All I know about Candyman is that I saw the movie cover innumerable times at Blockbuster as a child and it ALWAYS freaked me out. I think bees are involved? And a hook, and maybe a mirror? And the great Tony Todd, whom I know better from the Final Destination films, and whose voice is one of the all-time great voices in horror or anywhere else. With the new Jordan Peele-produced Candyman coming out this year (maybe...if, you know, movies ever come out again during the apocalypse), I wanted to watch the original for the first time, so I’d have an idea of what I was getting into.
Basically a couple of grad students, Helen and Bernadette (Virginia Madsen and Kasi Lemmons), are studying local urban legends and folklore in Chicago when they find out about the legend of Candyman (Tony Todd), a murderous spirit that haunts the projects in Cabrini Green and the poor black folks who live there. As Helen digs deeper into the mystery, strange things start happening to her until she finally is forced to confront Candyman face-to-face and then things REALLY go off the rails. So is this a slasher movie filled with racial tension, the precursor to more cerebral horror fare like Get Out or Midsommar? Or is this more Eddie Murphy Vampire in Brooklyn 90s ridiculousness? Well...
Much more the former than the latter. There’s a lot of stuff going on here, and not all the ingredients in the smoothie work well together. There’s a lot of good - strong performances, some great set pieces, and some truly tense, nerve-wracking sequences. My 7-year-old self was definitely right to be super freaked out by that VHS cover.
Some thoughts:
Ok this Philip Glass soundtrack is already really unsettling and weird in a great way. It turns out the soundtrack is one of the elements that really makes this film memorable and stand out from typical slasher schlock.
Ah, it’s based on a story by Clive Barker, ok so this is gonna be violent and sexual and uncomfortable, got it. [Ed. note: this assessment was pretty accurate.]
I don’t understand in what universe you want to like, play a Bloody Mary type game when you’re about to have sex. Is that what turns some people on? I’m not here to kinkshame anyone, but I just feel like there are other ways to court a bit of danger during sex that don’t involve invoking a murderous mirror spirit.
I am loving these oversized sweaters. Was any decade better for oversized sweaters than the 90s?
The set design is really incredible - this derelict building in the Cabrini Green projects is eerie, there’s an oppressive presence and an abandoned feeling to it all at the same time. And Wife pointed out that man, people really loved painting walls pink in the 90s, you just don’t see that kind of pink anymore. This movie has a really rich feel to it, like all the decisions were made with real craft and care. I can definitely see how this had ripple effects on other atmospheric horror, especially in urban settings, later down the road.
I can’t help but feel like our white woman protagonist is a tourist in a world she doesn’t understand. That sense of not belonging is a big part of the horror here, and at first I was very uncomfortable that this was playing into racist stereotypes of the young blonde white woman being threatened by all the big bad black people. But instead, the film humanizes and offers an air of protectiveness over the residents of Cabrini Green, and in many ways it is Helen who is shown to be the dangerous and harmful outsider.
The jump scares are real, and very effective.
Um what grad student has business cards tho, c’mon now.
Ah yes, the Clive Barker of it all arriving right on time with this completely unasked for child mutilation.
I love Jake (DeJuan Guy) and his incredulousness. He’s a pretty fantastic and emotive child actor.
Can I just say, Helen is really really out of Trevor’s (Xander Berkeley) league. I don't know what she sees in him. And it skeeves me out that he’s a professor and she’s a grad student because, although it’s never explicitly spelled out, I would bet a million dollars that she was his student.
Man, Candyman looking fly as hell with that fur trimmed coat and those shiny black shoes. “Be my victim” ok, Tony Todd, ok, I’m on board!
OH NO THERE IS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE TO A DOG. IT’S VERY GRAPHIC AND SUDDEN AND UPSETTING EVEN THOUGH IT’S FAKE LOOKING.
There’s also a lot of tasteful sideboob if you’re into that sort of thing.
You know, grad school was a stressful time for me, but at least I can say I was never woke up covered in blood and was accused of murder.
This dramatic motherfucker flying out the window backwards. Between this and the outfit, Candyman is extra AF.
