The Candy Snatchers

1973 "It started as such a simple crime. For 16 year old Candy, dying would have been easier! Was a piece of Candy worth a fortune in diamonds?"
6.3| 1h35m| R| en
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An abused autistic boy is the sole witness to the kidnapping of a teenage heiress.

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Marmot Productions

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Trailers & Clips

Also starring Susan Sennett

Reviews

Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing
ShangLuda Admirable film.
IncaWelCar In truth, any opportunity to see the film on the big screen is welcome.
Scarecrow-88 The Candy Snatchers symbolizes the very essence of the perfect kidnapping plot going terribly awry, thanks to developing circumstances those responsible for putting it together weren't prepared for.It was simple, three hooligans decide to kidnap this school girl, hoping to receive diamonds from who they believe is her father. The girl's name is Candy, and the man these goons expect to shake is her stepfather, and he's not the jewelry store owner they think he is. Eddy(Vince Martorano), Candy's stepfather hopes these three kill Candy so that he can get her father's inheritance(..Eddy purposely married Candy's mother for this sole reason). This turns the plans of Jessie(Tiffany Bolling, glammed down in a plain button shirt and pants, and still looking HOT), the mastermind, and her associates, Avery(Ben Piazza)and Alan(Brad David)upside down and inside out. Candy, as played by Susan Sennett(..who is quite critical of the movie and her treatment in it claiming that the terror you see on screen is real), remains bound, blind-folded, and gagged, with little dialogue, for large parts of the movie. Candy is actually buried alive twice, and raped viciously by psychotic Alan, a smug, narcissistic, arrogant scumbag who loves pulling his switchblade knife. Avery, who seems less hostile, attempts to help Candy, and is successful for quite a while, but it was only a matter of time before Alan had an opportunity to sexually molest her. Jessie is pretty much unstable, at times reserved, and most of the time in control, and, in a radical shift regarding movies in the exploitation genre, often dictates the terms of their party. She only loses control when Avery can no longer withstand his sexual urges, rushing her into a wall with no where to escape...what makes this scene so eye-opening is Jessie's eventual allowance of Avery's advances despite a valiant effort to free herself from his grasp. Like a lot of films of this type, there are few characters to sympathize with..The Candy Snatchers is almost entirely made up of despicable people looking out for their own financial success and personal gain. Such as a sub-plot featuring an Autistic boy who doesn't speak, Sean(Christopher Trueblood, the director's son), and what he must endure concerning a loud, contemptible monster of a mother who is always angry at him..his inability to communicate has caused a definite stress and lingering hostility in his parents' marriage, even blaming him for their unsuccessful attempt at a dream promotion. Sean is the only one who might can help Candy, and contributes in a haunting finale(..knowing that Candy is buried under the earth, will he return to help her like he does the first time?)at silencing a nagging voice that has badgered him for quite some time. As these films tend to turn out, our trio are on the cusp of securing the desirables only for a sequence of events to spiral out of control. Very violent conclusion ends in guns going off, with lots of bullet wounds and blood. Candy's fate is rather troubling, considering the absolute hell she goes through for 80 minutes. Director Trueblood maintains a rather over-the-top, warped presentation, with all these loathsome cretins getting their comeuppance, but not after inflicting some damage on others along the way(..like this electrician they attempt to assault, with the guy getting the upper hand until Jessie smacks up side the head multiple times with a block of wood).
Michael_Elliott Candy Snatchers, The (1973) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Susan Sennett, former Playboy centerfold and wife of Graham Nash plays 16-year-old Candy who is abducted by three nuts and held for ransom. The kidnappers soon have their way with the young girl but their plans don't fall into place. Here's another film in the Last House on the Left mode that actually cuts out all the nastiness and instead tries to tell a good mystery. The film doesn't quite pull that off due to some really bad performances but it is an interesting turn in your typical "rape/revenge" story. The director is certainly trying to play Hitchcock with all the twists and turns and these work pretty well up until the end when things go a bit over the top.
