KANDY GRIMSBY

"KANDY GRIMSBY" DREAD HOLLOW CHATTANOOGA, TN.

Kandy Grimsby: The Sticky-Sweet Slasher
"The clown with your face... and your fate."
In the festering shadows of Dread Hollow, Kandy Grimsby grew up idolizing circus clowns. Bozo the clown was his hero, the laughter, the joy, the painted-on smiles. But life dealt Kandy a cruel twist: he was severely allergic to clown makeup. The one thing that brought him joy also brought him pain.
Being born a Grimsby, however, meant pain was just part of life.
The Grimsby family’s meat-processing farm fell on hard times in the early 2000s, and by 2006, cows were scarce... but tourists were not. So, the Grimsbys adapted. They lured in tourists from the neighboring Ruby Falls with false promises of “farm-fresh BBQ” and served human meat instead of beef.
Kandy and his younger brother Lucious shared that same love of clowns, twisted reflections of innocence, but neither could ever truly become one. So, they turned their pain into purpose. Kandy would flay the faces of victims, stitching them over his own so he could finally wear makeup without reacting. Lucious, ever the showman, would help him prepare the “stage” for the slaughter.
Together, the Grimsby brothers were known as the Shepherd Dogs—guiding their “guests” toward the slaughterhouse with unsettling cheer. Their act became infamous: they'd slide at victims' full speed, shooting sparks from their gloves, laughing as they closed in. A performance as flashy as it was fatal.
To take things even further to lure prey, Kandy would bathe in melted cotton candy, reeking of sugary sweetness to attract the curious. He was sticky-sweet and wide-eyed, a broken child in a butcher's skin. Lucious was quieter—calculating, controlling, the ringmaster to his brother’s chaos.
Once the gates shut behind you, you were part of their show. And no one ever made it to the final act. The Grimsby Meat Market is open and you're on the menu.