It’s Halloween weekend and a group of bullies are planning their annual hazing on local outcast, Jacob Atkins. When they take things too far, he’s resurrected to seek revenge against those that wronged him.

(My partner, Jacob, gave me the headline, don’t @ me)

The awkward, non-verbal outcast of a small town is bullied all of his life, especially every year on Halloween. The reason for this is never explained, but this has been going on since he was a child. This year, something is different: Jacob (Nate Chaney) has made friends with Dr. Death (Pancho Moler) and has a new job with the local travelling carnival, and plans to leave with them. This gives him some courage to resist his tormentors, who beat him to death.

Dr. Death, true to his name, has some dealings with the end of life, and brings Jacob back from the dead to wreak vengeance on his attackers, and by extension, the small Ohio town that excludes the carnies and freaks.

The name of the movie comes from Jacob’s love of candy corn, and undead Jacob’s use of the candy as a sort of calling card.

This movie is fun. It is as predictable as an alphabet book, but still has some good moments, and while aspects of the film seem cheap, overall the cast is varied and interesting, which is more than I can say for a lot of movies.

“This town has created a witch hunt and they’re coming for the freaks … so, let’s give them what they came for” –Dr Death

Dr. Death is the real highlight of the film. Never seen out of makeup or character, he is funny, intense, caring and witty. His carnival pulls abysmal audiences, yet still he hires on the awkward town boy to get away from the small town that torments him, and when things go badly, it is revenge he seeks, but not just for Jacob, but for the carnival, the freaks, and, it seems, for everyone who has ever been outcast from society for being different.

As a point of interest, one of the carnies, Bishop Gate, is played by none other than Tony Todd of Candyman fame. Can’t get away from candy-based movies, it seems. Gate is the conscience of the carnival, telling Dr. Death that what he is doing is wrong. Gate is also the only character to refer to Dr. Death by his other name, Lester.

Another recognizable cameo is Sky Elobar, who plays Gus, a fairly hapless outsider himself, but he was present for the killing. Elboar also plays “Big Brayden” in The Greasy Strangler, a movie I particularly loathed.

Josh Hasty doesn’t have a lot of film credits to his name, but I seriously think Candy Corn has a cheeseball b-horror franchise potential, and Dr. Death’s statement that everything in his shop has a story like this one suggests a franchise might be planned. I, for one, would watch it.