The Candy Store

Living in a rural neighborhood, a group of kids become concerned that a series of disappearances around the area are connected to a legend about the mysterious owner of a candy shop said to be in operation for years with no hardships, forcing them to discover its dark secret.

This was a generally awful effort that has very little to like about it. Among its only likable qualities is the focus on the abductions and how the kids can handle the burgeoning situation around them. The legend surrounding the store and the mysterious owner who tries to keep her murderous hulk of a son out of the news for his abductions of the local kids who are then used in the malicious treats being made and sold at the woman's house makes for a nice grounding to seep into the rest of the neighborhood. That the kids are aware of it and try to get away from everything with the series of stories and recollections that are made for highlighting the purpose behind the abductions, which provide a fun and frantic finale, all of which offer up enough to like somewhat. The problem with this is that it's only in such select areas of the film that pretty much everything else here is just bland or unappealing. The potential this story has is wiped out with the glacial pacing that seems to spend more time on the interactions with the friends who are seemingly given free reign to improv and hang out as long as something tangentially related to the story is introduced at some point. It feels like their interactions and general moments of just hanging out are natural, to be fair, but the insignificant way this brings about the abductions is overall awkward and illogical, so there's not much in the way of everything being interjected in the clumsiest way possible. It also doesn't help that there's almost nothing happening that keeps this one moving along. These interactions with the kids make up the majority of the running time despite their being numerous disappearances and abductions that are said to have gone on, and with the investigations missing so many obvious connections about where the missing kids are from and where they go missing it never leaves any time for any kind of genuine genre activity to take place. With that weak investigation being done to prolong the story with how easily everything comes together once the clue is made about the similarities to the past abductions, it makes everything far more infuriating to get through, which just makes this one so tough to get through.

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

Set in Chicago, The Candy Store lures you in with a nostalgic storefront and a decades-old mystery-but beneath the sugarcoated surface lies a film that's a mixed bag of treats and tricks. The story centers around an eerie candy shop that has been hiding secrets for over 30 years, run by a creepy older woman and her even creepier son.

The movie starts off with potential-there's a certain charm to its atmosphere and a few solid moments of tension-but it never quite delivers on its spooky premise. The pacing stutters in places, and some plot threads feel undercooked. That said, it's not the worst way to spend 86 minutes, especially if you're into low-key horror.

Now, let's talk about the real star: Detective Cranberry. He might not solve the entire mystery, but he definitely steals the screen-if you catch my drift. Handsome, brooding, and dressed like he walked off a noir set, he's one of the main reasons to keep watching.

In short: The Candy Store won't blow your mind, but it's got just enough weirdness, charm, and eye candy (pun intended) to be worth a casual watch.

A solid example of 'just because you can doesn't mean you should'. Maybe with some sort of budget and a little more work on the story this may have been decent. A few of the younger actors and actresses are clearly bringing all their acting skills to the table but it's either not a very big table or they haven't got alot to bring. Officer Cranberry is a train wreck. Special effects are passable at times then at other times looks likes Arts and Crafts Hour. Low Buget is an understatement.... it's no budget. And the Candy Table.... I mean store is pretty sad. If you enjoy horror movies then this isn't for you.

I was hoping it would be good. Nope. Bad acting, scenery, and dumb plot. I enjoy a good horror movie and hoping this would be it. This reminded me a a 12 year old doing a movie for a school project and his family is the cast. Unrealistic scenes and sketchy props. I even laughed at one point and said this is the worst film I have ever seen. I have seen a lot of bad movies. This could of been a better movie, but the acting is so bad. Anyone that paid to see this, please ask for a refund. I don't understand with todays technology why it was so awful. I hope they give up making movies as this is a fumble.

The low reviews on this are because the movie takes place in the hood. It's literally a Chicago hood horror story. Kids are kidnapped and nobody questions what's going on or sees a pattern because it's happening in a poor black neighborhood.

Yes it's low budget, yes some of the shots could've been better, and yes there's some silliness to it. But it's no different than any other low budget horror movie in those aspects. It could've done without the chewing sound effects and the crackhead with the white contact lense.

Where it thrives is in the acting (from the young actors), the story, and the script. It was a well done film! Had it been made by Blumehouse, with their budget and editing, it would've been a hit.