What are they doing with Candy?

And so begins The Candy Snatchers, a prime example of '70s exploitation cinema whose uncompromising nature has garnered near-legendary status.

16-year-old Candy Phillips (Susan Sennet) is brutally abducted by a trio of amateur criminals hoping for a hasty ransom exchange. Burying their innocent captive alive in the hills of Southern California with only a small tube for air, the threesome - sultry blond Jessi (Playboy Playmate Tiffany Bolling), her sadistic brother Alan (Brad David)and maladjusted Army vet Eddy (Vincent Martorano) - suspect things aren't as they appear when Candy's father (Ben Piazza) doesn't show at their agreed rendezvous. Growing anxious as paranoia sets in' the kidnappers fear their meticulous plan is crumbling and begin a downward spiral into depravity, mutilation and cold-blooded murder - with Candy helplessly trapped in the middle.

A noirish tale of double-crosses and hidden motivations, this consistently surprising grindhouse item has proven hard to see for far too long. Writer Bryan Gindoff delivers an especially tight script, ably fleshing out his characters within the relentlessly bleak scenario he's concocted. The cast is certainly up to the challenge, with Sennet particularly shining as the ruthlessly violated teen. Not to be outdone, the gorgeous Bolling, queen of drive-in favourites like Bonnie's Kids, relishes her time in the spotlight and play's her icy ringleader to perfection. This was director Geurdon Trueblood's only feature effort; mainly a television writer, he later authored genre fare like The Savage Bees and Ants.