Candy Corn

Director - Josh Hasty (Honeyspider, In Hell Everyone Loves Popcorn: The Making of 31)
Starring - Courtney Gains (Children of the Corn, The 'Burbs), Pancho Moler (3 From Hell, 31), and Sky Elober (The Greasy Strangler, My Name is Earl)
Release Date - 2019
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "This year there's a new Halloween tradition"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Halloween has come and gone and with it a bunch of heartache and headache.  Late last week I received a call that my brother-in-law had passed away.  He was the life of the party but inside he was struggling.  I had plans to end the month with a Halloween horror binge but I didn't have the time with all the chaos with my wife losing her brother which is completely understandable considering the situation.  A few days ago I was sent Josh Hasty's new Halloween horror flick Candy Corn.  This was one I had looked forward to but it had to take the back seat for the time being.  I want to thank Epic Pictures for sending it over and I apologize for my late review.  

    The film follows a group of twenty-somethings who have the Halloween tradition of harassing the local mentally disabled man.  He recently was hired on with the traveling carnival so they pay him a visit after hours.  Their encounter turns deadly when the young man, Jacob, is accidentally murdered.  The group flee and his body is found sometime later by the carnival owner Dr. Death.  He uses an ancient spell to bring Jacob back to life to kill those responsible in exchange for blood.  His bloody rampage draws the heat from the local sheriff who just happens to be the father of the young man that delivered the fatal blow.  

     I couldn't wait to check this one out.  I absolutely loved the poster for this one (shown above) and I had high hopes for this one.  Sadly, the movie just doesn't reach it's potential.  You can enjoy it for one viewing for what it is but it has no replay value and some may struggle with finishing it due to how predictable it is.  The acting in this one is solid but some did out do the others.  I've watched my fair share of horror movies in my life and a majority of them feature memorable characters that share the screen with cliched and bland characters that you often forget.  The side characters in this one are more enjoyable than the characters the film centers around and the biggest miss is the killer.  The slasher-esque killer Jacob is extremely boring and goofy looking.  A rotten slasher killing people while leaving behind candy corn should be a lot more interesting than what we actually get.  The Dr. Death character was entertaining but becomes a nuisance as the film progressed.  The same can be said for the sheriff portrayed by Courtney Gains.  You really like him at the opening of the film but before the film is over you are waiting to watch him die.  The story for this one sounds awesome but the execution is just all wrong.  A Halloween slasher following a mentally disabled man who is wrongfully murdered is brought back from the dead by an evil carnival owner is something straight out of a horror fan's wet dream.  Sadly, the film doesn't deliver as it should.  We get scene after scene of boring dialogue and predictable scenarios.  Finally, the film has some serious practical effects and kills that almost make up for the slow burner.  The kills use some seriously great practical effects mixed with some very noticeable visual effects.  The practical effects are about the only reason I would recommend this movie.  Overall, Candy Corn is not the Halloween treat I was expecting.  The film has the potential but just couldn't pull it together to be entertaining.  This is one I will not be adding to my Halloween rotation.