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2022, Horror/Mystery & thriller, 1h 33m

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Candy land videos, candy land   photos.

Candy Land follows Remy (Olivia Luccardi, It Follows), a seemingly naïve and devout young woman, who finds herself cast out from her religious cult. With no place to turn, she immerses herself into the underground world of truck stop sex workers a.k.a. "lot lizards," courtesy of her hosts, Sadie (Sam Quartin, Body Brokers), Riley (Eden Brolin, "Yellowstone"), Liv (Virginia Rand) and Levi (Owen Campbell, X). Under the watchful eye of their matriarch, Nora (Guinevere Turner, American Psycho), and enigmatic local lawman, Sheriff Rex (William Baldwin, The Squid and the Whale), Remy navigates between her strained belief system and the lot lizard code to find her true calling in life.

Genre: Horror, Mystery & thriller

Original Language: English

Director: John Swab

Producer: Jeremy M. Rosen , John Swab

Writer: John Swab

Release Date (Theaters): Jan 6, 2023  limited

Release Date (Streaming): Jan 6, 2023

Runtime: 1h 33m

Distributor: Quiver Distribution

Production Co: Roxwell Films

Cast & Crew

Olivia Luccardi

William Baldwin

Sam Quartin

Owen Campbell

Virginia Rand

Guinevere Turner

Eden Brolin

Screenwriter

Jeremy M. Rosen

Robert Ogden Barnum

Executive Producer

Michael Reiser

Cinematographer

John David Allen

Film Editor

Andrew Aaronson

David Sardy

Original Music

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‘Candy Land’ Review: Truck-Stop Thrills

In this sleazy slasher by the writer and director John Swab, a group of sex workers adopts a former member of a religious cult.

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By Beatrice Loayza

In “Candy Land,” a group of truck-stop sex workers, or “lot lizards,” assembles daily by a gas-station bench, scarfing down Twinkies and Coca-Cola between sexual romps in the back seat or the bathroom stall. It’s not glamorous, but there is a certain allure to their world and its trailer-park chic, sustained by the patchwork heart of their found family. Girlfriends Sadie (Sam Quartin) and Liv (Virginia Rand), Riley (Eden Brolin), Levi (Owen Campbell), and Nora (Guinevere Turner), their madam of sorts, all live in a motel, but together they make it feel like home.

The work is dangerous — at one point, Levi, the only male member of the crew, bludgeons a client to death in self-defense. But things soon get a little weirder: The bloodied body of a john turns up in the bathroom, his hands crossed over his chest in some kind of holy gesture; then Remy (Olivia Luccardi), a snaggletoothed virgin and a former member of a religious cult, appears at the bench, a bit too willing to be taken under the group’s wing.

It’s a textbook setup for a sleazy slasher. Written and directed by John Swab, “Candy Land” is standard grindhouse fare — more serious and less conceptually adventurous than its recent counterparts, Ti West’s “X” and “Pearl” — though not without its fair share of pleasurable nastiness. Like West’s porn-meets-evangelicalism double feature, “Candy Land” mines its thrills from the intersection of sex, repression and brainwashing.

It also pivots around the charms of its leading lady.

Luccardi, a genre regular, has the twinkling eyes of a lunatic. Last year, in the indie horror film “ Soft & Quiet ,” she played the new girl in a club of white supremacists who reveals herself to be the most unhinged among them; as Remy, she gradually shows her cards in a similarly disturbing manner. She’s a scream queen in the making, and “Candy Land” is her liveliest showcase yet.

Candy Land Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes. In theaters and available to rent or buy on Apple TV , Google Play and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.

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‘Candy Land’ Review: Death Comes to the World’s Horniest Truck Stop

Christian zilko.

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Every horny trucker heading west on Route 66 knows that Exit 16 is the last place to get any real action before you hit California. In horny trucker social circles, the rest stop has become so synonymous with its supply of “clean, drug-free pussy” that it’s earned its own unique CB radio handle: “Candy Land.”

Watching a horror movie about the illicit, transactional affairs that take place in the cabs of these semi-trucks is every bit as entertaining as you might expect. Equal parts slasher flick and softcore porn, writer-director John Swab’s ode to roadside sex workers is the kind of film that Quentin Tarantino would have seen dozens of times if it came out when he was still a criminally unsupervised nine-year-old. Pervy grindhouse sleaze oozes out of every frame, to the point where it feels like the only proper viewing method would be a scratched 35mm print in a theater with three different inexplicably sticky substances on the floor. In other words, it’s glorious.

The heroes of our story are Riley (Eden Brolin), Levi (Owen Campbell), and Sadie (Sam Quartin), the “lot lizards” who earn a living by navigating the complex social rules of anonymous gas station hookups. And boy, are there a lot of them. For example, a sex worker should never knock on the door of a truck unless the driver flashes the lights to invite them in. But if a potential customer starts tapping their foot in the bathroom, they’re likely a thrill seeker who will appreciate a more direct approach. It’s exhausting work, but somebody has to do it.

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Swab demonstrates plenty of empathy towards his characters, never reducing them to caricatures of their sad circumstances. They all take solace in the community that has formed between the prostitutes who live at the truck stop motel, and they’re able to find enough simple pleasures to distract themselves from the reality of what they actually spend their days doing. The script doesn’t seem particularly interested in exploring how they ended up in those circumstances, treating the truck stop like a liminal space where everyone just appeared and nobody asks any questions.

But that’s perfectly fine, because the film wisely devotes most of its screen time to the kind of stag movie magic that trash-loving cinephiles are going to seek it out for. Like a clergyman cunnilingus sequence involving a pair of removable dentures that’s as hauntingly slimy as anything Cronenberg ever shot. Or a scene where a Black department store Santa insists on staying in character while getting laid. Or one of the discount Baldwin brothers trying to bribe a male prostitute with a hamburger, but in a way where you’re never quite sure if he’s talking about the burger or his penis.

Riley, Levi, and Sadie have more or less made peace with this monotonously sexual existence, even if they remain adamant that it’s only a temporary arrangement. Nobody is making any plans to leave the truck stop life, but the universe gives them a bit of a nudge when Remy (Olivia Luccardi) arrives at Exit 16. The seemingly-innocent young girl was abandoned at the truck stop by a bizarre cult seeking to “cleanse” the earth of various evils, and finds herself with nowhere to go except the motel that functions as a de facto trucker brothel.

The lot lizards take her in and begin teaching her the tricks of the trade, which is simultaneously heartwarming and depressing as all hell. But Remy’s progress as a lady of the night quickly plateaus when she starts killing all of her clients and co-workers. She may have given the impression that she was on the outs with her religious relatives, but apparently she’s an even bigger zealot than the rest of them. It soon becomes clear that Remy is less interested in turning tricks than she is in orchestrating an elaborate suicide mission that sees her trying to kill all of her friends in an attempt to rid the planet of sin. Nobody else is particularly on board with that plan, but the soft-spoken church girl is the last person anyone suspects in the killing spree that’s engulfing the world’s horniest truck stop.

