User reviews

I had high hopes for this movie. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed. I heard about the film years ago and was looking forward to it. Being from Connecticut, I had been to the lake many times. There are a lot of interesting stories about the lake. It is a 17 mile, man-made lake and there are a ton a creepy stories about it that we all used to tell each other as kids. All of them more interesting than the story in this movie. Very pedestrian directing effort and not a very entertaining script. All these high ratings must be from people involved with the movie or friends of the filmmakers. Not a good movie at all.

First of all Lovers Leap is actually above a river, a few miles from the lake.

I think the movie is an insult to the real New Milford. Many of their residents are NYC transplants.

My father came up from Brooklyn, building our house on Candlewood. Stories, legends are actually few. When a person claims a legend, it's generally confined to a story their grandpa made up during a summer barbecue and nobody else within 10,000 miles has heard of it.

So this movie was a stretch for me, but the moviemaker's effort to lay down the plot line, stoke curiosity, or build suspense is truly lacking.

There actually have been a fair amount of drownings by the dam in New Milford, and there are occasions the victims have not been found. I'd never get out of my boat up near the Rocky River pumping area. To be fair, many of the drownings are sadly Hispanic immigrants who are reading the signs and not not strong swimmers to begin with.

There was a man murdered in what we called Calm Cove in the late 1970s , so there is a little bit of true material.

I'm happy to see a Connecticut movie effort, but the only people giving this an 8, 9, or 10, are relatives of the actors or director in my opinion.

Almost all characters are unlikable. And the family dynamic was barely explained and makes no sense, detracting from any sense of plot. Liking the characters and wanting them to be safe is a hallmark or horror films - add in a bad guy or girl who we want to get their due is nice to, but don't kill kids in your movie.

I watched this so you don't have too. I usually love a campy scary movie. This was not it.

It started out intriguing. A blended city family moves to secluded home in woods. Each family member pushing boundaries with the other members of their family. Add legends about the area where they're now living to explain history of haunted land. So much potential to work with.

Then the movie loses the plot. Bad acting and weird special effects made for a long boring movie. It's like the director had a vision, but after 10 minutes got frustrated and quit trying. None of the characters had any redeeming qualities. The "story" had huge plot holes which I don't really care about, I was just glad it was over.

A shockingly horrible horror movie. Increasingly unlikeable characters, nonsensical, yet still terribly boring plot. The characters have no motivations or interests, so is impossible to understand why they do what they do. The production and filmaking techniques are shoddy at best and grade school samsung footage at best. There are so many more films in the low budget horror category that yield a more enjoyable viewing experience, and don't get me wrong, I love a good tragically written horror film with no discernible plot or message, but trust me, this is not it. Do yourself a favour and do not waste your time. Horrible film.

I wasn't familiar with the 2025 movie "Candlewood" from director Myke Furhman prior to sitting down and watching it. And the movie's synopsis definitely sounded interesting enough.

While the storyline in the movie wasn't boring, I have to say that I found it a bit confusing, because I didn't really understand what was going on. It felt like writers Joseph Patrick Conroy, Victoria Flores-Argue and Myke Furhman had written parts of the movie independently of one another and without knowing what the others were writing, and the end result was a bit of a disjointed and erratic script. It wasn't really a scary movie at all, so that was sort of disappointing.

"Candlewood" didn't bring anything new or innovative to the horror genre, and it was somewhat lacking in coherency and the scare department, which made for a bit of a dull viewing experience.

The entire cast ensemble in the movie were all new faces for me, which is actually something that I do enjoy whenever I sit down to watch a movie. And I will say that the acting performances in the movie were good.

The movie wasn't rich on special effects. In fact, there was hardly any effects in the movie. Oh, and I absolutely love how the father could hold a shotgun in one hand and fire it without a shred of recoil. I guess the writers wasn't familiar with the physics of firearms.

There are far better and scary horror movies out there, for sure. But I will say that "Candlewood" certainly was a semi-watchable enough movie for what it turned out to be. But it is hardly a movie that warrants more than a single viewing.

My rating of "Candlewood" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.

