★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Created by Robin Veith and Nick Antosca
On Friday the 13th of June in 1980 (just a month after the release of that slasher classic), Candace “Candy” Montgomery murdered her friend Betty Gore with an ax. She struck her 41 times and later claimed it was self defense because Betty had found out that Candy was having an affair with her husband. This is the crime being explored in the new Hulu Original series Candy.
Over the course of five episodes the series covers the events leading up to the murder, the murder itself (and it is gruesome!), the investigation and the trial that follows. Through costumes and set design and the colors the series is shot in, Candy transports you to early 80’s suburbia and into the mind of a desperate housewife.
True crime is big business these days with a lot to chose from but this series hits all the right notes. This is a case that wasn’t familiar to me (and I am a true crime addict) so I was glad that I was provided all 5 episodes for screening because I didn’t want to stop watching! Moreover, 5 episodes is the perfect length to get the full story without it feeling bloated.
This series has got some big guns behind it. Showrunner Robin Veith is no stranger to television and has written and produced shows like Mad Men as well as horror series True Blood and Outcast. Writer Nick Antosca will be known to most horror fans as the screenwriter of Antlers (which was based on his short story) but has also written Channel Zero, Brand New Cherry Flavor and even a few episodes of Hannibal.
And then there is the cast…. Jessica Biel is proving to be a force to be reckoned with as she continues to take on darker roles such as Cora in season 1 of The Sinner series (which she also produces) and Julia in Pascal Laugier’s The Tall Man. Melanie Lynskey, on the other hand, began her career with a very dark role as child murderer Pauline Parker in Heavenly Creatures and most recently wowed as Shauna in the breakout hit Yellowjackets. Both these leading ladies are absolutely wonderful and it is worth checking out the show solely for these performances.
Candy will begin streaming on Hulu Monday, May 9 with new episodes dropping each day until the finale on May 13.