It’s been a long time coming and it seems like forever since we were teased with the new incarnation of the classic horror Candyman, this sequel of sorts stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Colman Domingo, directed by Nia DaCosta and a screenplay by Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld and Nia DaCosta.
For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighbourhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; HBO’s Watchmen, Us) and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris; If Beale Street Could Talk, The Photograph), move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.
With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer (Colman Domingo; HBO’s Euphoria, Assassination Nation) exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifyingly viral wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.
Say His Name … I Dare You!
I have always been a big fan of the original film since seeing it back in 1992, it was one of those horror films that did scare me and even today I still find it a very unnerving, but enjoyable film to watch. This new version of Candyman from Nia DaCosta isn’t a reboot as some may have thought at first, but it is a sequel of sorts to the 1992 film.
Right from the start of the film with the opening company titles you know that this is going to really play on the idea of the mirrors, the titles are all reversed as if you are seeing them in a mirror, which sets you up for the film that is about to begin.
The use of the shadow puppets to tell the story of the past is nicely done as is the flashbacks that take us back to Cabrini Towers and then bring us back to the present day, the myth and legend of Candyman has not changed, but then again it has, but I’m not going to go into that as it is a bit of a spoiler.
Candyman (2021) pulls in the story of the plight of those living in the exploited area and the film will be knocked for its WOKE-ness, but you can certainly feel Jordan Peele’s input to the story, DaCosta has done a superb job directing the movie and there are so many great moments with the use of the lighting, set shots and of course a great use of the mirrors and reflection to bring the Candyman to view, look out for subtle sightings in window reflections to give you that chill down your spine.
The cast is all superb, they certainly bring their characters to life on the big screen and work well with each other, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is great as Anthony, the artist that is exploiting the Candyman legend for his own artwork.
Having a sequel to the 1992 version wouldn’t be the same without the connection of the film and this is nicely done with the flashbacks that I mentioned earlier, not only that but we also have the connection with Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) as Anthony delves deeper into the myth, the character is nicely placed into the storyline to bring is the connections that make this a sequel of sorts.
Is Candyman (2021) Scary?
It all boils down to how jumpy you are when watching this genre of film, personally for me I found it quite tame compared to the 1992 film, although there are a couple of moments that will make people with a nervous disposition jump, which is down to the use of jump scares as loud noises or shouts blast from the speakers after very quiet moments.
Gore wise there are some moments that are fairly bloody as Candyman takes his victims lives with his legendary hooked hand, but again not as gory as it could’ve been for the content material, maybe this is down to the 15 certificate.
New Candyman Art and Artists Featurette
Universal Pictures presents, from Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures and Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld’s Monkeypaw Productions, in association with BRON Creative, Candyman. Candyman is directed by DaCosta, and is produced by Ian Cooper (Us), Rosenfeld and Peele. The screenplay is by Peele & Rosenfeld and DaCosta. The film is based on the 1992 film Candyman, written by Bernard Rose, and the short story “The Forbidden” by Clive Barker. The film’s executive producers are David Kern, Aaron L. Gilbert and Jason Cloth.
CANDYMAN is in cinemas now.
Say his name .. I Dare you
Movie title: Candyman (2021)
Movie description: A "spiritual sequel" to the horror film Candyman (1992) that returns to the now-gentrified Chicago neighbourhood where the legend began.
Date published: August 28, 2021
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 31min
Director(s): Nia DaCosta
Actor(s): Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Summary
Worth checking out if you are a fan of the 1992 original movie, it’s great to see it using the mythology from the first film and to make use of the characters that we came to know back then. Not as scary as I had hoped, but still a good movie to check out.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
