Scarred

I'll start by saying that overall, I enjoyed this movie. It had, for a slasher, a decent plot and the cast did pretty well. Everything was pretty well done, especially for an independent film working on an independent film budget.

That being said... is the only "modeling" that the writer and/or director familiar with from Maxim or Playboy? The "modeling" being done was pretty adolescent male fantasy and really nothing like actual modeling. I don't know why, but this just really irritated me for some reason.

Overall, I'd say it was worth a look if you have the opportunity and are a fan of independent film and horror.

Heading out for a weekend photoshoot, a group of models and the crew arrive at a secluded campground and begin working, but when they start mysteriously disappearing they come to believe the local legend about a serial killer running loose in the area and try to find a way to get away alive.

This one was a rather enjoyable effort. One of the films' more enjoyable aspects is the backstory and setup that plays into traditional genre tropes. The information about the supposedly possessed son is the kind of perfect small-town story for a film like this. It moves seamlessly from the type of gossip present which transitions to becoming the legend that not only causes the family to ignore his existence but also the impetus for his rampage against the models' beauty. That aspect carries over to the film's incredibly brutal and oftentimes sadistic torture scenes. Abandoning the concept of most slashers where the killer stalks them then attacks in short shocking bursts, the killers' tendency to engage in extended sessions where he plays with the victims and cuts into them in several stages makes for a fun time here as the enhanced gore from these types of kills provided plenty of messy highlights. These here are the film's big points which hold it up over the flaws. The film has a few minor problems with it. One of the films' flaws is the lack of an imposing killer as despite the impressive setup to get it going there's little else here to make us fear him. He seems like every hulking, scared backwoods madman hacking his way through teens and trespassers on his land which gives him a generic boogeyman feel and tone. The look of the mask is serviceable with the flesh covered skin but the lack of detail in the face and a strand of hair braid dangling off the side create a comical look more than anything, also giving this one a somewhat grander low-budget feel that runs throughout here. The other issue is the laughably convoluted and contrived storyline that completely undermines the actions present. The crew here discovers the bodies of their dead friends and yet split up to go searching through the woods for a missing group member who got separated, yelling their name out to alert the killer which is a wholly illogical and unrealistic approach rather than the more realistic abandoning the shoot and leaving. The lack of urgency there makes no sense either, and the entire last half comes off as if it were one comically inept scene after another leading them back to get killed. These here are what hold this one back overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Nudity.

Independently produced, Kandie Land is one of those rare films that comes out of nowhere and hits you over the head. Like a shotgun blast to the face, the filmmakers pour their heart and soul, and love for the genre, into each and every frame you see on the screen.

Produced on a budget that wouldn't even cater a studio film for a day, its shortcomings add to the film's overall charm and really shine a spotlight on the care and craftsmanship that was spent during the making of the film.

Beautiful women, often-times gut busting laughs, and all out carnage, mixed with a compelling tale, Kandie Land is the kind of film that made going to the drive-in back in the late 70's so much fun.

Well worth the price of admission.

It's the long piece of hair hanging off the killer's mask for me.

I laughed the whole time. I get it being low budget, but the killer was just hilarious to me.

This film is so bad and not in a laughable way. Almost every single acting performance is insanely awkward and honestly pathetic. Furthermore, the SOUND. I watched this film on DVD (bought it for a dollar at Dollar Tree) and the imbalances in sound were horrendous.

The plot itself was just overtly cliché. Slaughter scenes were conducted mostly off-camera. Girls' screams were obnoxious. Ending was rushed (but at the same time couldn't come soon enough).

Part I enjoyed the most was a deleted scene where which a few actors sit smoking a pipe and discussing religion, the afterlife, and Lent.

Why did I watch it? My internet went out....