Taken purely at slasher movie face value, “Candy Land” isn’t nearly as scary or charmingly gory as many of the films that inspired it. But it succeeds by taking a deep dive into a fascinating subculture and refusing to shy away from the gross realities of everyday life. The end result is a hangout movie where the devil is in the utterly vile details.

Watching “Candy Land” is a lot like eating beef jerky from a truck stop. In both cases, you might find yourself thinking, “if someone told me this was made in 1973, I’d believe them.” Yet both experiences can end up being enjoyable despite leaving you with an overwhelming desire to shower. And if you can’t have a good time with violent stabbings, tawdry 18-wheeler sex, and Crowded House needle drops, there might be no saving you.

Quiver Distribution will release “Candy Land” in select theaters and on VOD on Friday, January 6.

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‘Candy Land’ Review – Truck Stop Slasher Explores Sex and Violence

Grimy truck stops serve as prime real estate in horror. The setting invokes a sense of desolate lawlessness as strangers pass through a revolving door of anonymity. Don’t even bother entering the filthy, unkept bathrooms; bad things always happen there. It’s precisely this setting where  Candy Land  unfurls its sleazy slasher filled with broken dreams, religious repression, and a sensitive depiction of sex workers right before a grim turn.

Candy Land  introduces Sadie ( Sam Quartin ) and Liv ( Virginia Rand ), Riley ( Eden Brolin ), and Levi ( Owen Campbell ), a group of tight-knit sex workers dubbed “lot lizards.” They live out of the motel and spend their days chatting near the gas station, snowballs and soda in hand, in between sexual encounters in bathroom stalls or truck cabs. The lot lizards are presided over by Madame Nora ( Guinevere Turner ) and morally ambiguous Sheriff Rex ( William Baldwin ). Then the lot lizards find virginal Remy ( Olivia Luccardi ) crying on a bench after getting cast out by her religious cult and take her under their wing. Remy finds herself caught between her devout beliefs and their dangerous line of trade.

Writer/Director  John Swab  submerses viewers into this seedy little pocket of Middle America. Swab takes his time establishing this world and its inhabitants, bringing a more tender approach to its sex workers. The lot lizards exude warmth and camaraderie, a warped yet loving family amidst the squalor. They pay Remy’s nervous naivete no mind as they teach her the ins and outs of the unspoken truck stop system and quickly band together when dangers are afoot.

It’s this humanizing depiction and world building that bolsters a familiar setup. Once all characters and setting are thoroughly established, the dead bodies begin to accrue. It marks the tipping point from sensitive portrayal into a grim, bloody path of broken dreams and hearts. It’s also where Swab struggles to reign in the various threads through anchor Remy. The dangers of their profession, including harrowing encounters, combined with Remy’s erratic behavior in her attempts to assimilate, serve as compelling distractions from the fact that too much gets withheld from her backstory- one that’s crucial to her arc.

Swab succeeds in giving his lot lizards impactful individual arcs that resonate with their conclusions. Campbell, who starred in 2022’s  X , stands out as the lot lizard’s sole male member Levi. Levi and his various encounters, particularly with the Sheriff, provide the most in terms of stakes and vulnerability. Luccardi, fresh off an intense and disturbing turn in  Soft & Quiet , makes for a successful narrative catalyst as the emotionally volatile and increasingly unstable Remy. Yet Remy never manages to instill enough empathy for the third act to resonate fully. Nor does Candy Land fully explore the competing concepts it introduces.

Still,  Candy Land  gives a refreshing perspective through its condemnation of religion and its positioning of sex workers as protagonists. It’s a more nuanced and lived-in approach to the sleazy slasher format, and its affecting characters elevate the familiar. Much like the lot lizards themselves, Swab uses pink credits, classic needle drops, and Christmas cheer to belie something far more brutal and grim. It results in a flawed but compelling entry in backroads Americana horror.

Candy Land is available in select theaters and VOD now.

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

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‘$la$her$’ Blu-ray Review: Terror Vision Unearths an Obscure 2001 Horror Movie With a Killer Premise

By late 2000, reality television was considered must-see entertainment by millions. Whether it was the drama and backstabbing tribal exploits of Survivor or Regis Philbin asking for the “final answer” on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? , this boob tube subgenre was all the rage worldwide. Meanwhile, Japan has always been known for their off the wall, physically demanding gameshows like Takeshi’s Castle and Kunoichi .

Writer-director Maurice Devereaux ( End of the Line ) rode the wave of reality TV in an ocean of Japanese game show craziness on a surfboard crafted from The Running Man to bring the world $la$hers in 2001. And thanks to Terror Vision , who have been on a roll with their releases lately, we have a chance to revisit this Canadian direct-to-video flick. Despite how the title sounds, it is not supposed to be a straight-on horror film, but a satire in a horror film’s clothing, so to speak. A film that literally winks at the camera during the rise of the “network ratings are king” reality television craze of the time.

$la$her$ is a top game show in Japan, but it isn’t your typical family friendly affair. Instead of worrying about landing on the Whammy or spinning the wheel to the Bankrupt card, the way to win this game is to stay alive by avoiding vicious killers determined to eliminate the competition in the literal sense. And this show includes all kinds of other added entertainment value such as cheerleaders and a house DJ, appropriately named DJ Slash ( Shigera Fugita ).

Here’s how the film plays out: we are the viewers watching the latest $la$her$ episode, through the lens of the show’s cameraman Hideo, which is a special “All-American” episode dedicated to the USA. This point is driven home by the fact that the game show host Miho Taguchi ( Claudine Shiraishi ) is cosplaying as the Statue of Liberty. It doesn’t get more Americana than that, folks. All she needed was a hot dog, a PBR and some scratch off lottery tickets.

All 6 contestants are also introduced as hailing from the States too, but you’ll be able to tell in a matter of minutes that these actors are actually from the Great White North, thanks to their discernible accents. Remember, this is a Canadian feature. Our Can-Am contestants comprise of protestor/law student Megan Lowry ( Sarah Joslyn Crowder ), bad ass ex-boxer Devon White ( Tony Curtis Blondell ), an oddball who looks like the lovechild of Bill Hader and Garret Dillahunt, Michael Gibbons ( Kieran Keller ), ex-nightclub doorman Rick Fisher ( Jerry Sprio – out of all the actors, he’s not even trying to hide his accent), former strongwoman champion Rebecca Galley ( Carolina Pia ), and eye candy Brenda Thompson ( Sofia de Medeiros ).

