Candyman

 “They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What’s blood for if not for spilling?”

My original plan for this week’s review was to cover Nia DaCosta’s Candyman as it was to be released over the weekend. However, that film’s release date has unfortunately (though understandably) pushed back to June of next year and with any luck I’ll be able to cover it then. In the meantime, I figured this was a perfect time to revisit the original.

Candyman was written and directed by Bernard Rose (Paperhouse, Immortal Beloved) and based on the short story “The Forbidden” by Cliver Barker (Hellraiser) who served as a producer on the film. Candyman was made on a budget of roughly $8,000,000, made $5,404,320 upon opening, and went on to make $25,794,159 worldwide. Candyman was released to mostly positive reviews on October 16, 1992.

Candyman follows Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen, Dune), a graduate student researching urban legends, as she investigates the “Candyman”  (Tony Todd, Final Destination). According to the legend, saying Candyman’s name five times in front of a mirror will summon him and he will kill the summoner with a hook that replaces his hand. She discovers that Candyman was the son of a slave who became rich after the Civil War. He fell in love with a white woman and fathered a son with her and was killed by a lynch mob. In the end Helen discovers that she is the reincarnation of Candyman’s lover. She manages to defeat Candyman but is killed in the attempt, becoming a vengeful spirit herself that can be summoned in the same way.

I first saw Candyman two years ago as part of my annual October-long horror marathon two years ago. I enjoyed the film but I don’t think I really appreciated its depth. During this watch I appreciated the film a lot more.

Rose’s direction is excellent throughout, I particularly like his use of color (look out for reds, blues, and greens). Madsen and Todd both give wonderful performances and the supporting performances are also great, particularly Vanessa Estelle Williams (Our AmericaI) and Kasi Lemmons (The Silence of the Lambs). Philip Glass’ (The Hours) score is haunting and beautiful. Candyman is well-written and paced. The gore is done exceptionally well (the kills are gruesome) and it looks incredible. Some of the special effects (particularly the use of bees) have aged, but they don’t look terrible. 

Candyman deals with a lot of issues that we’re still experiencing today; the most obvious is the recurring theme of racial inequity but the film also deals with sexism and racism in academia. Candyman is a great movie and I look forward to seeing how Nia DaCosta has updated this story for today’s world.

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? Anne-Marie’s dog is beheaded (off screen) by Candyman.

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: The toilet full of bees. I legitimately jumped when Helen lifted that toilet seat.

• Not to sound like a dick, but I’m glad Helen’s husband Trevor (Xander Berkeley, 24) bought it at the end. Guy sucked.

• The blu-ray of Candyman included an unrated cut of the film. I decided to review the theatrical cut, but I am curious how different (if there are major differences) the unrated cut is. Thus far all of the films I’ve covered have been the theatrical cuts except for The Hills Have Eyes as I only own the unrated cut. For these reviews I plan on covering theatrical cuts but will specify if otherwise. I’m going to research the unrated cut and if it’s significantly different I may cover it in the future.

• I love the use of bees in this film. Symbolically I think bees are really interesting.

• Next Week: Throughout October I will be covering one entry of the Halloween franchise. Naturally I will be starting with the original: Halloween.