BA_Harrison If you're a fan of gritty 70s exploitation, but are looking for something a little different to your usual straight-forward sleaze, then try The Candy Snatchers. It's a weird and wonderful little film which starts off feeling like a TV movie of the week, but continually surprises with its unpredictable plot which gets quite nasty as it progresses, throwing in graphic murder and rape at the most unexpected of moments.Tiffany Bolling, Brad David and Vince Martorano play a trio of lowlifes who abduct Candy (Susan Sennett), a pretty schoolgirl, and hold her for ransom. But when Candy's slimy stepfather (Ben Piazza) refuses to cough up for the girl's safe return, the kidnappers are forced to reconsider their plans. Meanwhile, a mute (and possibly autistic) boy, who has witnessed the criminals at work, tries his best to help save the terrified girl.Smartly directed by Guerdon Trueblood, The Candy Snatchers is a real gem of a movie which delivers well defined characters, some lovely plot turns, and one hell of a powerful ending that will leave you absolutely gob-smacked.The cast are also brilliant and there is not a bad performance in the whole film. Particularly worthy of mention are Bolling, who is great as Jessie, the beautiful blonde who definitely wears the trousers in the gang (tight as you like jeans, to be specific!), Brad David who is extremely chilling as Alan, the psycho of the group, and Christophe, who, despite being very young, puts in a marvellous turn as Sean, the lad who may be able to help poor Candy—if only he could speak!And to make the whole experience all the more enjoyable, the film is blessed with a wonderfully fitting soundtrack (complete with funky 'wakka-wakka' guitars and a memorable folky theme song) and a hilarious speeded-up car chase.
missmonochrome Three down on their luck criminals kidnap little Candy, whom they believe is a diamond heiress, hoping to blackmail her father for a fortune in stones. Their "perfect" plan goes awry when they learn that the diamond dealer is her stepfather, whom doesn't care if Candy dies, as he'll get half of her hefty trust fund. While her kidnappers figure out what to do about this unexpected turn of events, poor Candy is left buried alive in the hills, with nothing but a shallow tube for air. The only witness to all of this is a mute little boy whom lives nearby with his abusive white trash parents. (Given that he audio quality on the subversive cinema DVD is pretty poor and it doesn't have subtitles enabled, having 1 character I didn't have to strain to hear was a bonus.)It's a smarter than average exploitation premise, and the first half of the film is full of the trashy goodness you'd expect from this type of cinema. Candy spends her screen time tied bondage style, writhing about in a Catholic school girl uniform, and the three kidnappers add campy charm to rather stock characters. Sexy Tiffany Bolling particularly stands out as Jessie, the bitchy ringleader, though the male leads are also pretty competent.Ben Piazza is also a bright spot, as Candy's utterly unfeeling stepfather.The revelation of the stepfathers true motivations is where "Snatchers" quickly becomes a mess, as the screen writer seems just as confused as his characters as to what to do next, and the second half of the film is a dull muck of poor attempts at exposing each member of the group's motivations, petty bickering, and a subplot giving us more information about Sean (the mute child, whom bears an uncanny resemblance to "Bob" in Fulci's "House By The Cemetery", and is just as incredibly annoying).After a few desperate attempts at trying to force the failed crime to work, two of the protagonists die in a ridiculous shoot out with Mr. Phillips (whom was awfully agile despite having an oddly bloodless bullet in his vital organs) and the resolving plot twist is left to annoying little Sean, who somehow finds a gun(where it came from, where he learned to be such a crack shot, or how he snuck it past his maniacal mother is never really explained) and exacts revenge for Candy, unwittingly trapping her to a slow death in the process. His sudden proficiency with a six shooter is further exercised when he kills his abusive mother and that ends what was easily the longest 94 minutes of my natural life.For all of the hype surrounding the "twist", I expected something as clever as the first half of the film, rather than something that is only surprising due to the sheer idiocy.3 stars, one for an initially promising premise, one for Piazza and Bolling, one for the "Money is the Root Of All Happiness" theme song (even though I want the 19.99 worth of happiness I spent on this DVD back)