The Candy Man is George Sanders, a nattily dressed dope peddler with a kidnapping sideline. When American starlet Julie (Leslie Parrish) flies into Mexico City for some promotional work, Sanders--in a creepy opening sequence--scopes out her young daughter as a potential victim. Thanks to one of his dope fiend customers, he insinuates a babysitter (Gina Roman) into Julie's household. Sure enough, nurse takes the incredibly homely child for a stroll in the park, where a series of misfortunes leads to her being accosted by a bereft mother (the enchanting Pixie Hopkins) whose real daughter has just died in the local hospital! Soon the police and the kidnappers are trying to hunt down the child. Who will find her first?
This isn't a good film, but it does have its moments. Sanders is excellent and doesn't display signs of the alcoholism that would kill him within a few short years. Hopkins is convincing as the addled mother who refuses to believe her real child is dead, and there's also a very cool Steppenwolf-style opening song by The Forum Quorum, an otherwise unknown rock band who were probably session musicians. Shot in Churubusco Studios, The Candy Man is a sweet example of late 60s psycho cinema.
This isn't a good film, but it does have its moments. Sanders is excellent and doesn't display signs of the alcoholism that would kill him within a few short years. Hopkins is convincing as the addled mother who refuses to believe her real child is dead, and there's also a very cool Steppenwolf-style opening song by The Forum Quorum, an otherwise unknown rock band who were probably session musicians. Shot in Churubusco Studios, The Candy Man is a sweet example of late 60s psycho cinema.
