Review of The Candy Snatchers (1973) by John C — 07 Apr 2009

I love "The Candy Snatchers." It is one of the lost gems in the exploitation genre and has been ignored far too long. I haven't been this passionate about a movie for a long time. I have certainly seen some great films this year, but there is something different about a Grade A, B-movie. There aren't a lot of chances to get lines and scenes right, so we are left with a finished product that is rough around the edges. Does this make for a bad movie? Possibly to some, but those critics who feast on the caviar of film forget the passion of a movie. In the process of filmmaking, sometimes the desire for perfection clouds the natural energy as a movie is being created. A structured set and multiple takes can leave even the best scenes feeling stiff and forced. With an exploitation movie, the low budget and breakneck speed of shooting the movie generally gives actors and actresses one chance to deliver a line from a script whose subject rarely has boundaries. The finished product, as we see in "The Candy Snatchers", treats viewers to a crazy blend of dark humor and odd characters that are a treat to lovers of trashy cinema.

For a movie made in 1973, "The Candy Snatchers" is in a world of its own. The basic kidnapping plotline is accented with odd characters with a variety of flaws. I am not sure which wacky character is my favorite. My vote may have to be for the silent brilliance of Christophe's Sean Newton. In any other situation, Sean Newton would not blend in well with other characters, but this is "The Candy Snatchers". Only in an exploitation flick could this kid bring sanity to an insane world. Cast by his father, director Guerdon Trueblood, Christophe steals scenes, including the best 70's trash movie ending since Jack Hill's "Big Doll House". It is dark comedy at it's finest.