[Film Review] Candyland (2022)

2022 was, what I would consider, a truly golden year for horror. Cinemas and streaming services had our horror community abuzz with titles that were shocking, disturbing, funny, provocative, and heartfelt.

The return of the Scream franchise had us all screaming, Sebastian Stan playing a charming cannibal in Fresh had us all swooning, and queer masterpiece Hypochondriac had film festival attendees of all ranges hyperventilating.

However, one film in particular holds my number 1 spot as film of the year, and despite seeing it last August, it has taken me some time to be able to sit down and write about it – I’m still unsure whether I can correctly articulate why I loved it so much, or why it has had such a grip on me, but I am going to try.

The film that I am talking about, is John Swab’s gritty, sexy and downright sinful, Candyland. 

Set in the early 90’s Candyland follows a small group of truck stop sex workers, aptly named the ‘Lot Lizards’. Sadie (Sam Quartin), Riley (Eden Brolin), Liv (Virginia Rand), Levi (Owen Campbell), and their Madame-come-mother-figure Nora (Guinevere Turner) who spend their days waiting for clients to come in and out (no pun intended) of the truck stop where their business runs like a well-oiled... well... truck. 

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Local policeman Rex (William Baldwin) regularly checks in on the group, fully aware of the illegal activity taking place, but too interested in his own personal time with Levi to report it back to anyone. 

Within just minutes of the film’s opening, we’re endeared to this small family of misfits, especially in a moment where members of a local doomsday cult swing by and beg them to repent their sins. The girls laugh and joke with the head of the group, teasing him with flashes of their bare vaginas and using words that make him visibly recoil whilst his children look on in disbelief. He preaches about changes they should make to their lifestyle, in order to ensure they aren’t hell-bound when the end of the world comes.  

A few days later when they find Remy (Olivia Luccardi)— a cast-out member of the cult crying on a bench at the truck stop— the Lizards introduce her to Nora who advises her that if she wants to stay with them, she will need to pay her way like the others. 

Swab takes just enough time to set up the film and introduce these characters in a way that really shows us who they are in the structure of the family. Sadie is sensible and level-headed, almost like the oldest sister of the group. Levi is a standout as the only male Lizard, and seemingly the most sensitive of the bunch. Riley is a joy to watch as she talks shamelessly about how her mother before her inspired her career and gave the Lot Lizards their name – there is no sign from her that she is unhappy with what she does.

Newcomer Remy is hesitant to take on her new role as part of the working team, and Luccardi does an incredible job of playing the part of someone who is so wildly naïve to the reality of the world around her, and what is right and wrong after being taught for so long that everything you do in this life affects where you will end up after you die. The interactions between her and her estranged family, particularly her younger brother, are especially touching as she wars with herself over her long-standing religious beliefs and the accepting new family that she has found. 

There were moments, watching this film in a packed cinema, that had the audience visibly and audibly squirming. There were also moments where you could hear the collective heartbreak as characters we quickly learn to love are put through their paces – fighting to survive in an environment and with people that are cold and unforgiving.

As the subplot starts to emerge, and the reality of the danger that surrounds the group becomes clearer, Candyland cleverly balances some truly disturbing scenes with some ‘good for them’ and some ‘fuck that guy!’ moments. 

But ultimately, the reason I loved Candyland so much has little to do with the violence that is prevalent throughout (as incredible as it is – seriously, some FANTASTIC kills). I loved Candyland because it’s a beautiful film about how sometimes people with the least to offer you, can offer you the most. It’s about the bonds that can be created with chosen family, and the happiness that can be found in the smallest of things – sharing a snowball, dancing around your room to vinyl records, or even just smoking a cigarette.

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