Bad Candy follows local Halloween stories of both myth and lessons learned in the community of New Salem. With its annual Psychotronic FM Halloween show, re-enactment radio DJs Chilly Billy and Paul weave the tales of the supernatural of years gone by. In this small town it's a grimy ending for most, but will a few good souls survive?
Radio show hosts Chilly Billy and Paul tell a series of scary stories to their listeners on Halloween night. Several stories feature a supernatural killer clown called Bad Candy, who was magically drawn to life by a young girl named Kyra.
After smashing pumpkins around town, a young bully wanders into a home haunt made to look like a circus tent. Bad Candy captures the boy and transforms him into a small figure that the clown adds to a demented diorama.
Because she unleashed Bad Candy the previous year, Kyra's abusive stepfather forbids her from trick-or-treating with her friends. Locked in her bedroom, Kyra uses her magic sketchpad to draw a fairy and a goblin that come to life. Kyra's stepfather angrily smashes the creatures. Distraught, Kyra draws her dead mother, who then appears as a vengeful ghost to suck out her evil ex-husband's soul.
Mr. Grimsley puts razor blades into treats he passes out to children. Bad Candy possesses Grimsley and forces the old man to mutilate himself with the blades.
A supernatural killer in a devil mask murders drug dealer Charlie in a gas station bathroom.
After her boyfriend Matt dumps her via text, Abbie leaves a costume party when her boss Kyle summons her to work the graveyard shift at a morgue. Abbie gets drunk and high and starts having sex with a male corpse. The corpse comes to life. Additional corpses rise and threateningly surround Abbie.
Marie comes home from a costume party to find Jimmy, a troublemaker she's been dealing with since their school days together, robbing her house. Marie and Jimmy engage in a violent physical confrontation that spills outside. After Marie falls unconscious, Bad Candy appears and dismembers Jimmy.
Dressed as Dracula, rideshare driver Daryl picks up a prostitute as his latest fare. The prostitute agrees to introduce Daryl to her pimp. Daryl's friend Vince, who served with Daryl in the military, joins Daryl at the location. Daryl and Vince kill several of the pimp's criminal associates and capture the rest. The men then take the captives to a forest where they are joined by Scotty and Lenny, two other ex-soldiers also suffering from PTSD. Lenny transforms into a vampiric bat-creature. The other three men throw spears as the former squadmates release the captives to be hunted and killed.
Judy leads a team of television ghost hunters on an investigation of a haunted house where a young boy, Jacob, tragically became trapped and died after setting a fire. Psychic visions reveal that a bully named Paul could have saved Jacob, but he cruelly prevented Jacob from escaping.
The bully responsible for Jacob's death turns out to be radio DJ Paul. A frightening vision causes Paul to become trapped in a burning room similarly to how Jacob died. Chilly Billy flees as the radio station goes up in flames.
Directors: Scott B. Hansen (as Scott Hansen), Desiree Connell (co-director)
Writers: Desiree Connell (story by), Scott B. Hansen (story by), Thacker Hoffman (short story)
Composer: Chris Dudley
Stars
Zach Galligan (Greemlins), Derek Russo (Loki), Tordy Clark, Corey Taylor, Michael Aaron Milligan
Awards
23 wins & 9 nominations
Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival
Won, Clu Gulager's Best Acting Ensemble
Best Diverse Cast
Scott B. Hansen
2021
Crimson Screen Horror Film Fest
Won, Crimmy
Best Special Effects
Jim McCullough Ignition FX
FANtastic Horror Film Festival, San Diego
