BAD CANDY is directed and written by the duo Scott B. Hansen and Desiree Connell and is a Halloween anthology film. So, if you’re in need of more Halloween-themed anthologies, here you go!
Horror-themed radio jockey Chilly Billy (Corey Taylor) and his side-kick Paul (Zach Galligan) tell tales of terror on their radio show on Halloween night. Little do they know, the residents of the small town are about to meet their grisly ends in his tales of terror.
So, this movie is fine. It’s never sinking into the depths of awful, but never really rises into anything fully spectacular or memorable. The short stories themselves have little tension, and the pay-offs never feel complete.
There is so much going on. It feels like a haunted house but not in a good way. Like, there’s always something popping out, but we lose a lot of the substance of the story and characters. The substance we do have is often lost in the motion and noise (or the numerous close-ups of Halloween decorations). There needed to be more attention to detail (come on, fake Dollar Tree candle for the demon’s altar?), more structured stories, and more fluid pacing.
The acting could be stiff at times, but could shine through, especially during the bathroom monster segment and the Abbie (Haley Leary) segment. One thing that really was gorgeous was the cinematography. The shots were fun while trying some new things and keeping some traditions, too. The Abbie drug sequence was beautifully shot and, if that had been the tone of BAD CANDY, we would have had a very different movie (and a very different review).
However, there was just too much going on and, if they had stuck to the typical three-part segment of most anthologies, and really nailed those, it probably would have been a much smoother film. The creature designs and effects were great, and I would have loved to have seen them utilized more and more tension added; however, with the time we were given, it was very, “thank u, next”.
BAD CANDY is a fine movie, like I said. Middle of the road for me. But if you’re a fan of anthologies with a lot of stories, it might be the treat you’ve been looking for.
BAD CANDY will be available in select theaters on September 10th, will be available on Video On Demand on September 14th, and will be available on Blu-ray by October 12th.
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