It is not uncommon for a major network or a streaming service to develop a film or series surrounding a real-life crime case. Some famous movies and series based on crime cases were Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 and The Keepers, Lifetime’s Cleveland Abduction, 2007’s Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo starrer Zodiac, and many more. One such case that made headlines was the gruesome murder of Betty Gore back in 1980, famously known as the Candy Montgomery case. The 1990s Stephen Gyllenhaal-directed television film A Killing In A Small Town was based on this case.

Over three decades after its release, we are back again with new shows based on this case. However, what’s unusual this time is that Candy Montgomery’s case is made into a series by not one but two networks almost simultaneously.

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Hulu’s Candy, starring Jessica Biel, and HBO’s Love and Death, starring Elizabeth Olsen, are both based on the Montgomery case. The former beat the latter by releasing all the episodes last month in May. HBO’s Love and Death is due to release sometime this year. Since the show is based on the same case, will it have the same storyline? Or are the directors approaching it differently? Let’s talk about how Candy and Love and Death differ from each other. But before that, let’s briefly delve into the dark details of this murder case to know what the case is about.

The True Story of Candy Montgomery

     HBO Max

On June 13, 1980, Allan, Betty Gore’s husband, was away on a business trip. He could not reach his wife back home in Texas, which wasn’t like her. He requested his neighbors to check up on her by evening, fearing her safety. They were the ones who found her bloody body along with a three-foot ax. They also discovered Gore’s one-year-old daughter, who was unattended for hours.

Further investigation revealed that Betty was struck 41 times with the ax. Though Candy and Betty were friends, Candy began an affair with Betty’s husband, Allan, in December 1978 and lasted until October 1979. Candy was the last person who saw Betty alive that morning when she dropped by their home to run an errand. The police even found her fingerprint matching a bloody one at the crime scene. Two weeks after the murder, Candy was arrested and became the prime suspect.

Telling the Story Two Different Ways

     Hulu

Since the two shows are based on the same case, they will obviously be compared. However, Hulu’s Candy writer Robin Veith is “actually excited” about it, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Veith says:

She continued stating that the writers did not feel any pressure or competition since they already “had a take and a story that we wanted to tell.”

There is one major difference between Candy and Love and Death as far as differences go. While HBO’s take on the case, which is due later this year, is majorly based on the Texas Monthly article “Love and Death in Silicon Prairie,” Hulu’s Candy has taken another route by mostly covering the psychological aspects of this case.

“There was something about this story, about a woman’s explosive rage at 10 o’clock in the morning, seemingly over very little,” Veith said, “that felt apropos of the #MeToo moment of like, ‘Hey, we can actually talk about this feminine rage, this female rage that we carry around with us that we’re not supposed to acknowledge.'”

Betty Gore’s Family: The Real-Life Impact

As much as we look forward to both these true-crime adaptations, they haven’t exactly been easy on Betty Gore’s family. As Stephanie McNeal’s Buzzfeed News report states, other than the 1990 television film, the case wasn’t in the limelight for the last four decades. However, with these two shows releasing in the same year have made matters worse for the family.

“Betty’s loved ones weren’t looking to dredge up their trauma over her death, and one family member told me they don’t understand why they now have to do so more than 40 years later. But apparently, the case makes for a good story, and for some, that is what’s important,” says McNeal, adding: “Betty’s family is still living with the aftermath of her death. They aren’t quite sure why the tragedy is now being turned into multiple TV shows. A family member, who asked to remain anonymous to protect their privacy, told me that they personally were not contacted before either series was made, nor were they informed that the projects were in the works.”