Thoughts : Candyman (1992)
While horror is a universally loved genre, the Black voice has been largely absent over the years. There have been notable moments that stand out throughout the course of horror history : Ben in Night of the Living Dead, Dick Hollorann in The Shining and Blacula all had impact on a grand scale. In 1992, an iconic character made his way onto the horror scene that eventually opened the door for characters like Blade, and eventually, films like Get Out and Us... this character was the titular focus of the Bernard Rose cult classic Candyman.
There is a very interesting subversion taking place in the film in regard to the validity of Candyman as an entity versus the very real crime taking place in the Illinois and Indiana area. Immediately we are hit with secondhand tales of Candyman (bolstered by traditional urban legends like alligators in the sewer system), with a key detail of the Candyman story being a wake of solitary “witnesses” that soon lose their sanity. As mentioned previously, real crimes are used to support the campfire tales of Candyman and his trail of terror, with stories like Ruthie Jean’s not only having news coverage, but direct debunking of the supernatural aspects such as Helen Lyle’s medicine cabinet apartment access. Funny enough, Helen ventures headlong into the very real terror that is Cabrini Green, completely oblivious to the actual danger that exists in her blind pursuit of validation. Much like the survivor of the Illinois story, Helen eventually finds herself the victim of insanity, and through this unreliable narrator presentation, one wonders if Helen may have actually been capable of committing the crimes that take place during her exploits.
As a new entry to the larger spectrum of horror, Candyman hits the nail on the head for many of the key aspects that make a good movie monster. If looked at in silhouette, there are many monsters and unsavory characters that immediately come to mind : Nosferatu, legendary pirates like Blackbeard and Michael Myers all share similar statures upon first glance. The grotesque nature of his hooked hand and bee infestation make him repulsive upon sight, and even more so when attempts to process and comprehend him take place. His backstory matches that of a many horror staples who were created by the swift and vicious hand of mob justice. The rules upon summoning him are somehow both specific and vague simultaneously : it is known you must say his name five times, but based on the first kill we see, it apparently doesn’t have to be the same person that says the name, and based on the experience of Helen, he will either show up instantly or take his sweet time. He can appear at will wherever he seemingly likes, and in one instance he flies out of a room, and yet he is (seemingly) conquered via the use of fire, ironically once again at the hands of mob justice. It is this mixture of elements, not to mention the copycat Candyman that threatens the citizens of Cabrini Green and assaults Helen, that make him such an instantly powerful figure in the realm of horror.
Films like Candyman can be used to study how one builds tension and sets mood in multiple facets. To be fair, using Philip Glass to score your film is an immediate win, and his score elevates the level of tension and expectation from the film’s opening moments. The city of Chicago is used to great effect, with its rich history, distinct look and economic disparity all helping to build two worlds : the academic world of curious outsiders going to great lengths to make sense of the senseless violence in Cabrini Green, and the world of the disenfranchised people forced to live eye to eye with the terror, be it supernatural or otherwise. The iconic fur-lined trench coat and hook on the hand make the Candyman character design stand out, giving him a dominating and intimidating presence that resonates outside of the screen.
Virginia Madsen, unknowingly or not, channels some deep-seeded tension born of the way that relationships between Black men and White women are considered taboo, with her gaze and fascination communicated through her acting having both a direct meaning and tons of subtext. Standing opposite her is Tony Todd, who brings a Shakespearean grandeur to his portrayal of Candyman that puts viewers in awe of him in a very similar way that those he terrorizes feel. Kasi Lemmons does a good job of standing as the voice of reason for Madsen’s Helen without leaning into the role of a nagging or spineless character, often providing reason and insight to Helen’s blind pursuit. DeJuan Guy is surprisingly powerful as a young man frozen in fear by an outwardly misperceived terror that Helen fails to comprehend. Supporting performances by Xander Berkeley, Vanessa Estelle Williams, Gilbert Lewis, Carolyn Lowery, Stanley DeSantis and many more make the world of Candyman as visceral as it is terrifying.
I’m planning on seeing the updated Candyman tonight, but it didn’t feel right going into that film without at least a brief return to the original property. I revisited initially via Primm’s Hood Cinema on YouTube, but after a think piece about the subtext in Candyman by Say Something Media, it felt like the film needed a proper viewing and not just a refresher. Much like when it was released, Candyman still manages to split the audience, but I find myself on the side that always loved the film, and still do.
