Candy Land is an upcoming horror thriller written and directed by John Swab. The cast consists of Olivia Luccardi (It Follows), Owen Campbell (X), Sam Quartin (Body Brokers), Eden Brolin (Yellowstone), Virginia Rand (I Am Fear), Guinevere Turner (American Psycho), and William Baldwin (The Purge). The film is set in the underground world of lot lizards and truck-stop sex workers. The first look at the film was provided by Deadline.
Luccardi will play Remy, a seemingly naive and devout young woman who finds herself cast out of her religious cult. With nowhere else to turn, Remy immerses herself with lot lizards Sadie (Quartin), Riley (Brolin), Liv (Rand), and Levi (Campbell). Under the watchful eye of matriarch Nora (Turner) and enigmatic Sheriff Rex (Billy Baldwin), Remy must then navigate her strained belief system and the lot lizard code to find her true calling in life.
"Candy Land is my first venture into the horror genre. While it's more of a traditional slasher film, we wanted it to have no boundaries and push the limits. I'm in love with this film and find it to be an authentic tale with the nostalgia of the great 90s cult cinema that inspired me; Bully, Scream, Welcome to the Dollhouse. In a world where people are afraid to take chances, this film and everyone who helped make it pulled no punches," said Swab.
Swab will also serve as a producer of Candy Land alongside Jeremy M. Rosen. Robert Ogden Barnum and Michael Reiser serve as executive producers on the film. Quiver Distribution has acquired the movie for domestic release. Other films produced and released by Quiver include Dead for a Dollar with Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, and Rachel Brosnahan and Bandit, with Mel Gibson, Josh Duhamel, and Elisha Cuthbert.
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"We are thrilled to partner with a fearless filmmaker like John Swab. This stellar cast will subvert audience expectations and they won't be able to look away," said Quiver Distribution Co-Presidents, Barry Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman.
Candy Land is slated for release in theatres and on-demand on January 6. Before then, it had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival in August and is currently continuing its journey along the festival circuit. Right now, it's set to make its East Coast Premiere as the opening film for the 20th edition of the New York City Horror Film Festival, which will run from December 1 to 4, 2022. Luccardi and Campbell will be attending the NYC screening as well.
Here's more information on the festival, courtesy of Fangoria:
"The NYC Horror Film Festival is the brainchild of founder Michael J. Hein, who created the festival in 2001 as a venue for new independent horror filmmaking. After a two-year COVID hiatus, the festival will continue its Lifetime Achievement Award that honors the scare masters of horror. George Romero was the first recipient, followed by Tom Savini, Tobe Hooper, Roger Corman, Mick Garris, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Frank Henenlotter, Bill Lustig, Robert Englund, Wes Craven, Lloyd Kaufman, Angus Scrimm, Sean Cunningham, Adrienne Barbeau, Brad Dourif, Tony Todd and Greg Nicotero."
Candy Land will be in the company of over 50 films from around the world screening at the fest. Kane Hodder, best known for his work as Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th franchise, will receive the fest's Lifetime Achievement Award. Virtual screenings for most of the festival's films will be available one day after each live screening. You can go here for more information about the festival and if you want to purchase tickets or VIP passes.