Vengeance is on the loose in an Ohio town during Halloween
After several youths accost a newly hired outcast working for a traveling carnival, the ringmaster (Pancho Moler) uses dubious occultic power to come to the rescue, which will likely be bad news for the oppressors. PJ Soles and Tony Todd appear in peripheral roles.
“Candy Corn” (2019) is carnival-oriented horror with some slasher elements written & directed by
Josh Hasty. Despite being a low-budget indie, it’s professionally made with excellent Fall cinematography and haunting mood, augmented by a quality score/soundtrack. The Sheriff of the town is a main character and played by Courtney Gains, who’s perhaps best known as Malachai from “Children of the Corn.”
Critics complain that it’s too slow and boring, but I appreciated the way Hasty kept things restrained and fleshed out the characters. The three cops and their dispatcher (Soles) are a good example. The ringmaster and the carnies are another. Speaking of the ringmaster, I liked how he’s a little person with the convincing mojo necessary to lead the carnie misfits.
Someone complained that the ‘teens’ are played by actors who are too old for the roles, but their age is never stated. The Sheriff even plainly says to his son, “You’re too old for this.” As such, they’re probably 7-10 years out of high school and not doing anything worthwhile with their lives, still behaving like they did when they were in school. I’ve met people like this and so have you.
Other than PJ Soles, the only notable on the female front is Madison Russ, who happens to be the daughter of Tim Russ, aka Tuvok from Star Trek: Voyager. She works well for the film, although a trapeze artist like Carolina Bang in "The Last Circus" (2010) would’ve been a nice addition. Lol, just kidding, but, seriously, the film could’ve improved in this department. But, like I said, Madison Russ serves quite well.
Anyone who appreciates Halloween-oriented horror flicks or carnival-based ones, should find something to appreciate, as long as you don’t need an explosion every five minutes to maintain interest. While it’s not as good as, “Halloween 4,” I’d watch it over the overrated “Halloween” or “Children of the Corn.”
It runs 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot in Blanchester, Ohio, which is located 40 miles northeast of Cincinnati and 43 miles northwest of the Serpent Mound State Memorial.
GRADE: B
