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The Candy Snatchers

1973, Movie, R, 94 mins

The Candy Snatchers: Review

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Surprisingly gripping vintage sleaze, despite marginal production values and highly variable performances. A trio of first-time kidnappers — Jessie (Tiffany Bolling), her psycho brother Alan (Brad David), and dimwitted Eddy (Vincent Martorano), who secretly lusts for Jessie — cook up what they think is a foolproof plan. They kidnap 16-year-old convent schoolgirl Candy Phillips (Susan Sennett), bury the terrified girl alive in a wooden box ("I saw it on television," Jessie confesses), then contact her father (Ben Piazza) with their ransom request. And then the plan goes to Hell: To the kidnappers' growing confusion and consternation, Candy's dad doesn't immediately come up with the ransom. In fact, he doesn't seem at all concerned that his daughter's missing, and deliberately lies to his alcoholic wife (Dolores Dorn) about the girl's whereabouts. What the kidnappers don't know is that Candy is Phillips' stepdaughter, and he only married her mother for the money. Candy's death will make him rich and allow him to abscond to Rio de Janero with his mistress (Phyllis Major). The only person who might be able to help Candy is Sean (Christophe Clark), the small boy who saw her being buried. But Sean is mute, and his shallow, self-involved parents (Bonnie Boland, Jerry Butts) are too wrapped up in their own petty problems to acknowledge his efforts to show them where Candy lies buried. So the kidnappers begin to squabble, and as it appears less likely that Candy will make them rich, her position grows more precarious. The tight, cruel script by Bryan Gindoff helps this minor exploitation gem rise about the lackluster direction and frequently amateurish acting; and what an amazing downer of an ending! Star Tiffany Bolling was briefly an exploitation "It" girl, and the movie's theme song, "Money is the Root of All Happiness" (sung by Kerry Chater), must be heard to be believed. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
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