A movie about New Milford CT where a bunch of my friends and family live is enough to make me watch a horror movie. Make it about the urban legends surrounding Candlewood Lake and I'm more interested.

Sadly this movie decided to mix those legends with their own fictional tale that is insulting to New Milford and its residents and just plain awful. The plot is meant to have a shocking twist at the end but anyone with a brain will figure it out 10 minutes into the movie and be left with bad pacing that feels like a lifetime to get to that turn.

The acting is terrible so I couldn't tell if it was the actors or the script. Likely both. The opening scene is the only really graphic scene in the movie and it didn't need to be. It's also loaded with jump scares cause everyone thinks that's what makes a horror film. Give me a break.

I wouldn't reccomend this movie to anyone especially if you are familiar with New Milford or Candlewood lake.

It's funny that the real stories of the lake are enough to make a really good movie and yet they chose to ignore all of that and make this tripe. I'm not even giving this a 0 cause that's too high for this. It may be the worst movie I've ever seen.

What a total waste of 90 minutes! I would have stopped watching after the first 15 minutes if I hadn't been on a flight and it was the only thing I had downloaded unfortunately!

What a total sh@t show!!! HORRIBLE HORRIBLE joke of a movie!!! Who the heck paid to have this thing made?? I mean from the videography to the incredibly horrendous acting!! I don't know which was worse! It looked like something a teenager would have made in middle school MAYBE! The middle schooler prob would have done a better job!

Take my advice and Do not waste one minute of your time on this atrocity!!!

Well the cinematography is good. We can at least say that. Landscapes locations very well done actors not so much. Too much over acting. And it's so slow. I mean pick up the pace a little bit it's so slow. Anticipation to the next spooky point is just way over the top. I realize it's an independent feature. Low budget. All the locals doing background. Everybody wants to be in the movies. Very few people can pull it off and this crew have failed. So anyone who wants to make a film like this will you still have a shot of being better recognized for your work. Sad thing is person who wrote the script could not have possibly been satisfied with how it turned out on film.

I actually got to see this film at some private screening. I am a former NYers now living in this CT town where apparently the movie was filmed. Its about some local folklore and a family that moves to this town. So it def struck a nerve. It was a fun ride and I actually laughed some some hilarious one-liners. It was more of a thriller and a psychological horror film that anything really gory. I found the acting really great and the cinematography really cool. This film does not scream indie and everyone around me laughed and jumped at the same time. I hear they are making a 2nd one which I will certainly watch. The writing was really smart and pretty great. It's nothing earth shattering but doesn't take itself too seriously. Again, I laughed really hard in parts. Def worth a watch!!

I was willing to give this a shot because it sounded interesting enough and New England does inspire some of the best horror.

However, the stereotypes start at the beginning and add up fast. Yuppy family moves to "the country". (Seriously, this is not the country. You can find this neighborhood in Google Maps. It's a fancy suburb.) There's a weird property manager and a slutty neighbor girl and a paranoid wife and on and on. I don't really know what happens because I bailed on it about a third of the way through.

Candlewood brings a local legend to life on a small budget, delivering an entertaining experience that kept me on the edge of my seat! From the opening scene to the end, the cast of creepy oddball characters and the eerie forest and overcast sky set the perfect mood for haunting unease. Along with well-timed, subtle comedy, a string of cleverly placed clues left me wanting to watch it once more to catch every well-thought-out detail. Candlewood stands as a testament to the remarkable power of storytelling, demonstrating its ability to transcend the limitations of budgetary constraints and deliver a great night at the cinema!

"I went into Candlewood hoping for a solid horror film, but what I got was something much more profound. From the very first scene, I was hooked - not just by the creepy atmosphere but by the emotional undercurrents running throughout the film. The director, Myke Furhman, did an incredible job of blending the supernatural with human emotions, making the horror feel real and impactful. I was especially moved by the way the characters dealt with their personal struggles amidst the terror. It was a beautifully layered film, and I can't wait to see it again. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for a horror movie that actually has heart.

