Candy Corn

It's the staple idea of revenge and retribution used in many an EC Comics tale and subsequent portmanteau movies of the 70s and 80s, such as Vault of Horror and Tales from the Crypt.

A Halloween tradition is revisited by a bunch of friends, looking for twisted kicks. What they didn't expect is what was to follow in its wake.

By twisted kicks, that appears to mean to beat someone up once a year at Halloween for no apparent reason. It's a fairly lame excuse for the golem-esque story which follows, even in this Pumpkinhead sub genre of horror, but hey ho.

Some of the gory scenes are quite entertaining but way too drawn out to have any shock factor; the lack of budget is not concealed well with sleight of hand in the editing - which is probably the movie's weakest point. Most scenes could be trimmed a bit; it's a slightly tedious viewing experience and doesn't lend well to the movie's quality, especially where the acting is concerned. The performances are pretty good, it's just that the scenes need a bit more trimming to feel right and the characters really needed a bit more fleshing out.

I love this kind of horror tale, it just hasn't been presented very well. Hopefully the makers can take on board the criticism and get it right next time. Candy Corn has a lot of unrealised potential and I really wanted to like it more.

Josh Hasty wears his influences on his sleeves loud and proud, like patches on his favourite jean jacket, but I'd say he pulls off the look well enough. In the beginning we're treated with a nice establishing scene - with the one and only Sky Elobar - which is followed by that fantastic title sequence, with those wonderful autumn vibes and soothing synths (it's the absolute highlight for me). Then the plot kicks in and things start to fall flat and slooow down rather quickly.

With an uninspired revenge plot and the lack of a real protagonist - stuck with a boring killer (liked the pumpkin candy holder schtick, though), boring bullies, and a boring sheriff - the mind begins to wander over into the background, which is where Candy Corn's strength lies. The lovely set dressing and location, the Carpenteresque score, and all those endearing side/background characters - the deputies, Elobar, P.J. freaking Soles! (essentially playing Lucy Moran), Pancho Moler's especially fun. I also like how it all seems sort of out of time, like I've no idea when it's supposed to take place (can't remember if it's mentioned).

While it could have been a little tighter - there are clear pacing issues and those forced slo-mo scenes are a bother - it is about 80 minutes of perfectly enjoyable mood setting for Halloween season. So I think I would recommend it as just that.

Also, if this were to turn into a series, I'd be into checking a sequel out come next year, or something.

I wasn't surprised to find out the director had done a behind the scenes video for Rob Zombie's way below the grade '31'. This movie is so derivative it can't help but make you think of some of Zombie's better movies, like the first Halloween remake. The problem there is every idea in this movie has been already been done much better in the source material.

There is nothing remotely scary here. It's just a by the numbers, coming back from the grave for revenge movie. None of the characters are developed enough to make you care, not even film's main protagonist/antagonist. The direction is so derivative and ham handed it prevents any attempt to suspend disbelief and get into the movie. Tony Todd and P.J Soles are given nothing to do and are obviously just there for name recognition. Sorry, just nothing to recommend here.

This film is horrendous from the start... very unoriginal story of bullies & revenge that we've seen a million times. The acting seems lifeless & comical most of the time and almost felt like a student film project poorly shot . Shirley the waitress has the two most exciting things and that doesn't say a lot ... we'll I should have expected this as who like Candy Corn anyway!!! The kills are extremely predictable and only the blood is a positive in this film. Don't waste any money on this film as you will be disappointed.

I was lucky enough not to get caught up in the unwarranted crowd funding hype so I was neither excited or turned off by this one

The good. The mask looks great, courtney gains does a good job, and the carnival setting looks cool.

The bad. Terrible fx and an inexcusable CGI blood effect. Underused Tony Todd and PJ soles. Terrible action, amateur editing and sound mistakes, and a completely wooden supporting cast.

That being said, I am interested to see what the director does next. He had some great core ideas and I think he has the stuff to make a good movie, it just wasn't this one.