Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

The Candy Snatchers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 29, 2019

1973’s “The Candy Snatchers” is never really sure what type of viewing experience it wants to provide. While most of the movie remains in an exploitation holding pattern, working up the courage to present awful experiences for most of its characters, director Guerdon Trueblood also makes time for a little comedy, treating certain scenes with “Three Stooges”-like silliness. “The Candy Snatchers” is all over the place, but that’s also part of its appeal with cult audiences, as Trueblood endeavors to supply uncomfortable situations of imprisonment, child abuse, and sexual assault, but he’s also stretching to make something with a little style and a defined sense of criminal behavior. It’s unwieldy, but also modestly engaging, especially when Trueblood follows through on a few of his more outrageous ideas.

The central crisis in “The Candy Snatchers” involves the kidnapping of a teenager, with three crooks (Tiffany Bolling, Vince Martorano, and Brad David) electing to keep her buried alive while they shake down her parents for a ransom. The fly in the ointment is a young, non-verbal autistic boy (Christopher Trueblood) who discovers the prisoner’s grave, only he’s unable to notify the right people about it. Trueblood and screenwriter Bryan Gindoff keep to the ickiness of the crime, adding sexual violence to such misery, but they cook up some sinister business as well concerning the kidnapped girl’s stepfather, who’s no saint, generating interesting tension between sides of evildoing, leaving the child the unlikely hero of the story.

The Candy Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Returning to the 35mm original camera negative for a fresh scan, Vinegar Syndrome provides impressive clarity for "The Candy Snatchers." The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers excellent detail throughout, exploring fibrous costuming and varied facial surfaces, while locations are dimensional and interior decoration remains easily inspected. Colors are tastefully refreshed, handling period hues with precision, while primaries are defined. Skintones are natural. Delineation is strong, preserving evening events and shallow grave panic. Grain is fine and film-like. Source is in excellent condition. Mild judder is detected at times.

The Candy Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix supports dramatic intention with clear dialogue exchanges, which preserve performance choices and manage emotional extremes. Scoring is crisp, along with soundtrack selections, which retain warm acoustic guitar sounds. Sound effects are sharp, detailing gunshots and assorted acts of violence.

The Candy Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Intro (1:24, HD) features director Guerdon Trueblood, who reveals his early intent to title the picture "Candy Snatch," which was shut down by the powers that be.

• Commentary features film historian Nathaniel Thompson.

• "A Dark Film" (15:15, HD) returns to Trueblood, who shares his early education, including film history study in France, which helped him to find the tone of "The Candy Snatchers." Assured of his own screenwriting abilities, Trueblood jumped at the chance to direct, and he shares production origins, including financing and the writing duties. Casting is detailed, including work from his own son, Christopher, who was treated with care and a lot of directorial patience. Trueblood remains very proud of "The Candy Snatchers," almost defensively so, bringing out a quote from Quentin Tarantino, who's a big fan of the movie.

• "Snatching the Role" (10:55, HD) is a conversation with Vince Martorano, who explore his early interest in acting, finally persuaded to move to L.A. when work on "The Candy Snatchers" was offered. While sharing tales from the happy shoot, Martorano focuses on the pressure to make a career, finally acquiring an agent and additional work. The interviewee shares memories from the premiere of "The Candy Snatchers," and addresses a few of the movie's controversies.

• "Digging Up the Past" (9:15, HD) sits down with producer Gary Adelman, who recounts his initial forays into the film business and his time on "The Candy Snatchers." Casting is inspected and locations are recalled. Adelman also shares the troubled distribution history for the feature, which was only widely released in the south.

• Image Gallery (1:55) collects film stills, newspaper ads, articles and reviews, and poster art.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

The Candy Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Candy Snatches" has some clumsiness, but it also has an appealingly dark conclusion and some visual style provided by cinematographer Robert Maxwell, who largely avoids B-movie grime to support the feature as it figures out what kind of nastiness or hilarity it wants to offer.