Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Scott LeBrun The sole theatrical directing credit for veteran writer Guerdon Trueblood ('Adam-12', 'The Streets of San Francisco', "The Last Hard Men", "Jaws 3-D"), "The Candy Snatchers" is compelling storytelling every step of the way, with a rich variety of characters who may be utterly flawed but are nonetheless an interesting bunch. It may be tough for some people to see certain individuals subjected to a fair bit of abuse, but give Trueblood credit: he handles everything in a respectable matter of fact way, and ties everything up at the end in a memorable fashion.The Candy of the title is played by Susan Sennet ("Big Bad Mama"), an attractive teenager who has the bad habit of hitching rides with people. That makes it easy for kidnappers Jessie (luscious Playboy Playmate Tiffany Bolling ("Kingdom of the Spiders")), Alan (Brad David ("The Curious Case of the Campus Corpse")), and Eddy (Vincent Martorano) to get a hold of her. They intend to obtain a ransom of diamonds from her jeweler father Avery (Ben Piazza), only to eventually find out that they haven't done enough homework and that Avery might not want the girl back.Written and produced by Bryan Gindoff, this effectively lurid tale has more than its share of twists and turns, and it really keeps the viewer hooked from scene to scene. There's a real sleazy feel to the proceedings, and Alan turns out to be a pretty big creep. Bolling sinks her teeth into the juicy role of the ringleader, a woman who likes giving orders but does have her vulnerabilities. Eddy is far and away the most conscientious of the trio, even making a connection with the victimized Candy. Sennet is completely appealing and easy to sympathize with. Equally endearing is Christopher Trueblood, son of the director, an adorable blonde moppet with autism and monstrous, ignorant parents. This subplot with Christophers' character Sean is hard to watch, but worth sticking with. Certainly the subject of autism wasn't that well known or looked into at this point in time 40 years ago, so Gindoff and Trueblood Sr. were ahead of the curve there.Fine location shooting, an irresistible score and theme song ("Money is the Root to All Happiness"), and a fun small part for James Whitworth, a few years away from his role as Papa Jupiter in Wes Cravens' "The Hills Have Eyes", all add to the enjoyment. This is a film whose grim premise and well developed characters help to make it one of the best trash films of its decade. One thing's for sure: the viewer isn't likely to forget the ending any time soon.Nine out of 10.

Scarecrow-88 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.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, and the man these goons expect to shake is her stepfather, and he's not the jewelry store owner they think he is. Eddy(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. Candy, as played by Susan Sennett(..who is quite critical of the movie and her treatment in it claiming that the terror you see on screen is real), remains bound, blind-folded, and gagged, with little dialogue, for large parts of the movie. Candy is actually buried alive twice, and raped viciously by psychotic Alan, 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. Such as a sub-plot featuring an Autistic boy who doesn't speak, Sean(Christopher Trueblood, the director's son), 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 might 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. 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 Trueblood 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_Void Seventies exploitation is one of my favourite genres as despite generally poor production values and story lines, they're just so damn entertaining! The Candy Snatchers is clearly one of the best examples of the genre - as despite featuring the common poor production values, the entertaining plot line is nicely fleshed out with a number of sub-plots and deliriously depraved characters! The central plot isn't really all that important - it's the stuff surrounding it that makes this film what it is. Well...that and the completely sleazy atmosphere, which is achieved through the gritty cinematography, as well as the attention to depravity. The plot isn't exactly original, and basically follows a trio of would-be kidnappers who snatch Candy - the daughter of a man who handles diamonds at a bank, and naturally the kidnappers want a fistful of diamonds in exchange for the safe return of young Candy. However, the crime has a witness - but unfortunately for the young girl, the witness is a young autistic boy who can't talk! The Candy Snatchers features a handful of violent set pieces that are sure to delight anyone with a mind to see the film. The Candy Snatchers doesn't feature wall to wall violence, but there are enough memorably violent moments to make the film worthy of its high acclaim. It's not the violence that is the most shocking thing about this film, however, as it's clear that director Guerdon Trueblood was keen to make the film as nasty as possible and this is achieved through the way that remains completely nihilistic throughout. Of course, most of what is seen here has been seen in many modern films since, and as a result; The Candy Snatchers isn't as shocking these days as it no doubt was back in 1973, but despite that; the film does retain a lot of its shock value. The acting isn't the best, but the cast of unknowns come together well as an ensemble and most of them are memorable and entertaining in their respective roles. The plot moves quickly and there's never a dull moment - the ending is particularly strong as it manages to be exciting, nasty, and yet strangely funny in a sick sort of way all at the same time. Overall, The Candy Snatchers is a real seventies highlight and comes highly recommended!

alanmora Even though the cover art and the tag lines used to promote this film are obviously blatant attempts to cash in on the "Last House on the Left" craze of the time this movie stands on its own 2 feet as a drive-in classic. Until it's recent DVD release, this film was rare and hard to find but well worth the search. It's difficult to categorize this movie because of it's humor it's not quite a horror flick and yet because of it's sex scenes it's not quite a comedy. Then again it's the comedy aspect of it that makes it not quite and exploitation flick either. "The Candy Snatchers" is in a unique class of it's own but whatever you categorize it as one thing is for sure you will be highly entertained when you view this rare little flick! The acting is above average and the storyline evolves quickly...there is little or no wasted film time or "fillers" in this movie. to top it all off there is a classic surprise ending to this one that will have you laughing till you pee! Classic line in "The Candy Snatchers"=any word coming from the mouth of the pint-sized deaf/mute child in the film. Check out this one...you'll be glad you did!