Horror Movie Review: The Candy Witch (2020)

Making her directorial debut with Pet Graveyard in 2019 (read our review here), Rebecca Matthews follows that up with The Candy Witch. A supernatural horror likely to make your teeth ache.

It doesn’t hang about either, immediately bringing the titular character (played by Kate Lush) front and centre for a creepy scene. Punctuated with an effective, if not a bit jarring, jump scare.

Filthy, scarred and brandishing a large, sharpened candy cane, she is a vicious creature. The opening giving off Lights Out and Candyman vibes.

One brutal murder later. We’re introduced to Reece (Jon Callaway) and Kat (Abi Casson Thompson) who are ghost hunters/psychic investigators. They are called to a family farm where the matriarch, Ruth (Heather Jackson) believes they are being haunted.

Haunted by The Candy Witch who was previously their nanny. Accused of abusing their kids, she was fired protesting her innocence. Shortly afterwards she disappeared, along with some kids from the local village.

Ruth now believes she has come back for revenge and will stop at nothing to destroy the family. Which includes husband, Willie (Richard D. Myers) and older kids, Tom (Will Stanton) and Lea (Hannah Ponting).

Will Reece and Kat be able to help the family and stop the Candy Witch?

It’s a good movie, something that paranormal fans and gore-hounds can both enjoy. There are decent scares, the movie’s paced well and the cast do a solid job. The standout elements though is the gory violence. The Candy Witch showing off some variety in kills and always based around sweets.

How about having your head dunked into boiling chocolate? Or having your stomach cut open and stuffed with boiled sweets? Or maybe suffocation via candy floss? It’s sounds silly but it plays it straight making for a more harrowing experience. All helped by good effects and clever use of lighting.

The only noticeable issue is the makeup on The Candy Witch herself.

Easy to forgive as the movie is memorable. It doesn’t waste much of its runtime, even throwing in an effective twist at end to keep the finale hot.