BAD CANDY (2021)
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Flick is a Halloween set anthology that centers around a pair of DJs, Paul (Zach Galligan) and Chilly Billy (Corey Taylor), who tell spooky stories on their radio show on Halloween night. Amongst the tales we are trick r’ treated to are one of a little girl (Riley Sutton) with a special power, who gets back at her abusive father (Kevin Wayne) on Halloween, a nasty old man (Bill Pacer) who pays the price for tainting candy and a lonely mortician (Haley Leary) who has a little too much fun with a corpse.
Halloween horror is directed by Scott B. Hansen and Desiree Connell from their script with Thacker Hoffman. It’s a noble low budget effort that shows a love for horror flicks and Halloween. There are some really great Halloween visuals and it’s too bad the stories are definitely a mixed bag. Almost none of the tales feels like a complete story, though some, like the opening story with little Kyra getting bloody revenge on her drunk jerk of a dad, at least are entertaining. Others, like a delinquent (Ryan Kiser) being trapped in a bathroom by a costumed killer and another about a ride share driver (Kenneth Trujillo) and his buds hunting other humans, are dull and seem to have no point. At least the final story about ghost hunters in a haunted house with a past, climaxes the flick on a spookier note and feels more like a complete story that involves our DJs. The gore effects are good, and the cast all perform adequately, but the film could have used some more atmosphere and some legit scares and suspense. The direction is a little flat.
Overall, this is a heartfelt effort that doesn’t quite hit the mark. There are plenty of really cool Halloween visuals and creepy costumes, but the stories never felt complete, save for the final one, and a couple are just plain dull. Maybe one or two less stories and a little more time spent telling the others might have helped. A bit more character and story development to get us emotionally invested. It’s still worth a look on VOD, as the spooky season nears, just don’t expect a new Halloween classic.
-MonsterZero NJ
Rated 2 and 1/2 (out of 4) jack-o-lanterns.
MonsterZero NJ's Movie Madhouse 