The Candy Witch

The same holds true for Ruth and her family. Willie, Ruth’s husband, is scared of Ruth, but that power dynamic, and why he stays, is only left dangling, tantalizing the audience with possibilities. Friends and significant others of the (now) teenage kids are introduced, but how the Candy Witch gets into their head is again, not explored enough to be intriguing. See, all these engaging elements exist in the film, but they just sit there. This means that many scenes, instead of furthering characters or plot developments, just repeat information or pad out things. It is all so frustrating, because what is there is good stuff. But, the emphasis on ghostly kills, which are well done, means that The Candy Witch never gets beyond superficial entertainment.

But it is very entertaining. For one, the cast is quite capable. Callaway’s stoic face and soft-spoken demeanor sell both his guarded attitude and his strong desire to help people find peace. Thompson and Callaway share excellent chemistry, and their love for each other is evident throughout. As the titular pissed off ghost, Kate Lush is pretty good. It is a very physical role, and her strange movements are unnerving and intense. Heather Jackson imbues Ruth with a wave of understated anger, which unnerves the audience, even before the truth is revealed.

“…a brilliant 45-minute film overstuffed to slightly above 90.”

From a directing standpoint, Matthews has vastly improved from her debut of Pet Graveyard. That film had no sense of tension, it was garishly filmed, and had continuity issues aplenty. While the screenplay leaves questions and threads dangling, the director ensures every scene is dripping with creepy ambiance and unsettling sights. The editing maintains the eerie atmosphere, well, when the script isn’t getting in the way. Rebecca Matthews is attached to several other projects in varying forms of production, and if they are all as assuredly helmed as here, then she’ll become a genre auteur to keep an eye out for. Let’s just hope she attaches herself to a better screenplay.

There is a lot to admire and like about The Candy Witch. The kills are creepy, the vengeful spirit’s motivation works, the family dynamic with all their hidden secrets is appropriately dramatic, the scares land, and the cast do what they can to elevate the material. It is just too bad that all these things are in service of a story spread too thin, desperately seeking a feature-length runtime. Some viewers will not mind the slower pace and, in that case, will find much to enjoy.