The cameras follow the participants through various themed zones (one is designed after a gaudy motel love room for some reason) as they strive to survive against the show’s gimmicked psychos. Our lineup includes deranged Southern-based (un)holy man and first time slasher, Preacherman ( Neil Napier ); the crowd favorite backwoods redneck who looks like Carrot Top, Chainsaw Charlie (also played by Neil Napier, and not Terry Funk – deep cut); and the final boss reigning champion and physician who does not expect you to call him in the morning, Dr. Ripper ( Christopher Piggins ). Each wields a signature weapon, plus corny taunts and hokey one-liners.

We also learn that both the contestants and killers wear irremovable electric collars that provide a heckuva jolt for going rogue against the showrunners’ desires, such as everyone needing to remain completely frozen during commercial breaks. If not, it’s shock therapy time! And that rule makes for some pretty cool sequences that occur throughout this flick.

Even though this film is far from perfect, you gotta give the filmmakers credit for some creative ways they pull things off with their extremely low budget. One example is the plot device of having the show’s cameraman as an active character to help move the story along. This device allows the characters to deliver tongue-firmly-in-cheek exposition directly into the camera to provide their backstories. Because contestant personalization for viewers is critical to the showrunners’ desires and helps keep those contestants alive longer; the boring and uninteresting ones are offed immediately. And our characters know nuances like this because some of them reveal that they are fans of the show and know how to play the game the right way. Revealing that knowledge to us also comes in handy as a reason to provide some softcore T’n’A a mere 17 minutes in, due to the characters knowing that women de-robing down to bras are a hit! Well played, filmmakers. Remember this is from right after Y2K and a much different time.

Another cool thing the filmmakers do well is by making most of the film seem like a string of long continuous shots, as if it is an actual live TV show, by making edits during set light flickers and manipulations of camera angles. They aren’t all perfect, but a majority of them are executed flawlessly. And it is worth mentioning that there are actually a few cool gore effects (there’s some awful ones too), which is a surprise due to the budgetary constrictions.

Now there’s not a lot of bad things going on in this film, but those little bits of bad really have an impact on the final product. This is a low budget affair, so you’d expect the acting to range anywhere between not good to horrible. But the thespianism on display here is at an Olympic-tier level of atrociousness, along with some of the worst fake “cry-speaking” ever, and the dialogue quality does not help in the least. Pretty lethal combo.

However, the true sin of $la$her$ is that the story does not fully live up to its potential, which it was completely loaded with. Maybe the running time should have been cut down so that a lot of the filler scenes didn’t need to be forced in. By the way, this review is based on the 99-minute version—there’s a longer cut with even more unneeded filler!

To enjoy this film, you must appreciate its flaws (I do!) and allow yourself to just process all the craziness and cheesiness that it offers. Even the low caliber acting can become tolerable if you just laugh and accept it for what it is. It’s an extremely polarizing film, as evidenced by its 5.0/10 IMDB review. You are going to either embrace it or reject it with no middle ground.

Disc talk time. Is this release worth the cash? If you’re already a fan or are ready to blind buy based on what you just read, then most definitely! And if you own the old MTI Home Video DVD, chuck it and grab this Blu-ray immediately. Terror Vision absolutely killed it and provides hope that this quality is going to be their norm moving forward. This movie looks so clear that if you didn’t know any better, and ignored the late 90s-styled thin eyebrows sported by the actresses, you’d think it was shot only last year. The picture honestly looks THAT clear.

Besides the two bad ass special slipcovers you can choose from, Terror Vision went the extra mile with the special features for such an obscure film. They added new and archival interviews, both versions of the film, the $la$her$ in-film commercials and deleted scenes, just to name a few of the additional goodies.

You can pick up a copy of $la$her$ right now at terror-vision.com.

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REVIEW: Candy Land Presents a Provocative Nightmare Both Dynamic & Horrific

Candy Land succeeds at juggling multiple genres at once, resulting in a memorable, layered, and bloody slow-burn of a horror flick.

Candy Land , the latest film from writer and director John Swab, is an unapologetic look at the life of truck stop sex workers that slowly takes a surreal descent into hell. The film would even have worked if it was just a straight drama following these sex workers, but the horrific twist that comes halfway through turns an intriguing tale of debauchery into a hellish trip that will satisfy horror fans of all kinds. Equipped with strong performances and an effective grainy aesthetic, Candy Land is a dynamic slow-burn that is not afraid to be as vicious as possible.

Candy Land takes place in 1996 and follows several "lot lizards," including Sadie (Sam Quartin), Riley (Eden Brolin), Liv (Virginia Rand), and Levi (Owen Campbell), sex workers who make a living off truckers outside the motel they reside at with their matriarch, Nora (Guinevere Turner). One morning, the group finds Remy (Olivia Luccardi), who was abandoned at the truck stop by her own group of religious zealots. When the "lot lizards" take Remy in as one of their own, bodies start piling up around the truck stop. Soon, the real reason Remy was abandoned at the truck stop will be revealed and will result in a bloodbath of epic proportions .

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Candy Land is engaging from the very beginning, starting out as a flashy foray into a taboo subculture. The film's pulpy storytelling keeps it watchable as the audience is given a head-first descent into the characters' day-to-day lives. The dynamic film then changes quickly, taking the form of a mystery thriller before turning into a full-blown horror tale. Despite the dramatic jumps in tone, the film handles all its material effectively, creating a unique tour-de-force of sex and death.

The characters of Candy Land are all well-written and treated with respect, with an air of authenticity not always seen in films of this type. The performances are all fully realized, with Luccardi, Quartin, and Campbell as the stand-outs. Campbell's character Levi is an impressive portrayal of a male sex worker that wouldn't usually be represented in a film like this. William Baldwin also shows up as a seedy Sheriff who watches over the truck stop and its inhabitants and delivers a multi-faceted supporting performance.

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Despite the strong characters, the film could have benefited from focusing a bit more on some of the "lot lizards" instead of jumping into the violence in the second act. The character of Sadie is presented as the central protagonist at the start of the film but is left in the dust in the middle half so the narrative can focus more on Levi and Remy. The drama of the characters' lives , especially Sadie's, is not as developed as it could be, but the movie is still an impressive exploration of sex workers, as well as an effective horror film.

Overall, Candy Land accomplishes many feats in its runtime while delivering flashy filmmaking and captivating characters. The film is very disturbing and not for the faint of heart at times, but it weaves together a layered narrative full of drama, violence, and even heart . Candy Land may be gruesome, but it refuses to just be a schlocky horror flick, instead exploring heavy themes that give reason to the carnage on screen. This movie may not be for everyone, but viewers who are not afraid of a film that breaks rules will be floored by the gut punch that is Candy Land .

Candy Land opens in select theaters and on digital on Jan. 6.

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Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

Movie Review – Candy Land (2022)

February 6, 2024 by Robert Kojder

Candy Land , 2022.

Written and Directed by John Swab. Starring Olivia Luccardi, Sam Quartin, Eden Brolin, Owen Campbell, William Baldwin, Virginia Rand, Brad Carter, Billy Blair, Bruce Davis, Mark Ward, and Guinevere Turner.

A seemingly naïve and devout young woman finds her way in the underground world of truck stop sex workers.

Set during Christmastime 1996, writer/director John Swab’s truckstop sex work thriller Candy Land makes for a tantalizing premise that eventually struggles to find the right direction, perspective, and character dynamics. The same could be said for the filmmaker’s other works (recently having directed Body Brokers , an unsettling but uneven look at junkie rehab center shadiness), but this time there’s an escalation in tone shift that, while it offers gruesome violence and one particularly memorable kill (particularly because in addition to its sick and twisted nature, it’s the only one grounded in the character’s troubled inner conflict), casually annihilates all the goodwill and character intrigue built up over the first act.

Candy Land boldly cold opens with explicit sex inside a parked truck, in turn announcing it’s not going to be shy about this material, introducing Sadie (Sam Quartin, one of John Swab’s regular collaborators), a sex worker living in a motel of sorts around the titular truck stop. There’s an entire system in place, separating the business into four aspects (ranging from one-night stands to truck quickies or something more brazen such as public bathroom sex), complete with clever methods of communication like private radio frequencies for arranging such meetings. Learning about these operations is one of the strong points here, especially since John Swab is interested in coloring details of these characters’ lives early on.

Sadie is here with her romantic partner Riley (Eden Brolin), comfortable with each other taking on sex work to make ends meet and enjoy life within this community of like-minded individuals. Also present is Levi (Owen Campbell, who recently appeared in Ti West’s X , a sex-centered slasher boasting thoughtfully provocative thematic context, which is everything that John Swab wishes this movie had), who fulfills the sexual desires of whatever gay/bi truckers come roaming through the area. This also includes Sheriff Rex (William Baldwin), who enjoys some happy time with Levi as an escape from his failed loveless marriage and in exchange for looking the other way on the sex work.

A doomsday cult also shows up from time to time, preaching the end of the world and generally acting condescending toward the choices of these sex workers. Soon after, one of their members, Remy (Olivia Luccardi), is abandoned there, nonetheless accepted by this group and taught the basics of life that are foreign to her, such as the deliciousness of hot dogs (I swear that’s not a sexual pun.) This is where the perspective shifts from Sadie to Remy, and with it, the story toward religious nuttiness.

That would also be less frustrating if the script didn’t outright drop other planted plot threads (it’s clear that the motherly hen of this sex work ring grooms women for the job that have nowhere to go and nothing else to do in life and cares less about them than she leads to believe. which shockingly quickly becomes an afterthought.)

Likewise, characters experience trauma that is dealt with in the immediate aftermath, with life going on like normal the next day. Random people also start showing up dead, which becomes the primary focal point of Candy Land , increasingly devolving into a bloodbath of uninteresting kills aside from the one previously mentioned at the top of this review.

That’s also a shame because Sam Quartin is bringing much more than there is on the page to Sadie, coming across like a real person mindful of her partner, friends, and the work and protective of the newbie. There comes a point where she questions leaving the truckstop, uncertain where she will go, which sounds like a far more interesting place for the story to head than the psychotic madness Candy Land does close on.

Olivia Luccardi is equally committed to her character, although in a broadly demented way. There’s unfortunately not much to the character, which John Swab doesn’t seem to realize.

The interweaving of sex work and religious death cult fervor in Candy Land exists to draw a parallel between the slimy characters in charge of each group, but in execution, doesn’t say much and veers into excessive bloodshed, which is fun until it becomes repetitive and pointless.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★  / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check  here  for new reviews, follow my  Twitter  or  Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

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Candy Land Review: Richly Developed Characters Carry Graphic Horror Thriller

A devout outcast (Olivia Luccardi) finds acceptance and murder among truck stop lot lizards in Candy Land.

Truck stop prostitutes shelter a religious outcast as a brutal murderer stalks with twisted intentions. Candy Land gives heart and soul to "lot lizards" before savagely eviscerating them. The sex workers create their own family for acceptance and protection. They band together against the inherent dangers of their seedy profession; which unfortunately opens them to an insidious threat . Their abuse, subjugation, and need for friendship adds depth to grisly losses. The richly developed characters carry the film when it devolves to standard horror tropes. A contrived blood and guts climax takes a predictable turn .

Set during Christmas of 1996, Sadie (Sam Quartin) makes her rounds servicing customers in the "truck pit" adjacent to a mountain range highway. She joins Riley (Eden Brolin), Liv (Virginia Rand), and Levy (Owen Campbell) for a cigarette break. They share snacks and mock Christian proselytizers begging them to repent. The meek Remy (Olivia Luccardi) watches the wild scene from the parishioner's van. Sheriff Rex (William Baldwin) drives up and beckons a weary Levy to business.

Sadie is surprised to find Remy alone and shaking at their motel that night. The devout girl has abandoned her church. Sadie welcomes Remy to stay in her room. She knows what it's like to be alone with no help. Everyone comes together to welcome the shy Remy, but warns she can't stay long without having to work.

A Promising Earner

Nora (Guinevere Turner) serves as madame and illicit caretaker. She sees a promising earner in the fresh-faced, young, and attractive Remy. Nora indoctrinates her in peddling flesh. An unsure Sadie worries Remy can't handle their lifestyle. Riley finds a man's slashed and posed corpse in a bathroom stall. Nora and Sheriff Rex quickly cover up the murder. It's time for Remy to see her first client.

Related: Treason Review: A Breezy Espionage Series with Procedural Flaws

Candy Land shows the hideous underbelly of prostitution with stark realism. There's no glamour or excitement here. Graphic scenes of violence and assault are stomach-churning. Levy and the women are mercilessly exploited. Pleasure vessels treading into the unknown behind every closed door and dark alley. They're accustomed to mistreatment. Shaking off trauma, fear, and pain as just another inevitable part of the day. They huddle together for solace and compassion when no one else cares.

Sinners Must Be Cleansed

Religious themes play a big part of the narrative. Sinners must be "cleansed" for their evil deeds. This tired path goes exactly as expected. A bladed crucifix delivers slice-and-dice salvation like a Benihana sushi knife. Candy Land embraces a B-movie, slasher mentality with gleeful earnestness in the final act. A bloody killing spree gets gore points for filling the carnage quotient. But any thoughtful insights are also shredded in the slaughter.

Candy Land will please genre fans. I just wish director/writer John Swab ( Ida Red , Body Brokers ) had stayed on a disciplined narrative course. There could have been a smarter resolution worthy of the deliberative initial character development; something more than lot lizards in a crucifix blender.

Candy Land is a production of Roxwell Films. It will have a concurrent VOD and theatrical release on January 6th from Quiver Distribution .

• Cast & crew
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A seemingly naive and devout young woman navigates her way into the underground world of truck stop sex workers a.k.a. "lot lizards." A seemingly naive and devout young woman navigates her way into the underground world of truck stop sex workers a.k.a. "lot lizards." A seemingly naive and devout young woman navigates her way into the underground world of truck stop sex workers a.k.a. "lot lizards."

• Olivia Luccardi
• Sam Quartin
• Eden Brolin
• 35 User reviews
• 43 Critic reviews
• 70 Metascore

• (as Virginia Rand)

• Sheriff Rex

• Father Phillip
• (as Magic Mark)

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‘Candy Land’ movie review: Grindhouse meets arthouse in offbeat truck stop treat

• January 27, 2023
• ★★★ , Movie Reviews

A group of truck stop sex workers adopt a runaway from a religious cult in Candy Land , a low-budget but often engrossing little flick now available on VOD platforms worldwide. Bolstered by some strong central performances, this one successfully merges 1970s grindhouse sleaze with contemporary indie film sensibilities.

Written and directed by John Swab ( Ida Red ), Candy Land stars Sam Quartin as Sadie, a sex worker who haunts a midwest truck stop alongside girlfriend Liv ( Virginia Rand ), chatty Riley ( Eden Brolin ), and Levi ( Owen Campbell ). They live at the locale in motel rooms by the diner, and serve under seasoned madam Nora ( Guinevere Turner ).

A passing religious sect leaves them a few flyers and a little something extra: young runaway Remy ( Olivia Luccardi ), who says she can’t go back to her family and is easily urged into the life of a prostitute.

But Candy Land isn’t an expose, and as the gang shows Remy the ropes – the different types of customers among the truckers, and associated terminology – there’s a light-hearted, matter-of-fact presentation to the depiction of these characters and the world they inhabit that feels in line with a 90s American indie a la Clerks .

And then the bodies start piling up, with a murderer making corpses out of truckers and Sheriff Rex ( William Baldwin ) quickly out of ideas and eager to sweep them under the rug. Candy Land doesn’t seem to have much of a budget for gore effects, but makes the most out of what it’s working with; a climactic sex scene that drenches its participants in blood is a highlight.

The identity of the murderer isn’t much of a secret, and Candy Land doesn’t keep us guessing: there’s a twist to the narrative about halfway that refocuses the story and queasily aligns the audience with the killer. A breezy tone and the promise of sex and violence draws you into the narrative, but the climactic scenes have a sense of raw power that seems far more ambitious than a film of this caliber should have aimed for.

Candy Land works thanks to the steady hand of director Swab and some truly committed central performances from its young cast. Luccardi ( It Follows , The Deuce ) is especially engaging in a difficult role, but Quartin, Brolin (daughter of Josh), and Campbell (recently seen in Ti West’s X ) are all solid in support.

A movie about truck stop sex workers getting carved up was always going to be exploitative and sleazy, but Candy Land embraces what it is and builds upon it. This one ends up far better than it has any right to be.

• 2023 , Billy Blair , Brad Carter , Bruce Davis , Candy Land , Eden Brolin , Guinevere Turner , John Swab , Laevin Story , Liz Ann Montaneli , Mark Murphy , Mark Ward , Olivia Luccardi , Owen Campbell , Sam Quartin , Virginia Rand , William Baldwin

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Film Festivals

’candy land’ review: dir. john swab [frightfest].

• Sep 5, 2022

Film festival Arrow Video FrightFest is commonly known by the regulars as ‘Horror Christmas’. To reflect this, the organisers often programme a handful of films set during the holiday season for maximum joy. This year though, of the seventy plus titles that screened, there were just two that took place around the Christmas festivities. The first was Eric Pennycoff’s ingenious film The Leech; the second is John Swab’s Candy Land . Although both The Leech and Candy Land are set in the lead up to Christmas, neither film is what the mind conjures when thinking about a Christmas horror film. The seasonal trappings are played squarely in the background. Their inclusion adds flourishes of colour, but are primarily present to denote the time period of the narrative, with the season of good-will being integral to both films. 

Set in 1996, Candy Land joins a group of truck-stop parking-lot sex workers. Consisting of Saie (Sam Quartin), Riley (Eden Brolin), Liv (Virginia Rand), and Levi (Owen Campbell), the unit earn a living pleasing others. After their antics catch the attention of the local religious zealot, a dead body turns up on their turf. As the local Sheriff, Rex (William Baldwin), begins to investigate, Remy (Olivia Luccardi) arrives. Remy has fled the control of the zealot and with no place else to go, Sadie offers her sanctuary. Safety comes at a cost though, and as Remy tentatively begins to infiltrate the group, the bodies continue to pile-up. Can they catch the culprit?

John Swab does great work setting up both the world and characters of Candy Land . Opening with a parking-lot encounter, Swab immediately throws sex into the mix. This isn’t a glamorised, sensual, or fetishistic version of sex workers however; the sex displayed is perfunctory and transactional, Sadie and company’s boredom shining through in the same way as if they were working stacking shelves all day. As tedious as they find their patrons, they all enjoy the money and security that the job provides them. They’re a core unit and early scenes easily communicate their bond. These scenes instantly draw the viewer close to them, and despite their line of work, this is a group that the audience wants to spend time with. The addition of Remy could destabilise them, but it doesn’t disturb the equilibrium. 

With the murders happenig offscreen for a chunk of Candy Land, it means that time and attention can be spent on Remy’s story. Her arrival allows some classic fish-out-of-water elements to creep into the plot and, in a warped way, Candy Land makes for a compelling coming-of-age tale. Initially allowing Remy to stay for free, the Madam of the truck stop, Nora (Guinevere Turner) eventually puts her to work. This subplot is a great inclusion. Much of Candy Land pits the girls and Levi against religious morals with an emphasis on how detrimental the local zealot and his cult’s beliefs are. They are painted as the oppressive bad guys, but through Nora, a counterview is presented. Remy is vulnerable and Nora slowly manipulates and indoctranates her into the world of sex work. The story will reflect the genesis of many desperate people and highlights that everyone is capable of bending the will of others to suit their own agenda. 

The nature of the profession of the characters means that Candy Land is packed with nudity. Much of this is sexualised, but Swab and his cast are unafraid to thrust the naked form onto screen during mundane scenes too. These characters are body-positive, unashamed of their line of work and see the human form as merely that. They understand how their bodies are seen and interpreted by those around them, and are not afraid of their sexuality. Early discussions about how ‘the pussy is power’ demonstrates that these women don’t see themselves as victims. They are in control, something proved by the rules of working communicated to Remy. 

