‘Sweet dreams… forever‘
The Candy Witch is a 2020 British horror film about two paranormal investigators called in to assist a family tormented by an evil spirit.
Directed and edited by Rebecca Matthews (Bats: The Awakening; The Watcher 2; Witches of Amityville Academy; Pet Graveyard) from a screenplay written by Scott Jeffrey for Millman Productions-Proportion Productions.
The movie stars Kate Lush, Abi Casson Thompson, Heather Jackson and Richard D. Myers. It was co-produced by Scott Jeffrey and Rebecca J Matthews, with Jeff Miller as executive producer.
Plot:
Two paranormal investigators are contacted by a distressed family that says they are being tormented by an evil spirit known in their local town as The Candy Witch.
However, as the mystery of her curse is uncovered, surprising and sinister turns are discovered around The Candy Witch’s identity. Their hardest case yet, can the ghost hunters solve this evil curse before more people are killed by the demonic spirit?
Review:
The Candy Witch is a definite step up for both director/editor/co-producer Rebecca J Matthews (after the dismally dull Pet Graveyard), screenwriter and sometimes director Scott Jeffrey (Cupid; The Final Scream; The Bad Nun) and their hugely prolific Proportion Productions. This one looks more agreeable than most of their recent efforts and benefits from better performances overall, despite Jon Callaway being somewhat weak in a lead role as a paranormal investigator and a pointless ‘cameo’ by token American genre regular Shawn C. Phillips.
And speaking of America, there are some of the unfortunate ‘Americanisms’ that plague other Proportion Productions (Don’t Speak is perhaps their worst offender), wherein there are ill-defined attempts to make the movie seem transatlantic in tone when it’s clearly set in Surrey, England. Why not simply set the movie clearly in the USA or the UK, rather than hedging bets so viewers are distracted by the anachronisms?
The terrible truth behind the curse of the titular entity takes a while to be revealed (although there are clues along the way), yet when it finally does the carnage is suitably satisfying and an understated ambient soundtrack by Mathew Rees adds value to the proceedings. The Candy Witch would have benefitted from a shorter running time but it’s still worth a look. Just don’t expect to be bowled over.
Adrian J Smith, MOVIES & MANIA
Other reviews:
“The good news is that it doesn’t last that long. More than anything, the most enjoyable part of the movie is watching a woman fight against others to prove that there is a real threat out there. Still, I don’t buy The Candy Witch as a threat.” Anderson Vision
“Overall though The Candy Witch is a fun, compelling splatterfest filled with inventive confectionary-related kills. I thought it was a great film and a great premise for an antagonist. I feel if there was extra work done to give the Candy Witch more of an initial, impactive scare, it could easily pave the way for a new horror icon.” Erebus Horror
“The central performances struggle to deal with a confused script that relays on the overuse of expositional dialogue and very under-developed characters. Rebecca Mathews vision for the folklore elements seem hampered by not fully deciding if the film sits within the folklore or the campy horror genre.” Horror Screams Video Vault
“The Candy Witch delivers exactly what you would expect – moody horror, creepy kills, and a mythos of folk macabre; it does not try to break new ground, and in doing that, the film plays to its strengths. This is horror comfort food.” Monsters, Madness and Magic
” …the best special effects work in a Proportion production to date. Gruesome is certainly not an understatement here, the camera lingers on the gore here, making The Candy Witch less supernatural horror and more slasher movie. Where The Candy Witch also rises above a number of the companies other genre movies is the script which, even though we see the witch of the title, still is very ambiguous about what is real and what isn’t.” Nerdly
” …The Candy Witch tells a well-structured horror yarn in an engaging way that has all the suspense and all the shocks in all the right places, that moves along swiftly enough to keep one interested throughout, and that has a finale that will have one at the edge of one’s seat. So in all, it’s not the re-invention of the wheel, but a cool genre ride still.” Search My Trash
“The script avoids long talky spells and allows for plenty of inventive kills. And an unexpected revelation in the last act lets the film end on a strong note […] And wisely they put enough budget behind the film to do the effects right. Especially the last couple which are distinctly strong and vicious for a mainstream film.” Voices from the Balcony
Release:
The Candy Witch serves up sweet death on June 9th 2020 on DVD and Digital via Uncork’d Entertainment.
Cast and characters:
Abi Casson Thompson … Kat
Kate Lush … Candy Witch
Heather Jackson … Ruth
Richard D. Myers … Willie
Jon Callaway … Reece
Will Stanton … Tom
Hannah Ponting … Lea
Jon-Scott Clark … Keith
Shakil Hussain … Ben
Kate Milner Evans … Trish
Hattie Willow … Dina
Richard Harfst … Policeman
Barbara Dabson … Tiffany
Shawn C. Phillips … Vlogger
Technical details:
94 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Trailer:
