The Candy Snatchers

The Candy Snatchers

Year: 1973

Runtime: 95 mins

Language: English

Director: Guerdon Trueblood

CrimeThrillerIntense violence and sexual transgressionCrime drugs and gangstersGraphic violence and brutal revenge

It begins as a seemingly simple kidnapping, but quickly spirals into a brutal ordeal. Sixteen‑year‑old heiress Candy is abducted by three reckless youths who plan to force her stepfather to hand over a fortune in diamonds. A nonverbal autistic boy unexpectedly discovers the victims and becomes entangled in their desperate struggle.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – The Candy Snatchers (1973)

Trace every key event in The Candy Snatchers (1973) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Kidnapping and burial

Three kidnappers abduct Candy after school and tie her up. They bury her alive in a Southern California field, providing a pipe for air while they expect a quick ransom.

afternoon Southern California field
2

Witness to the crime

Sean Newton, an autistic boy nearby, witnesses the kidnapping from a distance. He returns home and tries to tell his intolerant parents about what he saw, but they dismiss him.

late afternoon Sean's home and neighborhood
3

Ransom demand reaches Avery

The kidnappers contact Candy's father Avery Phillips, demanding payment in all the diamonds from his jewelry store. Avery refuses to report the abduction and keeps Katherine in the dark.

evening Avery's home/jewelry store
4

Candy brought to the hideout

Candy is dug up and taken to the kidnappers' hideout. Eddy bonds with Candy, promising that he will not let anyone harm her and gradually earns her tentative trust.

night Kidnappers' hideout
5

Ear plan and morgue con

Jessie and Alan want Candy's ear as leverage, but Eddy opposes this. They later visit the morgue and bribe a coroner to remove an ear from a cadaver.

late night Hideout and morgue
6

Ear presented; inheritance motive revealed

Eddy presents the ear to Avery as proof of Candy's captivity. Avery coldly reveals that Candy is his stepdaughter and faces a $2 million inheritance at 21, so her death would largely benefit him.

early night Avery's home
7

Alan's raid and Sean's intervention

Alan goes to the hideout to kill Candy. Sean infiltrates to help and Candy urges him to contact the police. Alan returns and rapes Candy; Eddy interrupts and beats Alan, allowing Sean to escape unseen.

late night Hideout
8

Sean's mistaken police call

After escaping, Sean goes home and, misunderstanding Candy's instructions, uses a police doll to call a Jewish deli in Brooklyn instead of alerting authorities.

night following escape Sean's home
9

Katherine's seduction and murder

Katherine visits the kidnappers and is intoxicated and seduced by Alan while Avery is having an affair with Lisa. When Avery returns home, Katherine is murdered by Alan.

following day Katherine's home and Avery's residence
10

Jewelry store caper and killings

Avery leads the kidnappers to the jewelry store and delivers the contents of the safe. He fails to retrieve his revolver; Alan is killed by Eddy, and Jessie is later killed by Avery as he pursues Eddy toward the grave site.

aftermath of the store incident Jewelry store and vicinity
11

Final confrontation at the grave site

A gunfight at the grave site ends with Avery's death. Eddy attempts to dig Candy up, but Sean shoots him dead with Avery's gun, ending the immediate danger.

following day Grave site
12

Ending: Candy's fate unknown

Sean listens to Candy's breathing through the pipe as Audrey calls him with a cowbell to guide him home. A gunshot is heard, followed by the sound of the cowbell and Candy's breathing in her underground prison, leaving her fate unresolved.

dawn Candy's underground chamber / Sean's home vicinity

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 12:32

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The Candy Snatchers Summary

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The Candy Snatchers

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