Since the success of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix, there has been a rise of serial killer series in both series and movies. The most recent of this new genre is Candy: A Death In Texas created by Nick Antosca (who also created Channel Zero and Brand New Cherry Flavor) and Robin Veith and starring Jessica Biel. She has been part of this genre since 2017 starring in The Sinner which is one of the most famous suspense and mystery HBO Max series. Candy premiered on May 9, 2022, on Hulu, and its final episode aired on May 13, but now it is also available on Disney+.
Candy immerses us in the story of Candance “Candy” Montgomery (Jessica Biel) who murdered Betty Gore (Melanie Lynskey) on June 13th, 1980. Gore was her friend and also her lover’s wife. Candy and her husband Pat Montgomery (Timothy Simons) moved to Collin county located in Texas in 1977. They joined the Methodist Church of Lucas where she became close friends with middle school teacher Betty Gore and her husband Allan Gore (Pablo Schreiber). Since that time, Allan and Candice started to have an affair that lasted eleven months and ended in the early ’80s.
On June 13th, 1980, Candy went to Betty’s house where Betty confronted Candy for the affair she had with Allan. Montgomery murdered Betty after hitting her with an axe 41 times, 28 of them in the head. According to the news, forty of the hits were with Betty alive. Her head was smashed, and she also had wounds on her face, arms, hands, legs, and torso.
At the trial, the defense alleged that Candy did it in self-defense, besides the psychological reports confirmed that Montgomery suffered from a “dissociative” episode losing the notion of reality and entering a state of anger with no control.
The judge sentenced Candy Montogmery as not guilty, Candy was released and acquitted of all charges and currently lives in Georgia at 72 under the surname “Wheeler” along with her husband Pat and their daughter Jenny. With her daughter, she works as a mental health therapist where she advises youth and adults on depression.
The Candy cast is formed by Jessica Biel as Candy Montgomery, Melanie Lynskey as Betty Gore, Pablo Schreiber as Allan Gore, Timothy Simons as Pat Montgomery, Raúl Esparza as Don Crowder, Jessie Mueller as Sherry Cleckler, Coley Campany as Linda, Sharon Conley as Sandra Lockett, Aven Lotz as Becky Montgomery, Dash McCloud as Jason Montgomery, Tim Ware as Judge Ryan and so forth.
The series was announced in July 2020 by UCP (Universal Content Productions) alleging they were developing a series revolving around Candy Montogomery. In December 2020, it was announced Hulu had landed the series, then in October 2021, Elizabeth Moss (who was originally set to star as Candy) left the cast due to scheduling conflicts then replaced by Jessica Biel. Principal photography began in December 2021 and continued through February 2022, the filming took place in Austell, Georgia.
Candy premiered on the streaming service Hulu in the United States, a five-episode series that aired for five subsequent nights. Candy is now available on Disney+. Even though the main title is Candy: A Death in Texas, on Disney+, it is displayed as Candy.
To date, Candy has one nomination for the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards in the category of Outstanding Main Title Design. Although the spooky season is over, it is still a good time to watch Candy before the Christmas season arrives. The TV show is only available on streaming platforms with subscriptions, Hulu and Disney+.
Andrea Rich