The Candy Snatchers

They want to still Candy's candies.

We know that lately we've been obsessed with Italian starlets and their signature movies but, today we'll give the ragazzas a rest and we'll add another entry in the exploitation classics category. 1973's 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.Now, how many exploitation films are about the same story? many, but most of them aren't nearly as good as The Candy Snatchers.

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(played by Susan Sennett of Big Bad Mama fame), and the man these goons expect to shake is her stepfather, and he's not the jewelry store owner they think he is. Eddy(played by 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. 

They're after Candy's snatch!

...Unfortunately, someone got there first.

Susan Sennett, who is quite critical of the movie and her treatment in it,  claims that the terror you see on screen is 100% real. What terror you say? well, poor Candy remains bound, blind-folded, and gagged, with little dialogue, for large parts of the movie. Candy is actually buried alive twice(did Tarantino got his inspiration for Kill Bill Vol 2 from here?), and raped viciously by psychotic Alan(gee! did this film also inspire Thriller, A Cruel Picture?), 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(wow! isn't society a lot like that these days?) Such as a sub-plot featuring an Autistic boy who doesn't speak, Sean, 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 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. 

"She must suffer to her last"

"C'mon Candy, let's play a game"

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 Richard L. Bare,  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). 

The exploitation genre has many "shocker" films that make The Candy Snatchers looks like a Friends' episode. Nevertheless, what defines this film as a good film is the quality put in the acting (something only a few exploitation films have, let's be honest) something that allows us, the viewers, to believe that such cruelty can actually be shared by a group of subhuman creeps. Also, the director knows how to display the right amount of onscreen awfulness, to avoid negative reactions that could make the viewer stop watching the film (try sharing I Spit On Your Grave with your girlfriends to see what I mean)

This kid holds the key to Candy's destiny.

Do you have some Red Apples?

Watching The Candy Snatchers according to today's standards of explicit cinema may turn the experience into a disappointing one but that's not the way any connoisseur watches a movie. This is an early 70's film that carried a lot of shocking stuff for the time being, thus its tremendous value as a classic piece. Unfortunately, finding the DVD can be a pain in the ass since it's long out of print. Fortunately, there are other places you can look for it. 

Overall, an interesting film that delivers what promises in its promotional posters. Not for the faint of the heart though, there are some portions that may not appeal everyone's taste.

Here's the movie trailer: