Candy Land is a 2022 American horror thriller film written and directed by John Swab and starring Olivia Luccardi, Sam Quartin, Eden Brolin, Owen Campbell, Virginia Rand and William Baldwin.[1]
| Candy Land | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | John Swab |
| Written by | John Swab |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Will Stone |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | David Sardy |
Production company | Roxwell Films |
| Distributed by | Quiver Distribution |
Release dates |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editA seemingly naive and devout young woman navigates her way through the underground world of truck stop sex workers known as "lot lizards".
Cast
edit- Eden Brolin as Riley
- William Baldwin as Sheriff Rex
- Olivia Luccardi as Remy
- Owen Campbell as Levi
- Guinevere Turner as Nora
- Sam Quartin as Sadie
- Virginia Rand as Liv
Release
editThe film premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in August 2022.[2] It was also screened at the New York City Horror Film Festival on December 1, 2022.[3] In November 2022, it was announced that Quiver Distribution acquired North American distribution rights to the film, which was released in theaters and on demand on January 6, 2023.[2][4][5]
Reception
editThe film has a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews.[6] Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting awarded the film three and a half skulls out of five.[7] Mary Beth McAndrews of Dread Central awarded the film four and a half stars out of five.[8] Christian Zilko of IndieWire graded the film a B+.[9] Michael Talbot-Haynes of Film Threat rated the film a 9.5 out of 10.[1]
Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review and wrote, "It’s possible Swab made this film just to tell a story about the more compassionate side of prostitution. If so, the movie’s guilty-pleasure thrills are just a bonus."[10]
Jon Mendelsohn of Comic Book Resources also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Candy Land succeeds at juggling multiple genres at once, resulting in a memorable, layered, and bloody slow-burn of a horror flick."[11]
Beatrice Loayza of The New York Times also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Candy Land is standard grindhouse fare(...)though not without its fair share of pleasurable nastiness."[12]
References
edit- ^ a b Talbot-Haynes, Michael (January 11, 2023). "Candy Land". Film Threat. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (November 11, 2022). "'Candy Land' Horror-Thriller From 'Ida Red' Team Acquired By Quiver Distribution". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Melanson, Angel (November 24, 2022). "Watch This Exclusive CANDY LAND Clip: CANDY LAND make its East Coast Premiere as the New York City Horror Film Festival's opening night film". Fangoria. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Hamman, Cody (November 14, 2022). "Candy Land: truck stop slasher gets January theatrical and VOD release". JoBlo.com. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Jordan, Grace (January 5, 2023). "Candy Land: Watch the Trailer for the New Horror Film Ahead of the Imminent Release". MovieWeb. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "Candy Land". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Navarro, Meagan (January 6, 2023). "'Candy Land' Review – Truck Stop Slasher Explores Sex and Violence". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ McAndrews, Mary Beth (November 28, 2022). "'Candy Land': A Disturbing, Horny, And Unmissable New Holiday Horror Classic [Review]". Dread Central. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Zilko, Christian (January 6, 2023). "'Candy Land' Review: Death Comes to the World's Horniest Truck Stop". IndieWire. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Murray, Noel (January 13, 2023). "Review: 'The Drop' doesn't always work as a comedy, but it has the ring of hard-won truth". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Mendelsohn, Jon (January 5, 2023). "REVIEW: Candy Land Presents a Provocative Nightmare Both Dynamic & Horrific". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Loayza, Beatrice (January 5, 2023). "'Candy Land' Review: Truck-Stop Thrills". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2023.