As much as Candy Land and the characters within assert themselves to be all about the pussy, of all the truck-stop characters, it is actually Owen Campbell’s Levi that stands out. Whilst the focus on the women is kept at a distance and shown as entirely transactional, Levi’s story is slightly different. The men who use the women are strangers that are purely seeking gratification from a willing body. For Levi though, he has at least one regular, Sheriff Rex. Rex is infatuated with the young man, but there’s a danger to each of their encounters as Rex uses his status to dominate Levi. It’s a dynamic that has played out between man and woman repeatedly, but the gender switch here opens up a new direction. The entire time that he is onscreen, Levi is objectified in a way usually reserved for female characters, which opens up new discussions. Campbell’s performance falls somewhere between lost Culkin brother and River Phoenix in My Own Private Idaho, and he consumes all the attention every time he’s onscreen. 

Olivia Luccardi is equally compelling as Remy. Of all the characters within Candy Land, hers is the one that goes on the biggest journey. From uptight religious virgin, to empowered female, Remy’s sexual awakening pushes the film down a new direction. What starts as a coming-of-age tale of sexuality and desire descends into a murderous rampage of stabbings. A film that is restrained with its use of violence, bar one brutal encounter involving Levi, Candy Land unleashes maniacal Hell during its third act. The bodies that have been slowly appearing quickly amass into almost every character dropping dead. Though not technically a slasher in the traditional sense, Candy Land borrows plenty of aspects of the sub-genre and the wild nature of the deaths displayed is an enjoyable joy ride. 

There’s a saccharine coating that permeates the core group one that makes Candy Land somehow sweet. That is until the floodgates are opened and it quickly becomes sickly sticky. There’s a playfulness present from the start as jolly Christmas music intersperses with montages of the girls and Levi working. This tongue-in-cheek humour continues, gradually growing until it becomes a gleefully maniacal final act. Even as the film ends, Swab maintains his funny bone with the inclusion of the needle-drop of the festival. Despite its frenetic, traumatic conclusion and graphic content, Candy Land has a lightness to it. With elements of Saint Maud, Tangerine, and American Psycho, Candy Land is a tonal oddity that somehow works beautifully.  

With knockout performances from Owen Campbell and Olivia Luccardi, Candy Land deserves to be the next cult horror breakout movie. Unexpectedly sweet until it becomes sickly sticky, Candy Land plays with expectations, becoming one Christmas-set story that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

Candy Land was reviewed at Arrow Video FrightFest .

Kat Hughes is a UK born film critic and interviewer who has a passion for horror films. An editor for THN, Kat is also a Rotten Tomatoes Approved Critic. She has bylines with Ghouls Magazine, Arrow Video, Film Stories, Certified Forgotten and FILMHOUNDS and has had essays published in home entertainment releases by Vinegar Syndrome and Second Sight. When not writing about horror, Kat hosts micro podcast Movies with Mummy along with her five-year-old daughter.

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Candy land (2022) – film review – a grim and gritty slasher from the edge of society.

Candy Land (2022) is a religious-horror-themed slasher film that upends established genre conventions in unexpected and gripping ways. Writer-director John Swab ( Let Me Make You a Martyr) tells the gritty story of a group of prostitutes that live and work in a rural and isolated truck stop. Tension mounts as a killer stalk them and their clients under Montanna’s big, blue sky. 

Candy Land is an intense, bone-crunching, feverish ride punctuated with nudity and gore.  Swab’s characters show an impressive level of complexity and detail, untainted by any kind of stereotype. Sadie (Sam Quartin), with her lover Liv (Virginia Rand), Riley (Eden Brolin), and Levi (Owen Campbell) are Candy Land’s “lot lizards,” prostitutes that service truckers and travelers in the parking lot and bathrooms. The customers they serve come to them for comfort, company, and sometimes, something more sinister. Together, they look out for each other and help one another in their hazardous job. 

Remy (Olivia Luccardi), a prairie-dress-wearing outcast from a local church, comes to Candy Land asking for help. Sadie introduces her to the rest of the group and they take her in. Soon after, bloody bodies start piling up. Used to dealing with violent and unpredictable men, the denizens of Candy Land miss that Remy’s fanatical and extremist beliefs make her more dangerous than their clients. Her belief in an imminent apocalypse that will damn all of humanity but a chosen few drives her to “cleanse” the prostitutes and their clients from sin before killing them.

Besides a good story backed by solid performances, Candy Land radically alters some of the slasher’s main conventions. After watching hundreds of genre movies, film scholar Carol Clover detailed these conventions in her 1992 book Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. In it, she codifies a group of common components that viewers could expect to see in a slasher film and Swab subverts some of the most well-known ones for Candy Land.

In a typical slasher, these conventions serve as guideposts that lead the characters (and audience) on a journey of conversion. The next wave of films in this genre, called neo-slashers, radically changed these conventions to refresh a genre that had become stale and, even worse, predictable.

Swab breaks with many of the slasher’s gender norms. While female killers in slashers are not unheard of, they are rare. Their motives typically revolve around either an aspect of motherhood taken to a murderous extreme, or vengeance to be inflicted as the result of a violent act. Although female, Remy, Candy Land’s religious fanatic killer, has a unique movie.  She is killing her victims out of love for them and a desire to save their souls so they will join her in Paradise.      

Candy Land’s most extreme manipulation of slasher tropes is also the genre’s most recognizable one – its sole survivor, also known as the final girl. Within the story, she differs from the other characters in several easily recognizable ways. She is more responsible than her friends, preferring to study or work instead of partying. She respects society’s rules and boundaries, refusing to break the rules or be dishonest.  And the final girl is usually sexually inactive. These differences allow her to make it to the end of the film. She is the one who discovers the dead bodies and fights with the killer to save her own life.

The last living character in Candy Land is nothing like the typical final girl. In place of the traditionally sexually pure and obedient teen girl, viewers are left with Sheriff Rex (William Baldwin), an adult male. Where the final girl is chaste, good-hearted, responsible, and smart, he is corrupt, incompetent, and abusive to the prostitutes. Instead of hetero-normative behavior, Rex is obsessed with the male prostitute. In one of the most difficult-to-watch scenes, he cruelly demands sex from Levi, after he was r*ped by a john.

Clover writes that final girls undergo a symbolic gender switch when they cease running and start fighting. For most of the movie, they are presented as slightly less feminine, not interested in having sex or having a boyfriend, etc. The audience, made up of post-adolescent males, latches on to the killer as the strongest male figure in the movie. That is until the final girl fights back, stealing his knife to defend herself. Then the watching males make her the strongest masculine character. They interpret her use of the killer’s knife as a type of castration where she steals the killer’s masculinity. 

Rex undergoes a similar transition in reverse. Instead of becoming stronger, he gets weaker.  For the first part of the film, he only presents as hetero-normative, despising his wife and getting pleasure from dominating Levi.  Yet the sight of Levi’s corpse unmans him, reducing him to grief-stricken tears. In the last confrontation with the killer, his gun remains unfired, a symbol of his completely surrendered masculinity.

