I'll have to open up and be completely honest with you here. The first time I saw The Candy Snatchers, I wasn't impressed. Shock. Horror. Disgust... Honest to god. And the fact of the matter is that I wasn't watching the film via a 5th generation bootleg either. I was actually able to partake in a local, late night theatrical screening believe it or not. I think it was part of a triple bill of cult films. Old theatre, late night cult film crowd starved for 70's style madness, how could I go wrong? I don't know what happened that day, but I just wasn't into it. Maybe I was tired, or perhaps I didn't have a solid enough of a breakfast that morning. Maybe it was because I had pretty high expectations for the flick, it's possible that had something to do with it and I was bound to be disappointed? Who knows, but I walked out of the theater feeling eh. That being said, oddly enough I've actually been looking forward to this DVD release of The Candy Snatchers from Subversive Cinema. I figured this would give me the perfect opportunity to re-evaluate the film and find out once and for all whether it had affected me or not.

Second time around, the film tasted much sweeter.

The premise of The Candy Snatchers is quite simple and believe it or not, pretty tame actually. The beauty of the film lies within its twists and turns, keeping the viewer constantly on their toes. This could easily be one of the reasons that it didn't sit to well with me on my first viewing. I think I was expecting a 'simple' exploitation film, and wound up with more than I had bargained for. If you're looking for a straight up rip on Last House on the Left (review here) with oodles of unapologetic exploitation, you may be shocked to find that The Candy Snatchers has much more than just that to offer. Sure, the onscreen carnage is there, but it's secondary to the story and characters. Something that one doesn't usually associate with exploitation.

It's the novice kidnappers that are at the heart of The Candy Snatchers charm. Brother and sister team Jessie (Tiffany Bolling) and Alan (Brad David) along with accomplice Eddy (Vince Martorano) are responsible for the poorly planned kidnapping of young Candy (Susan Sennett). They abduct Candy one day as she's returning home from school (oddly enough Candy makes her way home by hitching a ride with a stranger) with the intent of extorting a hefty ransom of jewels from Candy's father. Problem is (as Candy points out to her abductors at one point early on) her father doesn't OWN a jewelry store, he just manages it. This is really just the start of the kidnappers problems. Without giving too much away, here's what I can tell you.

Candy's father is NOT all too concerned about his daughter's return. Candy spends some of her time buried with a small tube for air left as her only lifeline. Other times, Candy is tied up and blindfolded while being held by her abductors. She's buried and dug up again a few times. There is a young local mute boy named Sean who sees Candy being buried for the first time, and he manages to keep tabs on both Candy and her abductors throughout the film. In the mean time, Sean is left to deal with a miserable home life himself. His parents are uncaring and a little more than borderline abusive. To give anything else specific away at this point would be more than criminal, so my plot synopsis will end here.

Right from the start you can begin to see how complicated a film this really is and how The Candy Snatchers is much more than your typical, average every day exploitation film. Don't get me wrong, the sex and violence is still here and things get quite graphic by the final act. Although to be honest, I've felt each time that I've seen this film that the two scenes of nudity/rape do feel forced, and the film would work just as well without them. Not that these scenes are inappropriate mind you, because their effect is still valid. Point being, if these actions were implied rather than being shown, I don't think the overall effect of the film (or these scenes) would have been compromised. Still these scenes are strong and affecting as is. That being said, while the film may not be as graphic as say Last House on the Left (a common comparison), the driving force behind The Candy Snatchers is more graphic. Really it's ideas, motivations and disturbing situations that seem more graphic and that's what's most upsetting.

Subversive Cinema really hits one out of the park with this release. Visual quality is quite remarkable, apparently transferred from the films' original negative. There are some minor scratches but aside from these slight imperfections, this is an outstanding transfer of one hell of an obscure cult film. Colors leap off of the screen and except for a few obvious giveaways, you'd never know that this was a film made in the 70's. There is so much clarity and detail, it's quite remarkable. Audio options include the films' original mono or a new stereo mix and both are equally as pleasant. If you're going to revisit The Candy Snatchers (or visit it for the first time) you're really doing it in style with this disc.

Extras include a feature length audio commentary with Tiffany Bolling and Susan Sennet, which is followed by the featurette entitled The Women of Candy Snatchers, which includes onscreen interviews with Bolling and Sennet. Other extras include two trailers for the film (one PG and one R-rated version), trailers for other Subversive releases, a stills gallery and bios for Susan Sennet, Ben Piazza, Tiffany Bolling, Vincent Martorano, Guerdon Trueblood and Bryan Gindoff. Also included are a foldout poster reproduction and three mini reproductions of lobby cards. The menus have long transitions including spoiler scenes from the film, so if this is your first time, skip straight to the film itself. I guess if I had one complaint it would be that this DVD was produced for the viewer as if he/she was already a fan of the film, which may not necessarily be the case.

I've also heard rumblings on the net about the fact that there are participants who were not contacted or excluded from being involved with this release. I don't know the truth behind any of these allegations, but I will say this. If there was an opportunity to get in touch with anyone who was involved with this release, and the DVD producers did not seize the opportunity, then this is a real shame indeed. It hurts us, the consumer and it hurts this special release from only being that much more special.

Color me surprised, The Candy Snatchers not only gets better with age, it also gets better on repeat viewings. There's so much going on here, the film begs to be seen multiple times. I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong. And I was wrong about The Candy Snatchers. A film that's deserving of its cult status in every way. And this DVD release is highly recommended.