CANDY LAND
Starring: Olivia Luccardi, Eden Brolin, Sam Quartin, Owen Campbell, Virginia Rand, and William Baldwin
Director: John Swab
NICK
After watching the underseen Ida Red, I was curious to see director John Swab's newest film, Candy Land. Unlike the former, this featured a less flashy cast but was still entertaining. The indie vibes work in the film’s favour and the setup is great, but the characters aren’t fleshed out enough to get you invested in them. I would’ve liked to see more time spent on them before leaning into the horror aspects of the film. I may not have enjoyed this one as much as Ida Red, but Swab has still done enough to make me check out his next feature.
JOSEPH
Candy Land is at its best when its working out the real-life machinations of sex work and the risks posed to sex workers. It’s when the film switches gears towards a slasher that it begins to lose me. It’s still good, just an uneven and lackluster attempt at critiquing religious fundamentalism. Still, the performances are solid, guiding you into this grimy world of sex and violence while holding your attention to the end.
QUENTIN
In hindsight, I wasn’t prepared for Candy Land. It looked to be a naturalist take on truck stop sex workers, with an indie vibe akin to Kids or The Florida Project. And while it certainly starts that way, especially in the moments when it gives the rundown on how that specific subculture works, the movie eventually evolves into a very bloody horror movie. Its in-your-face style won’t be for everyone (for example, there are multiple vagina closeups in the first 10 minutes), but as a movie about doomsday cults and nominal sinners, it mostly works, making you pay attention even as you’re tempted to look away.
