CANDYMAN

CANDYMAN is a direct sequel to the supernatural horror film CANDYMAN released in 1992, based on a short story “The Forbidden” which is included in volume 5 of BOOKS OF BLOOD (1984 – 1985), a collective original stories written by British author Clive Barker. Although after the success of CANDYMAN led to the expansion with two sequels; CANDYMAN: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and CANDYMAN: Day of the Dead (1999), both became box office bombs.

Virginia Madsen as HELEN LYLE

Let’s rewind back to twenty-nine years ago to the year 1992, at the beginning of CANDYMAN which many may not have seen or already have forgotten, the story of a graduate student, Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) and Bernadette Walsh (Kasi Lemmons) researching for their thesis on urban legends.

Virginia Madsen as HELEN LYLE & Kasi Lemmons as BERNADETTE WALSH

Helen comes across a folklore about Candyman, a spirit who is believed that would appear when a person says his name five times in front of a mirror, and kill that person using a hook attached to the bloody stump of his right arm. This is the time before Internet, so rumors are everywhere without anything to prove except old news clippings on microforms in the library. Skeptical about the legend, Helen and Bernadette try repeatedly saying Candyman to Helen’s bathroom mirror, but nothing happens.

Vanessa Williams as ANNE-MARIE MCCOY

So they decide to goes to Cabrini-Green housing project after hearing a rumor that a woman named Ruthie Jean was killed, presumably by Candyman. They meet Anne-Marie McCoy (Vanessa Williams), a single mother raising her infant son Anthony, and learn that she is the one who called the police when she heard the screaming but nobody came to rescue.

Michael Culkin as PHILIP PURCELL

Helen, her husband Trevor (Xander Berkeley), and Bernadette have dinner with Professor Philip Purcell (Michael Culkin), an expert on the Candyman legend who shares with them his research about Candyman who’s believed born in 1890 as slave’s son, his father got rich from the invention of a machine for mass-producing of shoes. Candyman was sent to the best school, growing up with a prodigious talent in portrait painting. Candyman was commissioned by a wealthy white man to capture his daughter’s virginal beauty. But Candyman and the young daughter fell in love deeply and she became pregnant. The father was furious, he paid a pack of brutal hooligans to hunt down Candyman whom was soon captured in the town of Cabrini-Green where they sawed his right hand with a rusty blade. Then they smashed the bee hives and stole honeycomb to smear it all over Candyman’s naked body. Candy was stung to death by the bees, they burned his body and scattered his ashes over Cabrini-Green.

Helen returns to Cabrini-Green to talk to Anne-Marie McCoy but she is attacked by a man who called himself the Candyman. She survives the assault, and the police arrest the man who in fact is the head of the gang. Her story becomes headlines on newspapers, the police assume that he is also responsible for other murders that people believe to be Candyman’s.

However the real Candyman (Tony Todd) appears and tells her that she must be held responsible for the destruction of his legend. Helen blacks out and finds herself covered in blood when she awakens in Anne-Marie’s apartment. Anne-Marie cries and attacks Helen accusing her of abducting her son Anthony. Helen fights back and hurts Anne-Marie with a meat cleaver when the police break down the door and arrest Helen.

Tony Todd as CANDYMAN & Virginia Madsen as HELEN LYLE

Helen escapes from a psychiatric hospital and returns to Cabrini-Green to find the boy. Candyman makes a false promise that he will spare the child if she trades her life for the baby which she agrees, although Candy intends to kill them both in a bonfire. Helen successful saves the baby’s life, but she dies from severe burns.

Teyonah Parris as BRIANNA CARTWRIGHT & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as ANTHONY MCCOY

In 2019, an artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) lives with Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris), his girlfriend, an art gallery director. One night, Brianna’s younger brother Troy (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) comes over with his new boyfriend Kyle (Grady Greenberg) and shares an urban legend about Helen Lyle, a graduate student who searched for Candyman but went crazy killing people with a hook. She escaped, stole a baby, and went on a killing spree in Cabrini-Green before attempting to sacrifice the baby. The resident managed to rescue the baby, but Helen died in the fire.

Colman Domingo as WILLIAM BURKE

Anthony is under the pressure that he hasn’t been able to create new art piece in two years. Desperately, he draws his attention toward an urban legend of Candyman. He roams around Cabrini-Green searching for a creative spark he can use, he gets stung by a bee while photographing the empty houses. Later he meets William Burke (Colman Domingo), a laundromat owner whom tells him about Sherman Fields (Michael Hargrove), a hook-handed man, a victim of a crime he didn’t commit. After Sherman was beaten to death, children still got hurt, they realized that Sherman is innocent. Sherman has became a myth of Candyman implying that if somebody says Candyman five times to a mirror, Sherman will appear and claim the summoner’s life.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as ANTHONY MCCOY & Rebecca Spence as FINLEY STEPHENS

Anthony creates an art exhibit at Brianna’s art gallery based on Candyman’s urban legend incorporated with horrific paintings hidden behind a mirror. His art doesn’t get much appreciation from audience and art critic. That night, two people get slaughtered after saying Candyman five times in the mirror. The name of Anthony becomes headlines of the news, people start talking about the legend which spreads like a wildfire. More people are mysteriously killed including an art critic Finley Stephens (Rebecca Spence) and a group of teenage girls.

William Burke reveals that there are others who have been dubbed as the Candyman throughout history, but the story Helen found, Daniel Robitaille is the first Candyman.

Vanessa Williams as ANNE-MARIE MCCOY

Arther learns that his mother Anne-Marie lied about his birthplace and confronts her about it. Anne-Marie confesses that it was Helen who saved him from Candyman, twenty-seven years ago. After that tragic incident, all residents Cabrini-Green vowed to never speak his name again. But someone broke the pact, Anthony can feel it in his heart that Candyman is coming for him.

CANDYMAN serves as a great sequel with a well-constructed story expanding into much deeper and darker realm of the urban legend. It delivers spine-chilling vibe in storytelling with slick shadow puppetry. I love the attention to detail from the very beginning of the film where the song Candyman (Sammy Davis Jr.) is playing over a mirrored version of Metro Goldwyn Mayer logo foreshadowing how Candyman appears in the mirror.

The director Nia DaCosta who also penned the script with Win Rosenfeld and Jordan Peele, takes CANDYMAN to another level of horror. She cleverly uses cinematography, misdirection, superb framing, and revolting sound to create horrific images in our mind showing us that what we don’t see could be worse than what’s on the screen. I’m impressed with Brianna character played by Teyonah Parris, she feels like a real human who normally wouldn’t do ridiculous things such as summoning evil spirit or going down a pitch black basement.

CANDYMAN premiered at S.O.U.L Film Festival on August 22, 2021. The film was theatrically released in the U.S. on August 27, 2021, and made available as Video On Demand on September 17, 2021.