Candlewood, effortlessly blends suspense, drama, and a mesmerizing musical score. From the opening scenes to the climactic moments, the film kept me on the edge of my seat, hooked by its unpredictable twists. The characters undergo a captivating evolution, portrayed with depth and authenticity by a stellar cast. The interconnected subplots add complexity to the narrative, keeping the audience guessing until the final frame. What sets this film apart is its exceptional use of music - a carefully curated soundtrack that not only complements each scene but also becomes a driving force behind the emotional impact.

I love movies based on historical events and this one doesn't disappoint. I grew up in New Milford where the film is based (and filmed!) and I loved it. The story was great, clever twists, great ending, and some funny dialogue that had me lol'ing. This is one of those movies that makes you want to watch it again once you know how it ends... I will be watching again this weekend!! Very entertaining, great writing and acting, I hope they make a sequel!! That Eli Boardman character was classic. And the urban legends are spot on, and I should know because I grew up here and have heard them all. Highly recommend.

Anyone comparing this against their favorite Marvel movie is pretty ignorant about this industry. This movie was made with about 1/1000th the budget ($0.5M) of typical blockbuster films. Those productions have money to throw around to make CGI to cover up bad shots or to do infinite reshoots to get the right performance. This is genuinely quite the achievement for an indie- they managed to make a compelling and scary thriller that still contains humorous moments and a clever plot- all with virtually no money. And to top it off, there is fantastic cinematography on par with some of those big budget films.

This was a film that stood out. It was a low budget film that entertains the audience by focusing on telling a good story. One thing I really liked about it was that I couldn't tell what was going to happen in advance. The film was suspenseful, unique and original.

The film kept me on my seat. It was both a horror film and a thriller. It also had a feel to it that made me want to keep watching. The direction that the film took and the acting performances were great. This is a perfect example of how a film doesn't need to have a high budget to be entertaining. Some of the most entertaining horror films of all time are low budget, and this is a film that I will remember.

Candlewood is an intriguing thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat! It's about a family that moves to a small town from NY. Their new neighbors and a local urban legend wreak havoc on them. This film is the perfect combination of a talented cast and superb writing by Victoria Flores-Argue and Joseph Patrick Conroy. Myke Furhman adds his talent as a phenomenal director. The location of this film was shot in beautiful New Milford, Connecticut and many of the town's citizens were used as extras. This psychological thriller will lead you on a roller coaster of laughter and terror. It's a MUST SEE!!

This movie had me from the very beginning with a horrifying beach scene and then kept me riveted until the end. I love psychological thrillers that keep you guessing especially when combined with intense horror and hilarious moments. The actors were incredible! This movie had it all. Excellent directing, cinematography, sound, visual effects and a surprising unexpected twist. The beautiful New England fall scenery and the use of local folklore were the perfect backdrop for a film like this. I have been to the area and it was so cool seeing it on screen. I cannot wait to see what they come up with next!

Having grown up in and around the area, I've heard and seen all of the folklore. Hell, I've even hiked to Lovers Leap and jumped off as a teenager - I don't recommend this! However, I can definitely recommend this film! I wouldn't necessarily say it's viewability is strong for the under 15 crowd, as they may be confused or too scared, but for the adults in the room, you can go all in!

It has little easter eggs for local viewers & jumpscares and twists for the horror fan! It will keep you guessing throughout the entire film until the big, twisted finale! Sit back and enjoy, if you aren't jumping out of your seat!

10 minutes in and cannot see one good thing about the acting, poor camera work, dialogue.

Once I saw the cashier's face as the man walked away at the beginning I knew the acting would rival that of a burnt out tree stump. If this took more the the weekend to film, I will be shocked. The property manager gave off severe pedo vibes.

This movie was terrible from start to finish. The acting was really bad and the dialogue was unrealistic. I say this because the step daughter and mother clearly hate eachother, but the kind of dialogue they have back and fourth would never fly in real life. And some of the actions/behaviours. The characters(specifically the parents) are excruciatingly unlikeable. As the movie goes on you don't grow to like them at all, in fact you hate them even more. The father's acting is perhaps the worst in the movie and he is just a complete jerk in every way. The wife is the most unlikeable as her character is an overall awful person. Her hateful/angry/jealous demeanour makes the movie intolerable. I've never seen a movie with characters just hating eachother and not grabbing the hearts of anyone.