Radio hosts Chilly Billy (Corey Taylor) and Paul (Zach Galligan) take to the airwaves on Halloween night to share six spooky tales that have happened in their small town. From creepy clowns to necrophilia, and pretty much everything in between, the DJs share the outlandish tales and speak to callers about the stories they share. Could one of the DJs be closer to the tales than theyāre letting on?
āBad Candyā is the latest film in the horror anthology sub-genre that aims to pack in plenty of gruesome stories and scares to thrill and delight the audience. Directed by Scott B. Hansen, āBad Candyā is a fine-looking film that utilises practical effects, for the most part, to create some really eye-catching and memorable set-pieces and characters. The creepy clown that is conjured up by a little girl in the first story, returns frequently throughout the film and heās a seriously disturbing character.
As always with anthology horror, the stories here are a mixed bag. āBad Candyā starts out strong with the tale of a young girl who brings evil characters to life by drawing them to deal with her abusive father, but the returns diminish as the tales mount up. One story sees a morgue worker indulging in necrophilia when her date doesnāt show up, and her decision to cross that taboo results in a nightmarish evening for her. Every story is about a character (or characters) that have bad things done to them and thereās very little in the way of surprises along the way.
What āBad Candyā does attempt to do is run a narrative through all six stories that binds them together, rather than them all being completely standalone. That does make the anthology seem less random and it definitely helps keep your interest. Genre fans will appreciate seeing āGremlinsā star Zach Galligan and Slipknotās Corey Taylor holding the narrative together but neither gets very much to do until the filmās final moments.
āBad Candyā is a hit-and-miss affair that looks great but doesnāt fully deliver. As far as horror anthologies go, itās one of the stronger ones Iāve seen but itās way too long and it tries to pack in too much. Iād have preferred fewer stories and more character development so you could actually invest in whatās transpiring on-screen. āBad Candyā is great for a cheap thrill but itās not a film youāll be desperate to revisit once youāve seen it.
Cast: Zach Galligan, Corey Taylor, Kevin Wayne, Derek Russo Director: Scott B. Hansen Writers: Various Certificate: 18 Duration: 100 mins Released by: Kaleidoscope Entertainment
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Kaleidoscope Entertainment presentsĀ ‘Bad Candy’Ā at FrightFest 27th August and on DVD and Digital 4th October