Don’t mess with this Texas housewife.
In the upcoming Hulu series “Candy,” Jessica Biel plays Candy Montgomery, who was accused of her killing her friend Betty Gore with an axe in 1980. In real life, Candy claimed self-defense and was eventually acquitted of the murder, according to Texas Monthly.
The trailer, released March 17, depicts the moments leading up to the shocking crime, with Candy cooking and singing in a church choir alongside Betty, played by Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey.
As the preview goes on, the prosecutor is shown asking Candy if she liked Betty, to which she replies, “I had no angry feelings towards her, if that’s what the question is.”
“How would you characterize your relationship?” he continues. To this, Candy gives a one-word answer: “Friends.”
However, judging by the looks of the actress playing Betty, it doesn’t seem the feeling was mutual. In fact, true-crime fans know that the women’s friendship soured after Betty found out that Candy had been having an affair with her husband, Allan Gore.
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It’s a disturbing tale that made headlines across the nation in the ’80s, with the real-life Candy Montgomery being dubbed the “Texas axe murderer” by the media.
Writers Jim Atkinson and John Bloom covered the case in the Texas Monthly article “Love and Death in Silicon Prairie,” which is now being turned into a separate show for HBO Max. The six-episode series, titled “Love and Death,” is being written by “Big Little Lies'” David E. Kelley, who is also executive producing alongside Nicole Kidman.
In the HBO Max version, Elizabeth Olsen will play Candy opposite Lily Rabe’s Betty, with Jesse Plemons playing their on-screen love interest, Allan. Patrick Fugit, Keir Gilchrist, Elizabeth Marvel, Tom Pelphrey and Krysten Ritter round out the cast.
So far, the real-life Candy Montgomery hasn’t commented on the TV adaptations. According to multiple reports, she changed her last name and moved out of Texas following the trial
See “Candy” when the first episode premieres May 9 on Hulu, with the remaining episodes dropping each weeknight, ending with the finale on May 13.
