Hard Candy (2006)
Directed by: David Slade
Written by: Brian Nelson
Starring: Partrick Wilson, Ellen Page, Sandrah Oh
Hard Candy is the rare and undervalued horror flick that goes unnoticed behind the mainstream terror hitting our theatres. Coming from a well written script with twists at every corner, this movie not only brings thrills but gets the audience invested in the story's characters. That, in today's "torture is entertainment" horror movies, is a rarity and a welcome change.
Though don't get me wrong, this movie will still make you cringe as much as any other slasher flick; only here, we care about who's getting cut up.
Nothing's yours when you invite a teenager into your home.
The main character barely resembles the typical Hollywood hero. He's extremely flawed, a 32-year old children's photographer that gets more joy out of his work than he admits. His name is Jeff (Watchmen's Patrick Wilson) and, though he denies it, he's a pedophile. He communicates with young teens online, sending them various flirty messages like "So we should finally hook up, baby".
That's when 14-year old Hayley (Juno's Ellen Page) decides to punish Jeff for his evil deeds. She invades his home -at first pretending to be a cute, innocent girl before rapidly changing her persona. Hayley's determined to reveal the truth about Jeff, at all means necessary.
Ultimately, she decides the law will never punish her prisoner as much as he deserves. In the movie's most frightening sequence, Hayley performs a solo cascration, stating "it's the world's easiest operation". Jeff, unsuccessfully, tries to escape, but there's no running from the truth, he had it coming.
Their interactions make up the majority of the film, and their banter, amidst plenty of screaming, is undeniably fun.
Your conversational skills are really deteriorating as the day goes on.
Hard Candy never takes the cheap path in scaring its audience. Jeff doesn't bleed, lose a limb, or gets stab to satisfy the viewers. Instead, the film uses old school techniques to build up suspense and fear.
Even as Hayley toys with her captive slave, she doesn't do him physical harm until further into the movie. We know she will eventually - she says so herself. But we wait. As they talk and personal information about Jeff's past is revealed, we know the time approaches for his ultimate fate. The suspense builds up, our mind begins to picture the horror up ahead. All the while, Hayley flashes a cute grin and says witty lines, like Juno on drugs.
Hard Candy reminds us what a true horror movie is. And when the build up ends and the moment arrives, its never what we expect.
Well, didn't Roman Polanski just win an Oscar?
Page gives the performance of a lifetime, better than her much praised Oscar nominated role in Juno. She's a similiar character here, only much more frightening and much more interesting. Though she's a self-proclaimed vindictive bitch, we can't help but laugh at her wit, even as she prepares to cut off Jeff's balls. Her backstory may never be revealed - she implies that everything she's told him is a lie, including her name - but that only adds to the mystery of who is this sinister judge.
Patrick Wilson as well gives an inspired performance. He may well be the most underappreciated actor of this generation, giving great performances in this film as well as the Oscar nominated Little Children and Watchmen. Wilson's not a household name, but, with performances like this, he may soon be one. We believe his terror and his tormented soul, no matter how much he denies his past transgressions.
I am every little girl you ever watched, touched, hurt, screwed, killed.
Hard Candy is a must for any fan of horror and/or suspense. This movie works as both terror and a character study. Also, for any fans of Page, her career-making performance just may be her best. She is simply amazing.
Great performances, classic horror, witty writing, all make for a great movie watching experience. Rent it, you won't be disappointed.
4.5/5
...Or not.
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