In 2020, directors Scott Hansen (The Possession Experiment) and Desiree Connell were responsible for the screenplay and direction of Bad Candy, a Halloween-themed horror anthology, involving U.S. actor Zach Galligan (Gremlins, The Chair) and Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor, both of whom star in the episode frame.
Locked inside a radio station, the two play Paul and Chilly Billy, respectively, DJs engaged in entertaining their radio listeners with bitter stories about the residents of New Salem and in particular, those who fail to get into the mood of the aforementioned holiday by not respecting its occasion.
The main episode features Kira (Riley Sutton), a young girl living with an abusive father who has the power to bring everything she draws to life, wreaking havoc. Dressed as a witch, Kira reaches a cemetery and creates, through her pencil, the diabolical clown Bad Candy, a kind of personification of the Halloween spirit, with ominous consequences. The monstrous being, a constant presence in the film, manifests itself in the other stories that unfold from the mother segment, punishing with death those who do not get carried away by the magic of Oct. 31 and forcing the unfortunate to live in his world full of pumpkins, decorations, sweets and lights, after turning them into small puppets, also used as decorations of the monstrous colorful kingdom that comes to life thanks to the imagination of the young protagonist.
Children and adults end up in clown limbo, without mercy. Victims also include those who bake cakes full of razor blades for trick-or-treating, or a morgue attendant who, dressed as a sexy nurse, indulges her necrophilic instincts, ending up awakening not only corpses but also their hunger. Death also seizes drug dealers and murderers, the latter haunted by a magnificent and ferocious bloodthirsty winged creature.
Together with the deadly clown, in Bad Candy, ghosts, monsters, zombies, and vampires populate Halloween night by lowering it into a bloody and violent context where torn, decapitated, slit, and stabbed bodies (Wayne Anderson's special effects are very effective) further embellish the very marked October 31 horror-themed setting.
Loaded with great charm and enveloped in magnificent atmosphere, the film draws the viewer into a magical dimension, into a lavish horror fest of violence and blood.
The result is a very satisfying film, thanks to expert direction, based on a rich and comprehensive script that is complemented by very polished cinematography (Scott B. Hansen and Blake Studwell).
Finally, in addition to being one of the best films of 2020, Bad Candy rises above many horror anthology films, but not only that: this colorful, villainous journey into the dark soul of Halloween is, surely, also one of the best films about Oct. 31.
Plot: radio DJs Chilly Billy (Corey Taylor) and Paul (Zach Galligan) spend Halloween night telling their radio listeners the terrifying stories that have occurred over the years on October 31 in the New Salem community. Stories in which children and adults have been slaughtered at the hands of murderers, demons, entities and zombies, all under the leadership of a diabolical Halloween-loving clown.
Desiree Connell also appears on the film crew as producer and screenwriter while the cast includes Derek Russo, Ryan Kiser, Kenneth Trujillo, Mike Milligan, Haley Nicole Leary, Bill Pacer, Riley Sutton, Bill Pacer, Jason Thompson and Alexandra Lucchesi.
The engaging soundtrack is by Chris Dudley.
Bad Candy was awarded "Best Feature Film" at the DarkVeins Horror Fest 2020.
