With a new Candyman reboot coming out this year, co-written by Jordan Peele, I thought it would be a good idea to visit the film that inspired this reboot in the first place.
I actually started this film awhile back, but on that day I was so tired that I didn’t get the film at all. Embarrassingly enough, I only made it through the first ten minutes. I was surfing Netflix and I saw the poster for it again, and I felt that it deserved my full attention this time.
The film opened to a beautiful, but also ominous ballad. I was surprised to notice that the score was by Philip Glass, one of my favorite composers. There is something sinister about this musical arrangement, but also slightly romantic in a Sweeney Todd type of way. This score is prevalent through out the runtime, but it is executed at the most convenient times in the film. It enhances the tone and mood of the characters onscreen.
The character we follow, namely Helen played by Virginia Madsen aren’t weighed down by the typical horror cliches we are used to. These are characters that are motivated, but don’t make the most idiotic decisions.
Helen plays a grad student who is doing a piece on the Candyman, as well as the folklore surrounding it. What starts as an interesting project that was made for academic purposes, turns into a investigative report with dire consequences. Through Helen’s research we come to understand the lives of those who have been affected by Candyman, and it makes this so called legend a lot more personal to those it has effected. Candyman’s identity remains hidden until, the second act of the film, which is where we get our first look at what he is capable of. The gore is effective, and the character of Candyman is played marvelously by Tony Todd, whose voice pierces the minds of all those who hear him.
Overall, Candyman is one of those horror films that may seem forgettable on the surface, but once you take the time to immerse yourself in this world, with these characters, you will come to find that there are things that make this film a hidden gem.
Cedric Cinema 