The Candy Store

I was surprised by how good this movie is. Almost all of the actors seemed very natural and the leads were very likable. The settings were refreshingly realistic, it was nice seeing a well written and acted story set in what look like real houses in a real neighborhood, not the obviously fake and polished garbage we are all brainwashed with constantly. Whoever did the score/soundtrack did a fantastic job, really added to the suspense. The weird sound effects/music when Preston and Rachel set out to go to the Candy Store was so interesting, I went back and watched and listened again. I was impressed with this movie and I'll watch it again.

Living in a rural neighborhood, a group of kids become concerned that a series of disappearances around the area are connected to a legend about the mysterious owner of a candy shop said to be in operation for years with no hardships, forcing them to discover its dark secret.

This was a generally awful effort that has very little to like about it. Among its only likable qualities is the focus on the abductions and how the kids can handle the burgeoning situation around them. The legend surrounding the store and the mysterious owner who tries to keep her murderous hulk of a son out of the news for his abductions of the local kids who are then used in the malicious treats being made and sold at the woman's house makes for a nice grounding to seep into the rest of the neighborhood. That the kids are aware of it and try to get away from everything with the series of stories and recollections that are made for highlighting the purpose behind the abductions, which provide a fun and frantic finale, all of which offer up enough to like somewhat. The problem with this is that it's only in such select areas of the film that pretty much everything else here is just bland or unappealing. The potential this story has is wiped out with the glacial pacing that seems to spend more time on the interactions with the friends who are seemingly given free reign to improv and hang out as long as something tangentially related to the story is introduced at some point. It feels like their interactions and general moments of just hanging out are natural, to be fair, but the insignificant way this brings about the abductions is overall awkward and illogical, so there's not much in the way of everything being interjected in the clumsiest way possible. It also doesn't help that there's almost nothing happening that keeps this one moving along. These interactions with the kids make up the majority of the running time despite their being numerous disappearances and abductions that are said to have gone on, and with the investigations missing so many obvious connections about where the missing kids are from and where they go missing it never leaves any time for any kind of genuine genre activity to take place. With that weak investigation being done to prolong the story with how easily everything comes together once the clue is made about the similarities to the past abductions, it makes everything far more infuriating to get through, which just makes this one so tough to get through.

Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.

The low reviews on this are because the movie takes place in the hood. It's literally a Chicago hood horror story. Kids are kidnapped and nobody questions what's going on or sees a pattern because it's happening in a poor black neighborhood.

Yes it's low budget, yes some of the shots could've been better, and yes there's some silliness to it. But it's no different than any other low budget horror movie in those aspects. It could've done without the chewing sound effects and the crackhead with the white contact lense.

Where it thrives is in the acting (from the young actors), the story, and the script. It was a well done film! Had it been made by Blumehouse, with their budget and editing, it would've been a hit.

Set in Chicago, The Candy Store lures you in with a nostalgic storefront and a decades-old mystery-but beneath the sugarcoated surface lies a film that's a mixed bag of treats and tricks. The story centers around an eerie candy shop that has been hiding secrets for over 30 years, run by a creepy older woman and her even creepier son.

The movie starts off with potential-there's a certain charm to its atmosphere and a few solid moments of tension-but it never quite delivers on its spooky premise. The pacing stutters in places, and some plot threads feel undercooked. That said, it's not the worst way to spend 86 minutes, especially if you're into low-key horror.

Now, let's talk about the real star: Detective Cranberry. He might not solve the entire mystery, but he definitely steals the screen-if you catch my drift. Handsome, brooding, and dressed like he walked off a noir set, he's one of the main reasons to keep watching.

In short: The Candy Store won't blow your mind, but it's got just enough weirdness, charm, and eye candy (pun intended) to be worth a casual watch.

I get that it is Tubi but at least attempt to make the story line decent. The Candy Store was filmed on a shoelace not even a shoestring budget. The actor could have been alot better. The kids tried to act great. It was just the story was sour and lacked depth. This could have been a great hidden gem but it dropped after the first 5 minutes like a bomb. Save yourself some time and watch something else unless your are bored and want to waste and hour and a half. The special effects are ok. Be prepared to only connnect tp a couple of characters. I think this wpuld have shown better had there been a lot more back story and why this place was so bad.