END OF SPOILERS

John Swab’s Candy Land is a bleak and gritty depiction of life on the edges of society. Swab delves into the lives of his characters without judgment, making them real and relatable. The film is crafted with care and precision, exploring thought-provoking ideas while delivering an enthralling narrative with enough twists to keep genre-savvy audiences engaged until the bloody finale. Candy Land is currently available for streaming across several VOD platforms.

(*For further reading, check out her essay Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film, available online here . )

*Affiliate Link

Candy Land (2022) is available to watch on Amazon Prime here .*

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‘candy land’ review: horny, violent, and character driven.

Sex, violence, and redemption.

Candy Land is an uncomfortable thriller set in the world of truck stop sex workers . Remy (Olivia Lucardi, It Follows ) has recently been cast out from a religious cult. She is soon taken in by the women who work at a truck stop known as Candy Land. A series of violent killings soon has Remy trying to balance her previous and new lives.

It sounds like the trashy exploitation that excited audiences of the 1970s. The movie is unashamedly horny, and is filled with graphic nudity and sex scenes. Candy Land does not shy away from the gore, either. The film is blood-streaked and brutal. Candy Land does not rely on pointless sex and violence, however. It is a well written story that is more reminiscent of the golden age of indie film in the 1990s than the grindhouse peak of the 70s. Writer-director John Swab takes time to develop the characters and setting. Control, family, religion, and redemption are all a part of the story.

It is a lot for any one movie to take on. The reason it never feels overwhelming is how the women and men are always the priority. Even in Candy Land’s most extreme moments, it is always telling a personal story.  Unlike similar fare, the film engages on more than a voyeuristic level. The pacing allows time to get to know and become attached to the group who work at the truck stop.

This is also seen in the production, which uses great lighting and framing. This is mixed with moments when the camera almost feels like an intruder that is peaking in. This is most obvious in some great overheard shots involving Lucardi. That being said, there are some strange editing decisions involving transitions and split screens.

Candy Land is a disturbing thriller that is over the top in nature, but personal in execution. It has the grimy scenes expected from this type of film, yet always remains a story about people. Pulling no punches, the film is a different type of grindhouse experience.

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Blu-ray Review: Candy Land

February 6, 2024

Blu-ray Reviews , Reviews , Top Story

When Nat King Cole sang, “Get your kicks on Route 66;” I don’t think he meant the kind of kicks that are found at the truck stop featured in Candy Land . During long highway trips, I generally avoid using truck stops mainly because of the fear of a trucker not seeing me when driving away from the pumps. But there are reportedly other things to avoid lurking in the shadows of the dimly lit parking lots filled with idling semis. There’s always rumors of drugs being dealt to help the truckers make it through the long haul. There’s also a bit of prostitution since it gets mighty lonely on the road and truckers often don’t have time to flirt. Those that specialize in servicing those behind the wheels are nicknamed Lot Lizards. While it’s a colorful nickname, this is an extremely dangerous profession. Candy Land is a film that shows us the regular nightmares of being a lot lizard and amps it up with a bloody mess.

Just off the Route 66 is a truck stop that those in the know call Candy Land. The truckers can pull off, pump up and get a quickie from the youngsters lurking around the bathroom. They have a CB radio so they’re always eager for a little company in their spot of the remote world. A driver can make a reservation although they are always open for walk ups. The crew includes Sadie (Sam Quartin), Levi ( The Americans ‘ Owen Campbell), Reilly ( Yellowstone ‘s Eden Brolin) and Liv (Virginia Rand). The kids are sort of looked after by Nora ( Go Fish ‘s Guinevere Turner), an older lady who isn’t quite a pimp. We get a look into their lives. During the day, they’re hustling at the truck stop. Levi specializes in hanging out in the men’s room waiting for people who don’t have to do Number 2. The girls roam the parking lot looking for a trucker that swings open their passenger door. The owner of the truck stop turns a blind eye to the prostitution since it brings in traffic. The local sheriff ( Backdraft ‘s William Baldwin) doesn’t bust them because he’s got a thing going with Levi. They rent rooms at the nearby skanky motel. This is also where they hook up with travelers who want a bit more space than the back of their cab or a men’s room stall. One afternoon their turf gets invaded by a group of uptight religious folks wanting to save their souls. None of the kids decide to convert and flee their heathen lifestyle. The next day however the opposite happens. Remy ( It Follows ‘ Olivia Luccardi) has been flung out of her religious group and has nothing to fall back on. All she has is a large wooden cross her mom gave her. The lot lizards adopt her since she’s really naive to the ways of the real world. As they entice her to be part of the crew, the life at the truck stop gets dangerous. There’s a dead body in a bathroom stall. One of Levi’s clients knocks him out and basically holds a knife to his throat. Even with all the dangers, Remy seems curious to work the new job and hang with her new friends even with all the dangers. Although she might be adding to the dangers.

Candy Land gives an unflinching look at what sort of life a young adult working the truck stop is like. There’s nothing glamorous in the presentation. Everything on the screen looks exceptionally grimy thanks to Director of Photography Will Stone and his crew. We don’t get brightness even with the beautiful mountains in the distance of the parking lot. This movie is about a group of kids hustling their way through the day. When they try to do something nice, they are repaid with a nightmare. The murders seem like they were going to eventually happen. Lot Lizards aren’t known for contributing to their 401K Roth IRA. The cast draws us into the action. Sam Quartin really owns the screen as she cruises the lot looking for her next paying customer. Olivia Luccardi brings a lot of expressions to her naive exile forced to contemplate going from being a virgin to full time whore in order to survive. The film’s most effective scare is using Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” I won’t be able to think of that song without thinking of the movie’s bloody finale. Candy Land takes us to the land of the doomed where life doesn’t go up the Gumdrop Mountain.

The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The transfer is clean and allows you to appreciate the crappy lighting found at the truck stop and dingey motel. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 5.1. You’ll hear all the odd noises of servicing truckers. There’s also a LPCM 2.0 stereo mix. The movie is subtitled in English.

Audio Commentary featuring director John Swab. He explains how he meant for the film to be like a John Hughes movie that went bad. He succeeded. He also points out that his wife plays Sadie. There’s a great story of her opening scene with the trucker. Turns out the guy was a real trucker who had no idea what was going to happen in the scene.

Candy Land Zine is over 30 photos taken during the shoot. There’s a great one of Santa in the bathroom.

Trailer (1:58) gives us a sense of the life of lot lizards and their new friend.

MVD Visual presents Candy Land . Directed by John Swab. Screenplay by John Swab. Starring Eden Brolin, William Baldwin, Olivia Luccardi, Owen Campbell, Guinevere Turner, Sam Quartin & Virginia Rand. Running Time: 93 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: February 6, 2024.

