Spine-Tingling Sweets: 7 Horror Movies Featuring Candy

As a gastro horror connoisseur and someone who writes about such topics, I’d be remiss if I didn’t treat you all to a bit of horror featuring candy just in time for Halloween! After all, who doesn’t miss the days of walking miles just to fill a pillowcase with treats? Not to mention, Halloween candy has its own set of urban legends, which makes it a perfect gastro horror topic! 

A Brief History of Trick ‘r Treating 

Trick ‘r treating began in the United States around the 1930s/40s with mainly homemade treats and goodies. By the 1950s when candy manufacturers started to get in on the action, reports of tampering with candy began to pop up. Professor Joel Best, a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, has written extensively about the topic and identified about 200 confirmed cases of candy tampering in the U.S. and Canada since 1958. "The attempts to systematically follow up on all reports concluded that the vast majority were hoaxes," Best said. (Miller, 2019) All of this, especially some cases from the late 50s, led to a societal consensus around the 1970s that all treats handed out should be manufactured and not homemade. (Nix, 2014)

Even the educational videos of the time warn children not to eat their treats before having them checked. Note: the video below was directed by Carnival of Souls director, Herk Harvey.

From J-Horror to folk horror, there is a surprising amount of candy within the genre. What may come as even more of a shock is that a fair number of these films don’t involve Halloween. A few on this list are Halloween-based, but most are not. It’s also worth noting that this is not a comprehensive list. Instead, this is a selection of some of my favorites where the candy itself stands out or enhances the story in an interesting way. 

• Trick ‘r Treat (2007)- Trick ‘r Treat is likely the most obvious pick on this list. The horror anthology features several candy-filled segments including poisoned candy, trick ‘r treating, and more. Sam, the spirit of Halloween, even uses candy as weapons. One of these, the Hollie-Ho bar, especially plays up the aforementioned candy tampering fears by hiding a blade inside of it. 
• V/H/S/Halloween- Another Halloween-based anthology film, V/H/S/Halloween, also plays up the fears surrounding trick ‘r treating. What sets it apart from other anthologies that utilize those fears is that one of the segments also plays with the idea of the trick ‘r treaters becoming the prized confection.   
• One Missed Call (2003)- Technically, a case could be made for the entire One Missed Call series, including its remake, to be listed. All of the entries feature candy at varying levels, with One Missed Call 2 using it the least. The series follows people who are cursed by a phone call. When they die, a piece of candy comes out of their mouth. The first film, which I’ve listed here, explains this (which I won’t spoil despite the film’s age). You certainly won’t look at hard red candies the same. 
• Candyman (2021)- The remake/stealth requel of 1992’s Candyman is one of the most accurate uses of the hysteria surrounding candy tampering. The audience is introduced to Sherman Fields, a homeless Black man who was wrongfully accused of hiding razor blades in candy after one shows up in a white girl’s candy. He was killed by the police and razor blades showed up in more candy a few weeks later. His addition (as well as the others) to “the hive” is not only tragic, but enhances the lore of the franchise in a unique way. 
• The Candy Store- The Candy Store is another Chicago-set film. The titular shop is run by a woman on her porch for decades. After the disappearance of several children, people start to wonder if there is a connection. I was really happy to stumble across this one in my search for films for this list. People might criticize it based on its budgetary constraints, but I disagree. Given its budget, it does a good job of playing with the ideas of “stranger danger” and how we don’t always know people, even if we see them daily. 
• Scare Package- Courtney and Hillary Andujar’s Scare Package segment, “Girls Night Out of Body” uses candy differently than the other anthologies listed previously. Instead of Halloween theming or trick ‘r treating, it features a stolen skull shaped lollipop that turns out to be cursed. The segment has some definite Tales from the Crypt vibes to it as well. If you check out the film and enjoy the segment, you can even get a cursed lollipop of your own! 
• HeBGB TV- I was a little late to the party on this one, but I’m glad I finally took the time to check this film out. HeBGB TV feels like it was made especially for folks who grew up in the 80s and 90s and watched a lot of Nickelodeon. There are Double Dare and You Can’t Do That on Television vibes permeating the whole movie. At times I even felt like I was watching shows like Weinerville or All That but with a grown-up flare. However, we’re here to talk about candy and there is a candy corn segment that had me in stitches. The Candy Corntet performs a sad little number at the bottom of a trick ‘r treater’s bag that ends in a darkly funny, albeit kind of gory, way. It also features flying Pumpkin Mallowcremes (a personal favorite) in the background. Another segment also has a VHS tape of a film called Candy Stealer. 

Fun Size Bonus: The Exortwist- I thought it would be fun to treat you all to a fun little short before wrapping this article up! I first saw The Exortwist at Popcorn Frights during their 2022 virtual festival and fell in love with it. A parody of The Exorcist using candy doesn’t sound like it should work, but it really does! The gags within the 3-minute run time are really funny and well done. 

As I mentioned previously, there are obviously horror films that feature candy that I didn’t cover in this article. I did, however, make a Letterboxd list that contains the above listed films and more! Hopefully, this dive into sinfully sweet horror films is as enjoyable as the treats you’ll be enjoying on Halloween night! Happy Halloween! 

References:

Miller, A. (2019, October 31). Trick or truth? The real story behind Halloween candy tampering. Retrieved October 15, 2025, from CBC: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/halloween-candy-tampering-urban-legend-truth-1.5341734

Nix, E. (2014, October 31). The Haunted History of Halloween Candy. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from History Channel: https://www.history.com/articles/the-haunted-history-of-halloween-candy