There was a time when New York City was the home of grainy and grubby low budget indie films. They’d feature non-Hollywood stars who lived in the crumbling buildings. Many of them were hustlers doing their best to survive in the urban jungle. There was a feeling of realness being captured instead of the sleek lies of Hollywood product. Films included The Andy Warhol movies directed by Paul Morrisey, Stranger Than Paradise, Liquid Sky and even Party Girl with Parker Posey. But the New York Indie perspective became lost as the city cleaned itself up and the rents skyrocketed. This was no longer a great destination for artistic minded people when the monthly rent of a studio apartment cost more than the budget of your film. But not everyone fled the city to make their films in New Jersey and beyond. Dean Dempsey was able to create films in the heart of the Big Apple. Candy Apple is a movie that has the sensibilities of Paul Morrissey’s Trash with a family tale at its core.
Bobby (Deadman’s Barstool‘s Dean Dempsey) aspires to be a filmmaker except so far his digital productions haven’t caught fire online. The good thing is that his father Texas Trash (played by Texas Trash) is so supportive that he’s put his band on hold and come to New York City to act in his films. The father and son aren’t living the affluent life in the city. They are hanging out at dive bars with colorful characters that enjoy the downtown life. Since they aren’t rolling in YouTube dough, both of them get pulled into the life to make ends meet. Bobby takes up hustling to an unusual clientele. One guy doesn’t want to hook up with Bobby; he merely has a morning fetish that must be fulfilled. Texas Trash is missing an arm and a leg. This comes in handy when he begins making deliveries for a drug dealer. Neither hustle seem to be good for them. Will father and son become eaten up by the underbelly of New York City?
I’m not sure how much of the film is autobiographical, but Texas Trash is Dean Dempsey’s real dad. He leads the country punk band Texas Trash and the Trainwrecks which is heard on the soundtrack. Dean’s dad did put his music career on hold to come to New York City to help him make his movie. This authenticity adds quite a bit to the film as things go wrong for the duo. The film has that glorious indie New York feel to the scenes. Characters get wasted and hang out in city parks. You can’t duplicate that in Secaucus. It must be pointed out that Anchor Bay Entertainment is also putting out Dean Dempsey’s Deadman’s Barstool as part of the UnDISCovered line of films that didn’t get enough notice when they originally came out. This film needs to be seen just for Texas Trash’s great performance as a loving dad and messed up addict. Candy Apple gives us a trip to New York City’s dirty underbelly that isn’t on the bus tour.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. While it was shot on digital video, there’s still a grainy element as they Dempsey shoots around the rundown sections of Manhattan. The Audio is Dolby Digital English 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. You’ll hear both the odd noises and the songs cleanly. The Subtitles are in English and Spanish.
What Is Punk Rock Cinema? (3:57) talks about the DYI and confrontation nature of the genre. Low budget nature to get it made. There’s plenty of clips from great punk rock films including Repo Man, Class of 1984 and Dudes. We see how Candy Apple is part of this style with its Lo-Fi realism.
Theatrical Trailer (2:08) opens with Texas Trash coming out and talking about his band. We see that this is an unglamourous tale of New York City.
Anchor Bay Entertainment presents Candy Apple. Directed by Dean Dempsey. Screenplay by Dean Dempsey. Starring Texas Trash, Dean Dempsey, Neon Music, Sophia Lamar, Cory ‘Whorse’ Kimbrow-Dana, Lucille Bignom, Nadeem Ali, Philly Abe & Alessandra Genovese. Running Time: 79 minutes. Release Date: October 14, 2025.