I can’t get over how much Virginia Madsen resembles Gillian Anderson in early X-Files days. It’s similar facial structure and those big eyes, sure, but a lot of it is this hair as well. As any millenial lesbian can tell you, Gillian Anderson in early X-Files days was Very Important to our cause, so uh, I’m pretty into Helen’s whole vibe honestly.
At first I thought this was going to be about racial symbolism and Candyman being a physical embodiment of the horrors inflicted upon the black community in urban environments, but thigs get muddy with this whole murder plot and framing of Helen as this victim of some supernatural conspiracy theory, and I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to take from it? But damn, this is compelling and stressful.
OK but if she’s been in the hospital for a month, then this baby has been in this dirty ass room for a month with only a dramatic hook spectre man taking care of him? What did he feed baby Anthony?? I happen to know that he’s covered in bees and babies can’t eat honey.
Why do they have a giant paperclip on their wall as decoration?
The actor who plays Trevor, Xander Berkeley, is so burned in my memory as the foster dad from Terminator 2 that I keep expecting him to make the same dumb face while he’s covered in blood (because let’s face it, I’m expecting EVERYONE to die in this movie, and he’s been particularly shitty) and ope time almost ran out but there it is! 1991/1992 were the glory days for this guy dying bloody in movies.
Did I Cry? No, but I was VERY distressed about that dog :(
Overall, I can definitely see why this has entered the cult classic pantheon. Strong central performances from Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd carry a lot of this film, but there are elements that I’m still confused about, mainly due to a muddled and overstuffed plot. The racial injustice and lynching feels like rich material to draw from but then why is the belief in Candyman yielding the murders of other black people living in Cabrini Green? I would think the vengeance would be on the heads of the folks who actually did the lynching. Why did he have to kidnap the baby? Was it for leverage to get Helen to do what he wanted? Surely someone she had a stronger personal connection to - Bernadette, probably - would have been a wiser choice? And if, instead, this is all some Dracula-esque plot to reconnect with the reincarnated spirit of his long lost love, what on earth was all this other bullshit about? It’s a movie that works best when you don’t ask too many questions about it, and the soundtrack and visuals - especially that mouthful of bees - are ones that are going to stick in my memory for a long time.
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Tony Todd is a legend, this movie is a must watch because of him (though Virginia Madsen puts up a good fight). I watched this classic in honor of his passing and was not disappointed. The pacing in the beginning is a little slow which seems more common in older films (new horror movies cut right to the chase, sometimes literally). Tonight, go ahead and treat yourself to some candy, man, you’ve earned it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The movie is centered around the study of urban legends, in this case the Candyman legend (much like the real life Bloody Mary urban legend) where you must say his name five (5) times in front of a mirror and then he will appear behind you (to murder you). A solid gag but never worth the risk in my opinion. Just keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut when looking in a mirror is what I say (candymancandymancandymancandymancandyman).
Our protagonist Helen pretty much immediately summons the Candyman but he won’t actually show up for quite some time. Enough time for us to find out his backstory, (but not quite why he was called the Candyman? I guess because he was so sweet before he went so rotten?) we find out he had a grizzly death but before that got a hook hand (Eep!). Also Helen and her best friend Bernadette just trespass like crazy, it is nuts, but hey, it was the 90’s! They meet a nice lady, Anne-Marie with an adorable baby and a dog… Anne-Marie helps them with their research and off they go.
A little more nonsense happens before, “Helen.” Tony Todd is exquisite and will be sorely missed. His voice is somehow smooth and coarse as he lulls both us and Helen into a stupor just by simply being. It is a truly awesome scene, the parking garage, so simple and yet, gut wrenching. Helen wakes up in Anne-Marie's home, covered in blood, the dog is dead and the baby is gone! Everyone thinks Helen is to blame but she knows it was that damn Candyman! But how will she prove it?
Now that Tony Todd is here things are really cooking but for some reason he won’t kill Helen, he wants her to give herself to him. It was such a slow start that the jumpscare nearly an hour in just about restarted my heart. Poor Bernadette getting the supporting character treatment all movie and then getting split from groin to gullet, she didn’t deserve that at all. Now Helen is really in trouble because they think she killed her best friend (not just a dog). Helen gets hospitalized for apparently over a month with heavy sedation drugs.
