Manuel Avila is about to be hanged as a cattle thief when his father Juan (Peter Mamakos) and Cal (House Peters Jr.), the sheriff of the nearby town of Black Falls, try to intervene.
But the horse spooks during the resulting fray, and Manuel hangs anyway.
That prompts Juan to force a showdown with the sheriff; the sheriff wounds him, resulting in the amputation of his gun hand.
Juan vows vengeance. Sure enough, one day a sign shows up that reads: Today is the day. And Juan and his two remaining sons ride into Black Falls.
Turns out Juan holds the sheriff responsible for most of his problems, especially his dead son and his crippled arm.
So he takes over the Black Falls saloon. And while the sheriff waits him out in his office, Juan Avila promises to kill a townsman every 10 minutes until Cal comes out for another showdown.
Those inside the saloon include the sheriff’s son Johnny and his girlfriend Sally, who turns out to be braver than most of the men around.
House Peters J. as Sheriff Cal, a lawman tired of gunfights and reluctant to take on Juan Avila in Terror at Black Falls (1952)
Peter Mamakos as Juan Avila, the man who blames Sheriff Cal for his son’s death and the loss of his right hand in Terror at Black Falls (1962)
Review:
An odd little film that tries to teach a message of racism. Juan Avila is an outcast. Not because he’s an outlaw, but because he’s a Mexican.
And that, Sheriff Cal tells us during his narration of the story, is at the root of his hatred.
Unfortunately, the basis for the entire story seems implausible. Several prominent citizens — not to mention the sheriff’s own son — are being held captive in the local saloon by a crazed killer.
And instead of confronting the killer, the sheriff plays a waiting game from his office? Even as Avila kills another citizen every 10 minutes?
The movie was filmed in Scotland, Ark., in 1959, but not released until three years later. It marked the first feature film from Sarafian, who also directed “Man in the Wilderness” (1971) and “The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing” (1973).
Gary Gray as Johnny, the sheriff’s son, trying his best to fulfill his dad’s responsibilities in Terror at Black Falls (1962)
Sandra Knight as Sally Kemper, bursting into a saloon everyone else wants to get out of to check on boyfriend Johnny in Terror at Black Falls (1962)
Directed by:
Richard C. Sarafian
Cast:
Peter Mamakos … Juan Avila
House Peters Jr. … Sheriff Cal
Gary Gray … Johnny
Sandra Knight … Sally Kemper
John A. Alonzo … Carlos Avila
Marshall Bradford … Doc Kemper
Jim Hayward …. Mr. Rankin
I. Sanford Jolley … Mr. Elliott
Maureen Cookson … Mrs. Hanks
Randy Clark … Ken Hanks
Madeleine Taylor Holmes … Mrs. Elliott
Jim Bysel … Matt
Joe Adelman … Charlie
Armand Alzamora … Quinto Avila
Mickey Finn … Cowboy Dawson
Runtime: 67 min.
Marshall Bradford as Doc Kemper, demanding to know why the sheriff isn’t coming to the rescue of residents trapped in the saloon in Terror at Black Falls (1962)
I. Stanford Jolley as Mr. Elliott, trying to bribe Juan Avilla as the other townsmen look on in Terror at Black Falls (1962). Those other townsmen include (from left): Ken Hanks (Randy Clark), Cowboy Dawson (Mickey Finn), bartender Crowley (George Cisar) and Mr. Rankin (Jim Hayward).
Memorable lines:
Sheriff Cal, refusing Juan Avila’s summons to the saloon: “They came a long way to gun me. They’ll come a little farther.”
Sheriff Cal as narrator: “My fellow townsmen were being murdered one by one. All because of Avila’s twisted idea of revenge. And because of my decision to outwait him.”
Johnny, the sheriff’s son: “You mean you want to die?”
Juan Avila: “Why not? What is there to be afraid of? Dying is easy; living is hard.”
Juan Avila, after Sally Kemper bursts in the saloon to try to save the men inside: “A flower. In this stinkin’ town, there is one flower. She has courage Johnny. She comes in the front door; you come in the back.”
John A. Alonzo as Carlos Avila, the last surviving son of the vengeace-seeking Juan Avila (Peter Mamakos) in Terror at Black Falls (1962)
Gary Gray as Johnny, momentarily getting Juan Avila under his gun in Terror at Black Falls (1962)
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