Verid Steele (Scott Mitchell Kelly) has returned to the town of his youth after thirty years of living in “the big city.” He is trying to reconnect with a past he can’t seem to remember, but his aunt Min (Madalyn McKay) and Father Fell (David McDaniel) are more than willing to help him get on his feet. After all, he has been incarcerated and takes medication for depression, so a fresh start seems in order. Assimilating into this quiet, old money church town will not be easy, though, no matter how much help he gets.
As the film progresses, viewers become keenly aware that something isn’t quite right. Hints of a Satanic cult and human sacrifices surface, and nothing is quite what it appears to be. What it is, however, is creepy in a very delightful way.
“Taffy Was Born” has that same fish-out-of-water feel that permeates
“The Wicker Man,” sans the songs. Houses look more like museums, people act very strangely, and religious symbols are everywhere and aren’t exactly comforting. It’s the kind of movie horror fans, especially those who care about atmosphere, should be excited to find. That said, there is a complaint, and it’s not exactly a minor one.
You can view this film a few different ways. You can think it all really happened, or you can believe it’s just a figment of Verid’s mind, which is slowly falling out of touch with reality. Either way you look at it, though, you still get a conclusion that isn’t as satisfying as it should be. “The Wicker Man” had an ending that stuck with you. This film leads up to what could be a very similar climax, but goes a more realistic route which takes the sting out of everything that has come before it. (Not that the ending is a total failure; it actually has some excellent imagery.)
As it stands, this is well worth watching … especially for sophisticated genre fans. With all the horror garbage that Hollywood is pushing these days, it’s nice to see a film that understands how truly frightening the more normal parts of life can be.
