Hard Candy

What a movie. Finally, I find a horror thriller that my husband will watch with me. He was intrigued by the concept of Hard Candy, and by the end, both of us were curled up on the couch cringing.

Hard Candy is all about Hayley. She’s met a man in a chat room and they decide to meet for coffee. At first, you cringe because you know something’s not right. You think to yourself, “Girl, what are you doing? Can’t you tell the man’s a little freaky?” It doesn’t take you very long to realize that things aren’t all what they seem. Soon, Hayley is back at Jeff’s house and things start to play a little differently that what Jeff expected.

Ellen Page plays Hayley with much more depth that I would have expected after seeing her in X-Men 3. She’s creepy, she’s smart, and she’s vulnerable. She’s a chameleon, and just perfect in the part. Patrick Wilson plays Jeff, and he ranges from flirty and creepy, to scared, to terrorized, to angry, to lost, all without ever seeming to slip into “acting.” The movie rests on the shoulders of these two actors (they are the only ones on the screen for 98 % of the movie) and they never let you down. They have excellent chemistry.

To be honest, I knew to make this a horror thriller it would have to deviate from the normal child and pedophile storyline, so the earlier twist wasn’t all that unexpected. It didn’t diminish the movie in the least. In fact, it heightened the whole experience, because you were left wondering when would things flip back? Would they? Who would win?

Hard Candy is one of the best thrillers I have seen in a long time. It’s scary and full on cringe-worthy. It’s just about perfect in its own disturbing way.

Rating: 4 ½ Purrs