The Candy Snatchers (1973)

The Candy Snatchers: Directed by Guerdon Trueblood. With Tiffany Bolling, Ben Piazza, Susan Sennett, Brad David. A mute, autistic boy stumbles upon a teenage girl who has been kidnapped and buried alive by three young psychopathic criminals intent on extorting diamonds from her rich stepfather.

“u0026quot;The Candy Snatchersu0026quot; perfectly embodies why so many fans of the horror u0026amp; cult genre worship the 70u0026#39;s decade! This is a hard-boiled and intense film, with a shocking and totally unpredictable storyline, utterly deranged characters and it literally doesnu0026#39;t take the slightest notice of political correctness and/or human emotions. Director Guerdon Trueblood and scriptwriter Bryan Gindoff take us on a wild u0026amp; trashy 70u0026#39;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 isnu0026#39;t in a hurry to rescue his stepdaughter at all. Even more so, Candyu0026#39;s u0026#39;unfortunateu0026#39; death would result in a huge financial triumph for him, so he sure ainu0026#39;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 Candyu0026#39;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 theyu0026#39;re too caught up in their own crazy world of greed and self-pity. Purely talking in terms of grindhouse cinema-sickness, u0026quot;The Candy Snatchersu0026quot; leans damn close towards perfection! The atmosphere is constantly gritty, the violence u0026amp; 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 boyu0026#39;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 isnu0026#39;t cheerful. Even technically speaking, this production is far superior in comparison with the majority of 70u0026#39;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 directoru0026#39;s young son Christopher in his first and only appearance on the big screen. u0026quot;The Candy Snatchersu0026quot; has recently been re-discovered and released in a fancy edition. The DVD is an absolute must have for every fan of the genre.”