Using quick thinking and rationale, Helen summons Candyman again and he kills a man and breaks a window, but she actually does manage to escape so it worked, I guess! Then she finds out her hubby is cheating on her with one of his students (barf) so she goes off to sacrifice herself to Candyman to save the baby. WACK. For some reason he doesn’t kill her again though and takes the baby and they are all in the fire but she shoves him off and crawls out, saving the child before dying. Also there is a spunky little boy there who is so stinking cute and he gets more respect than Bernadette it felt like, he is the one that set the fire and burned Helen but also killed Candyman so… okay?
Either way, all of Anne-Marie and the people from the fire came to Helen's funeral to pay their respects, even the little kid gave Helen a suspicious hook from the burn pile. In the end the shitty husband is all forlorn that his wife that he cheated on “went crazy” and died saving a baby from a fire so he is moaning her name in the mirror when all of a sudden (after uttering her name five (5) times) who should appear, but good old Helen to rip ya from groin to gullet! Love that the cheating husband gets his in the end.
Possible Spoliers.
An artist begins to explore a ghost story about a supernatural, hook-handed killer but soon finds out there is more to the macabre history of Candyman, unleashing a terrifying wave of violence.
Director Nia DaCosta; with restraint, a budget and a visually understated approach deepens and expands the Candyman franchise’s mythology while paying homage along the way. It’s a…
[Podcast] What's My Name, What's My Name? (Patreon Exclusive)
[Podcast] What’s My Name, What’s My Name? (Patreon Exclusive)
In a continuation of this week’s episode of Nightmare on Film Street – Say My Name, Say My Name: Candyman vs. Beetlejuice, join us for a Patreon Exclusive companion episode! Kim and Jon keep the conversation going by discussing both films, and playing a little game called What’s my Name, What’s my Name!
Be sure to listen this week’s full-length episode, available to everyone! Let us know your…
Even for those who aren't die-hard fans of the horror genre, the clever ideas within Candyman make it worth seeing – as long as you’re comfortable with ample gore. The more I think about this movie and the different choices it makes, the more I like it.
Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) and her friend Bernadette (Kasi Lemmons) are completing their thesis on urban legends by investigating a local story about the "Candyman". Following a trail of strange murders, Helen begins suspecting the killer with a hook for a hand which can -allegedly- be summoned if his name is uttered in a mirror five times (Tony Todd) may be real, which is crazy... right?
There are times when this film by Bernard Rose is a little too similar to A Nightmare on Elm Street, also about a supernatural killer whose name is whispered among the locals. What makes Candyman stand on its own nonetheless are elements beneath the surface. You can’t miss the social commentary present. The Candyman murders are happening in dilapidated Chicago projects, the legend of the Candyman is tied to lynching murders, and the villain himself is black - how many of those do we have? I can only think of one, the evil clown Killjoy (whose movies are so awful you’d rather gouge out your eyes than watch them). Also intriguing is the killer’s appearance. Not a burn victim or a rotting corpse, he’s handsome, seductive. This adds a tragic element to the tale. He is like so many criminals who, had they grown up in a different place or time, could’ve been decent people but instead must be perpetually violent to prove themselves and stay relevant among those they simultaneously depend on, and prey upon.
Looking at Candyman simply as a horror film, it’s effective. While Helen follows the trail of breadcrumbs that lead to the truth about the supernatural being, she encounters a number of disturbing tales. Patterns and recurring visuals among them make you uneasy and they’re made more effective by the brutality of the kills we see. Tony Todd – whom you'll recognize from the Final Destination series – is great. He’s got enormous presence on-screen and that silky smooth voice cements him as a memorable movie monster. The heroine is also compelling. Lesser performances from Madsen and the rest of the cast could’ve made this a run-of-the-mill picture. It’s got all of the ingredients of something that would’ve come and gone, but it doesn’t. The unique score by Philipp Glass amps to the fascination factor.
Some ideas brought up in the conclusion don’t work and it might’ve been a better film had the truth about what’s going on been less obvious. In some ways, however, the quirks, such as the Candyman’s fascination with bees, are what make it stand out. Like the titular legend, Candyman is a film worth investigating. (On DVD, July 24, 2018)
