The Town That Dreaded Sundown," though there were a few positive reviews, and the film did make between $4 million and $5 million on a $400,000 budget. Still, there must have been a few viewers taken aback by seeing Mary Ann shot by a masked killer.