Skip to main content

Candyman

A review by Brooks Rich

Some people might look at this film and go.....Oh please....a slasher film from the '90s. No thanks!

Candyman is not a slasher film. It is a haunting and very dark film about legends and the power of people's beliefs. It asks about the cost of immortality, what it means to be immortal. Candyman is similar to Freddy Krueger.... he gains power from people's belief in him, but there is no humor in this character. He is tragic and his backstory is heartbreaking and horrific. 

Grad student Helen Lyle, played by Virginia Madsen, is doing a thesis on urban legends, specifically the legend of Candyman. Her investigation takes her to the infamous Cabrini-Green housing project in Chicago's inner city, where a criminal calling himself Candyman uses the urban legend to spread terror among the residents. When Helen causes this criminal to fall and in some way debunks the myth, the real Candyman appears to her, asking her to join him in immortality. 

Horror was at an odd place in the 1990s, especially in the early '90s. The slasher boom was dying.....those films were becoming parodies of themselves. It wouldn't be until Scream where the tropes were turning against the genre of the slasher, but were also managing to tell a pretty frightening slasher tale. Candyman might have a hook that he dispatches his victims with, but this is not a slasher film. This is a modern day gothic story. Instead of being set in an old castle in Europe, it's set in a housing project in Chicago. 

Director Bernard Rose has an amazing eye. The film is gorgeous. Elevating Candyman beyond just another generic horror film, it is the cinematography which lured me in. There are some truly evocative and stunning shots in this film, such as the painting with it's mouth open in Cabrini-Green and the bees on Candyman's exposed chest. 

Tony Todd's performance as Candyman is fantastic. His voice is perfect for the role and he never really plays him as malicious. Candyman doesn't seem to delight in dispatching his victims. It's just how it is. For the scene between Helen and Candyman, Bernard Rose would hypnotize Virginia Madsen before every take, so it seems that Candyman really does have a sort of power over her. 

This film is playing on Netflix right now. Be warned. This is a very dark and brutal film. It is not a happy watch.... but if you have a taste for horror, perhaps check this one out. I feel it doesn't get the credit it's due. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Forgotten Film Friday: Absolute Power

Clint Eastwood stars as Luther Whitney, a jewel thief who works in the Washington DC area. One night while he is stealing from a mansion he is forced to hide in a secret compartment with a two way mirror. From there he observes a sexual rezendevous with the wife of a powerful man and the President of the United States Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman) Suddenly the president gets aggressive and while defending herself the woman is shot to death by two Secret Service agents. Luther manages to get away with a letter opener the woman stabbed the president with. At first Luther plans to flee the country. But when he is disgusted by a statement the president makes, Luther decides to expose the crime. I miss these kind of films. The nineties was a great time for thrillers exactly like this. They are not the flashiest films but they are also not obsessed with big action scenes. It's all plot and character with them. Sure this plot might be a little out there but Eastwood makes it work. He's...
1 comment
Read more

Oscar Bait month: The Shipping News

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich Lasse Hallstrom is one of those directors I think is incredibly talented but his films normally don't do a thing for me. There just always that comes up short for me, whether its the story or how its shot or the acting or something. Most people will know Hallstrom as the director of What's Eating Gilbert Grape, the breakout role of Leonardo Dicaprio. That is probably my favorite of his films. I know everyone loves Chocolat. Great, enjoy, I think it's lame. But today let's discuss his follow up to The Cider House Rules, his film from 1999 which did very well come awards season, and Chocolat. Both of these films did very well, especially The Cider House Rules. The big reward it got was Best Supporting Actor for Michael Caine. It also won Best Adapted Screenplay for John Irving. This isn't fair to Cider House Rules but I think it's overrated as far as nominations go. 1999 is one of the greatest years in cinema and really? We nominate...
Post a Comment
Read more

John Travolta month: Saturday Night Fever

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich So this was not the big start of John Travolta's career. That would be the classic sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. But this did elevate Travolta to another level. For any of you going oh come on. This silly movie with a disco soundtrack? Come on, Brooks. Just wait. Have you ever actually seen this? This isn't about disco. Disco just happens to be the music of choice. This about the kind of people who are kings at the dance clubs and then losers the rest of the time. There is a lot of darkness and truth in this film. So if you've never seen it please. Do yourself a flavor and check it out. Just watch it and then come back to read this.  This is a movie about the different types of people we become between our real lives and our weekend lives. Tony Manero is a regular working class guy in a Brooklyn neighborhood, struggling to make ends meet and dealing with his loving but at times overbearing family. He lives in the shadow of his priest brother. ...
Post a Comment
Read more