7 minute read
CINEMA SCARES & SWEETS
WORDS Madelyn Ivy Horn Confection Candy Shop 254 W Central Ave B Winter Haven, FL 33880 (863) 207-6007 FB & IG @confectionwh
“SCOOBY-DOO AND THE GHOUL SCHOOL” (1988) NR “SCOOBY-DOO ON ZOMBIE ISLAND” (1998) RATED G
I don’t let a Halloween season pass by without revisiting these childhood favorites. Enjoying gummy eyeballs, spiders, bats & a round of pumpkin soda while watching these movies is the perfect way to recapture a childhood Halloween.
If you went trick or treating in the neighborhood that I grew up in, you might remember hearing the sounds of a chainsaw on Halloween night. Every Halloween one of our neighbors would walk around in his yard ripping his chainsaw to frighten (in my case, delight) the people out harvesting candy. If I close my eyes, I can still hear it. I can almost feel how excited that sound made me, it meant that it was Halloween and a bucket full of candy would soon be mine. I begged and begged my parents to let me watch “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” but they did not give in until I was much older. Like I always knew it would... it became a cherished favorite. A box of Brown Butter Bourbon Caramels from Fruition Chocolate or a Brown Butter Nibs & Sea Salt chocolate bar from Dick Taylor would pair perfectly with this gritty classic.
UNIVERSAL MONSTER FILMS
These films start it all for me. They never cease to provide comfort and inspiration every time I put any one of them on. If you visit Confection during the month of October you are likely to walk in on the Wolfman in mid-transformation or the Invisible Man delighting in the chaos he has created. In addition to Halloween candy, I’m really excited to be carrying licensed collectibles from Universal Monster and Super7. If you are interested in a spooky treat that has no expiration date, we will have a selection of blind boxes, ReAction figures, and monster trick or treat buckets all featuring the monsters that we celebrate every Halloween.
“Candyman” (1992) Rated R, explores the legend and its sociological repercussions of the ghost of an artist and son of a slave who was murdered in the late 19th century. Based on the short story “The Forbidden” in the collection “Books of Blood Volume 5” by Clive Barker, this film is important for more reasons than the obvious love I have for the title. The score by Philip Glass is the perfect accompaniment to the performance Tony Todd gives as one of the most frightening and still very relevant horror icons of all time. If you enjoy this then make sure to check out its direct sequel when it debuts in theaters later this year. Directed by Nia DaCosta and written by Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld and DaCosta. This film is sure to be a fitting follow up. Bees play a major role in Candyman, so I think Halloween’s most divisive confections are the obvious choice. Candy corn! One of the main flavors in candy corn is honey. My vote for the best candy corn on the market is made by jelly belly though I’ve got a soft spot every brand & variety!
DRACULA FILMS
Dracula never drinks wine but he is very quick to offer a glass of red to his guests and red pairs wonderfully with a good dark chocolate bar. Check out our 72% dark chocolate bar using only cocoa beans from Madagascar from Mirzam Chocolate Makers. I’ve never met a Dracula Film I didn’t like, but I’ve got a few favorites beginning with “Dracula” (1931). Universal’s first Dracula film is perfection. Notice the absence of a horror score and the way it builds eerie silences. The second closest Dracula to my heart is Christopher Lee in the seven films he made for Hammer. My favorite is “Taste the Blood Of Dracula” (1970) Rated R. “Blacula” (1972) Rated PG & “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992) Rated R, are must-see films when planning a night in with the count as well. If you are planning a vampire-themed night for the younger ghouls, I think a pair of wax fangs & a showing of “Hotel Transylvania” (2012) Rated RG would make the count very proud.
Hammer Horror Films & British candy… I can hardly think of a better night in. Hammer made 50 films that fall into the horror genre from the 50s to the early 70s staring a revolving cast of horror legends such as Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Oliver Reed & Michael Ripper. They are fun & colorful, nearly all of them featuring a bright candy apple colored stage blood affectionately dubbed, “Kensington Gore.” If you like period drama but want something a little spookier to celebrate the season, there is a Hammer film for you. Want to spend some time with Dr. Frankenstein and his monster? Check out “The Curse of Frankenstein” (1957). For werewolves, watch “The Curse of the Werewolf” (1961). Some of my personal favorites are deeper cuts like “Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde” (1971) Rated PG or “Night Creatures” (1962). Night Creatures is based on the same material as Disney’s “The Scarecrow Of Romney Marsh” and is another favorite of mine. Now for the candy... importing candy from the U.K was a goal for the store from the start. This year that dream finally came true and I am proud to stock a small but growing selection. Watch these films with a little tray of imported sweets. I think some Jelly Babies, Smarties, Bounty bar, and maybe a few Cadbury Curly Wurly bars would be absolutely lovely.
GODZILLA FILMS
If you’ve been to Confection recently, the chances that either myself or my second Candyman in command Ella were watching a Godzilla film. We have bonded over our mutual love of Kaiju (a Japanese genre of films featuring giant monsters) and we just can’t get enough. Ella’s favorite is “Godzilla Vs Mothra” (1992) and mine is Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965). Japanese monsters call for a mountain of Japanese candy! Grab a few rolls of Hi-Chew, Kasugai gummies, Meiji Chocorooms, and revel in the battles fought by the most famous monster in Japan.
- CONTINUED ON PAGE 24 -
My love for “The Twilight Zone” goes further than it being just my favorite television show as it’s kind of a guiding force in my life. Episodes of “The Twilight Zone” are varied in theme, tone, and content. At their best, they tell stories that make us look at ourselves and the world we live in with a perspective that calls for empathy. If there is one thing I think we need even more than candy and that is empathy. The good news is, you can have both. The most enduring image from the “Twilight Zone” has got to be Rod Serling giving his episode introduction while smoking a cigarette. Substitute that real smoke for a candy cigarette and enjoy some of the most popular candy from the era that saw, what I believe to be, the greatest television show of all time. Grab a roll of Necco Wafers, Nik-L-Nips wax bottles, Turkish Taffy, and a handful of Zots & get lost in the fifth dimension. A few of my favorite episodes are “The Lonely,” “What you need,” “The Big Tall Wish,” “It’s a Good Life,” “To Serve Man,” “Jess Belle,” “Steel,” “The Long Morrow” and “Come Wander with Me.” Don’t hesitate to mention the episodes you love best when you come in to get candy! I could never get tired of talking about “The Twilight Zone.”
“Practical Magic” is an absolutely gorgeous film about love & sisterhood as well as a beautiful representation of modern-day witchcraft. Making margaritas at midnight is a tradition for the family in this film and it’s always seemed like such fun. Even if you throw this on before twelve o’clock, make a batch of margaritas and enjoy a few sweets from our selection of Mexican candy. Candy from Mexico often mixes salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors together to create confectionary delights that are pure magic.