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Candy Land Movie Review

Written by Stephen McClurg

Released by Quiver Distribution

Written and directed by John Swab 2022, 93 minutes, Not Rated Released on January 6th, 2023

Starring: Sam Quartin as Sadie Olivia Luccardi as Remy Owen Campbell as Levi William Baldwin as Sheriff Rex Guinevere Turner as Nora Edin Brolin as Riley Virginia Rand as Liv

Candy Land opens with a raw portrayal of sex workers in action. It’s somehow gritty and light, accompanied by Porno for Pyros’ "Pets." The initial documentary-style filming follows a cast of characters, each plying their trade, creating an aesthetic similar to Sean Baker's Tangerine (2015) or The Florida Project (2017). 

As the story progresses, the audience comes to know the ensemble cast, who are relatable and grounded in their lives as sex workers at a truck stop dubbed “Candy Land.” The sense of ease is short-lived, as the film takes a dark turn around the time members of a religious cult begin showing up and customers start turning up dead. While the audience roots for the truck stop gang, there is an underlying sense of doom that permeates the film compounded by the religious themes and the dangers of working in the sex trade. 

The acting is stellar. The characters that are relatable, the prostitutes, are incredibly down-to-earth and human in contrast with the sordid figures of authority, including a sheriff, a madame, and various religious figures. The most difficult scenes are ones that highlight sexual abuse and abuse of authority, often together. One image that is haunting though it contains no gore or naked skin is when Nora (Guinevere Turner), the madame, is grooming the new girl, Remy (Olivia Luccardi), who is fresh from her time with a religious cult and seemingly virginal in every way. This leads right into Remy meeting her first john, a could-be John Waters impersonator in a priest outfit. He has to take out his teeth before he worships the flesh in possibly the most stomach-churning scene in the film. 

A small gripe I have is with the music. As much as the Porno for Pyros song fits, some other songs did not work. The Dwight Twilley song feels out-of-place and doesn't have the magic of Twilley’s appearance in You’re Next (2011). The use of Crowded House didn’t work for me at first. I feel mixed about it now. The music certainly provides a contrast to the bloody event unfolding as it plays. There is a way that the lyrics describe Remy’s relationship with her estranged cult-leading mother, but I have to do a lot of work to get there. 

Candy Land is not a traditional horror film, but it is horrific, and a fantastic watch.

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• Hot Iron and Cold Blood: An Anthology of the Weird West
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Every year during the holiday season residents of Southern California flock to East Acacia Avenue in El Segundo, affectionately known as Candy Cane Lane, to see the neighborhood's elaborate decked out halls, a tradition that dates back to 1949. This of course makes the perfect setting for a manic Christmas film about neighborly competition. However, “Candy Cane Lane,” the new Eddie Murphy Christmas film from director Reginald Hudlin and writer Kelly Younger takes the Christmas magic one step further, crafting a film that at times has more in common with Grimm’s Fairy Tales than it does with wholesome holiday carols. 

Murphy stars as Chris Carver, a resident of the lane who has recently been laid off from his job at an industrial plastics company, while his wife Carol ( Tracee Ellis Ross ) is up for a promotion at hers. Things are also a little shaky at home as their eldest daughter Joy doesn’t want to attend USC (her parents’ alma mater) and their son Nick ( Thaddeus J. Mixson ) is having failing math, though he shows promise with his tuba playing. When a $100,000 prize is announced for this year’s decorating contest, Chris decides this is a solution to their impending money problems. Although his youngest daughter Holly ( Madison Thomas ) insists the hard work he put into hand carving all his decorations should be more than enough to win the contest, a disillusioned Chris is not convinced. 

When the two discover a mysterious Christmas shop called Kringle’s underneath a freeway overpass, Chris goes overboard buying dozens of lights and a fancy, one-of-a-kind giant wooden Christmas tree that represents the “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” replete with a gold partridge on top. The shop’s ominous owner Pepper (a deeply unhinged Jillian Bell ) convinces Chris to sign his voluminous receipt and to ignore all the pesky small print at the bottom. Little does he know that Pepper is actually a disgraced elf hell bent on getting revenge for being kicked out of Santa’s workshop, a yuletide Satan in a Chistmastime twist on “Paradise Lost.”

The fine print? Chris must complete a task assigned by Pepper before 8PM on Christmas Eve, or he’ll be turned into a tiny ceramic ornament to adorn the picturesque village in her shop, joining the likes of other poor saps she’s suckered, like Pip ( Nick Offerman ), Cordelia ( Robin Thede ), Gary ( Chris Redd ), as well as a gaggle of carolers played by acapella group Pentatonix, whose constant caroling is like a Greek chorus of unrelenting Christmas glee. The special effects that bring these characters to life recalls the magic of Rankin-Bass stop motion animation classics like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” while the comedic voice performances add a healthy dose of metatextual humor.

Although it takes its time to embrace its magical premise, mostly in favor of building out the elaborate subplots for each of the Carver family members, once it gets into full on gonzo mode it’s the most delightfully deranged family film since “ The Nutcracker and the Four Realms .” There’s seven swans swimming in the Carver’s pool, six geese laying eggs from the air, yolk-bombing residents, three french hens dressed like Parisian stereotypes, Oh yes, there are dozens of pipers piping and drummers drumming, and even some birds making crank calls. 

An incredibly bizarre sequence where Nick faces off with a milkmaid that could have been a real highlight is unfortunately cut up into a montage with Joy and Chris at a track meet going head to head with a group of lords a-leaping. For a movie that runs incredibly long in the tooth, Hudlin often lets the least interesting scenes run the longest – a running subplot with two cable news anchors ( Timothy Simons , Danielle Pinnock ) never manages to gel – while short-changing the ones with the most originality. 

Murphy, who also produced the film, is a delight throughout, bringing a soulful melancholy to his early scenes, lovely chemistry with Ross, and his signature impish charm during the film’s more preposterous sequences. While it may not rank up with his greatest acting triumphs (I’m looking at you “ Dolemite Is My Name ”), it’s the type of solid, effortlessly enjoyable performance that you hope from a movie star of his caliber in a film of this ilk. 

Regardless of its shortcomings, “Candy Cane Lane” is a frenzied family friendly film as overstuffed as a Christmas stocking, as nutty as a chestnut, and, ultimately, as warm as an open fire. 

On Prime Video now.

Marya E. Gates

Marya E. Gates is a freelance film and culture writer based in Los Angeles and Chicago. She studied Comparative Literature at U.C. Berkeley, and also has an overpriced and underused MFA in Film Production. Other bylines include Moviefone, The Playlist, Crooked Marquee, Nerdist, and Vulture. 

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Film credits.

Candy Cane Lane (2023)

Rated PG for language throughout and some suggestive references.

117 minutes

Eddie Murphy as Chris

Tracee Ellis Ross as Carol

Jillian Bell as Pepper

Robin Thede

Nick Offerman

Genneya Walton

Madison Thomas

Thaddeus J. Mixson

Danielle Pinnock

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes

D.C. Young Fly

Preston Galli

• Reginald Hudlin
• Kelly Younger

Cinematographer

• Newton Thomas Sigel
• Marcus Miller

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