Nominated, FANtastic Award
Best Ensemble Cast
Haley Leary (actress), Bill Pacer (actor), Michael Whinnett (actor), Dallas T. Taylor (actor), Iissac Lukas (actor), Champ Hollins (actor), Cameron Sherman (actor), Murda Hill (actress), Jeff G. Mungai (actor), Tara DiPetrillo (actress), Shmiddy Schmidt (actor), Riley Sutton (actress), Jay Plyburn (actor), Ryan Kiser (actor), Audrey Williams (actress), David Walterhouse (actor), Jeremiah Butcher (actor), Derek Russo (actor), J. Gaven Wilde (actor), Kenneth Trujillo (actor), Natalia Nova (actress), Robert Anderson (actor), Parker Raulerson (actor), Corey Taylor (actor), Kevin Wayne (actor), Adrian Enrique Hernandez (actor), Carolina Giorgi (actress), John Wilkins III (actor), Zach Galligan (actor), Samantha Noel Van Sickle (actress), Elena Goodrow (actress), Mike Billips (actor), Nilah Blasingame (actress), Alexandra Lucchesi (actress), Tordy Clark (actress), Chris Mayers (actor), Bradley Nnadi (actor), Autumn Read (actress), Rachel Read (actress), Michael Aaron Milligan (actor), Brittney Rae (actress)
Nominated, FANtastic Award
Best Monster
Adrienne Silberman
(makeup artist), Murda Hill
(special effects), Tara DiPetrillo
(makeup department head / special makeup effects artist), Shane Morton
(special makeup effects artist), Wayne Anderson
(special effects makeup)
Nominated, FANtastic Award
Best Director of a Feature Film
Desiree Connell
(co-director), Scott B. Hansen
(director)
Nominated, FANtastic Award
Best Slasher Film
Bret Disend
(executive producer), Desiree Connell
(executive producer), Patrick Ewald
(executive producer), Scott B. Hansen
(co-producer), Jacob Kasher
(executive producer), Richard Fitzpatrick
(executive producer), Steve Gebara
(co-producer)
2021
Haunted House FearFest
Won, Best Film
Best Script
Desiree Connell, Thacker Hoffman, Scott B. Hansen Black Triad Entertainment Group
Nominated, Best Film
Best Feature Film
Scott B. Hansen Black Triad Entertainment Group
2021
Los Angeles Crime and Horror Film Festival
Won, Festival Award
Best Picture
Desiree Connell, Scott B. Hansen
2021
Romford Film Festival
Won, Best Feature Film
Scott B. Hansen
Won, Best Cinematography
13 Horror
Won, Best Feature Film
Best Film
Scott B. Hansen
2020
American Horror Film Festival
Nominated, AHFF
Best Film
Scott B. Hansen
2020
Atlanta Horror Film Festival
Won, Festival Award
Best Director
Scott B. Hansen
Won, Festival Award
Audience Choice Award
Scott B. Hansen
2020
Bloodstained Indie Film Festival
Won, Festival Award
Best Horror Movie
Scott B. Hansen
(desiree connell)
2020
DarkVeins Horror Fest
Won, Jury Prize
Best Horror Feature
Scott B. Hansen
2020
Diabolical Horror Film Festival
Won, Carnage Award
Best Cinematography
Scott B. Hansen
2020
FirstGlance Film Festival, Philadelphia
Won, Best Horror Narrative
Scott B. Hansen
2020
Freak Show Horror Film Festival
Won, Freaky Award
Best Special Effects Makeup
Tara DiPetrillo, Shane Morton
Won, Freaky Award
Best Actor
Zach Galligan
Won, Freaky Award
Best Feature
Scott B. Hansen
2020
Fright Night Film Festival, US
Won, Festival Award
Best Slasher Film
Scott B. Hansen
Won, Festival Award
Best Film
Scott B. Hansen
2020
Green Bay Film Festival
Won, Audience Choice Award
Best Horror Feature
Scott B. Hansen
2020
Stranger Days Independent Film Festival
Won, Jury Award
Best Narrative Feature
Scott B. Hansen
Nominated, Jury Award
Best Cinematography
Scott B. Hansen
2020
The Thing in the Basement Horror Fest
Won, Festival Award
Best Director
Scott B. Hansen
Won, Festival Award
Best Picture
Scott B. Hansen
2020
Vancouver Horror Show
Won, Jury Award
Best Visual Effects
Jim McCullough Ignition FX
Nominated, Jury Award
Best Supporting Performance
Corey Taylor
Nominated, Jury Award
Best Supporting Performance
Ryan Kiser