preppy-3 16 year old Candy Philips (played by 21 year old Susan Sennett) is kidnapped by a group of psychos--Jessie (Tiffany Bolling), REAL sick Alan (Brad David) and Eddy (Vincent Martorano). They contact her father and demand jewels in return for her...but her dad won't do it. Things unravel completely from there. There's also a subplot about an autistic child being verbally and physically abused by his mom.This is clearly not for everybody. it was a complete ripoff of "Last House on the Left" but it's much better than that film. "Last" was sick, disgusting and badly made. "Candy" is sick but not as vicious or cruel as "Last". Also it's MUCH better made. It has a good script with many twists and turns, all the acting is good (especially by Bolling and Martorano) and the last 10 minutes or so go barreling out of control. This is unique in there's not one likable character in it...even Candy got on my nerves! It's disturbing and sometimes brutal but a very good grindhouse film. I give it a 7.

grimsbybkk What an oddball mixture we have here. The plot concerns 3 inept but vicious thugs including a very attractive blonde who kidnap a teenage schoolgirl in order collect a half a million bucks from her father as with all of these schemes things just don't go to plan, stupidity and mayhem follow. This movie has a look and feel of a 70s made for TV thriller punctured with scenes of violence and comic relief straight from the grind house " how to make a movie guidebook " The characters are all as amoral as you can get with the exception of Candy and a little mute boy!!! The pace of the movie moves a little too slow in parts particularly in the middle section but picks momentum big time during the almost " jaw dropping " conclusion. In fact the conclusion is what has set this movie apart ( I think ) from many other similar but easily forgettable movies from the period. It shows several shocking, intelligent and believable plot twists, with the last being the most shocking of all. This movie isn't as visceral as Last House on the Left or as controversial as Fight for Your Life but has more than a good deal of intelligence and directorial talent than most of the 70s offerings, So check it out. And with the recent Subversive DVD release of this not quite a classic but... It is no more one of those " lost gems "

Coventry "The Candy Snatchers" perfectly embodies why so many fans of the horror & cult genre worship the 70's decade! This is a hard-boiled and intense film, with a shocking and totally unpredictable storyline, utterly deranged characters and it literally doesn't take the slightest notice of political correctness and/or human emotions. Director Guerdon Trueblood and scriptwriter Bryan Gindoff take us on a wild & trashy 70's ride, covering controversial topics such as child abuse, mental handicaps, rape of minors, live burial, Vietnam traumas and brutal murders committed by unusual characters! A trio of ruthless thugs develops a seemingly waterproof plan to get rich with diamonds very fast. By kidnapping the cute 16-year-old stepdaughter of a diamond trader and demanding a huge ransom, they rest assured of success. Unforeseen complications arise when it turns out that the father isn't in a hurry to rescue his stepdaughter at all. Even more so, Candy's 'unfortunate' death would result in a huge financial triumph for him, so he sure ain't likely to come up with any type of ransom at all. The other – if possible even more brilliant – main storyline centers on a young and autistic boy who witnessed Candy's brutal live burial in a muddy grave with only a small tube for oxygen. He desperately attempts to warn his abusive parents about what he knows, but they're too caught up in their own crazy world of greed and self-pity. Purely talking in terms of grindhouse cinema-sickness, "The Candy Snatchers" leans damn close towards perfection! The atmosphere is constantly gritty, the violence & sleaze is very explicit and literally every character that walks through the screen is demented! Even the ones that only appear briefly, like the company manager who laughs hysterically at the poor boy's mental condition or the nasty gun store seller who deliberately ignores the reason why the gangster trio so urgently needs a shotgun. Sensitive viewers and/or people with a weak stomach beware, as poor young Candy goes through a hellish ordeal and the ending surely isn't cheerful. Even technically speaking, this production is far superior in comparison with the majority of 70's genre outings. Although obviously low-budgeted, the cinematography and editing are quite professional and the musical guidance is appropriately unsettling. The acting is top-notch, with an extra special word of praise for the director's young son Christopher in his first and only appearance on the big screen. "The Candy Snatchers" has recently been re-discovered and released in a fancy edition. The DVD is an absolute must have for every fan of the genre.

hokeybutt THE CANDY SNATCHERS (3 outta 5 stars) Very nasty, ugly movie about a trio of luckless kidnappers who abduct a teenage girl and bury her alive. They call up her stepfather, a diamond merchant, and ask for a fortune in diamonds as ransom. Well, wouldn't you know it... the stepfather has been looking for a way to get rid of the bratty young teen anyway as he stands to make a lot of cash after her untimely demise. A young mute boy happens to see where the kidnappers bury the girl but, being mute, he can't make her whereabouts known to the police and his shrieking shrew of a mother won't listen to him anyway. The kidnappers get more and more desperate and the violence and depravity become more and more extreme... ending the movie in one of the most nihilistic and gutwrenching finales ever seen on film. Anyone who thought movies like "Natural Born Killers" or "The Devil's Rejects" were rough-going... well, you ain't seen nothing' yet.