Bernard Rose’s Candyman is based on Clive Barker’s “The Forbidden,” a short story set in Liverpool that examines the British class system. However, Rose expertly changes the film’s setting to early 1990s Chicago and skillfully incorporates racial and socioeconomic themes into the usual horror tropes to create a cult classic that ranks among the finest horror outings of the 1990s and is still relevant today.
Helena Lyle (Virginia Madsen) is a doctoral student at the University of Illinois in Chicago researching a thesis on local legends and myths. She learns about an urban legend named Candyman (Tony Todd), an urban legend about a one-armed man who appears when his name is said five times and murders the person who summons him. Locals claim he is responsible for the murder of some of the residents of the dangerous Cabrini-Green housing project. At first, Helen is dubious of believing in the myths and urban legends, but when she visits Cabrini-Green and begins her investigation, a horrible spate of murders begins.
What makes this film visually appealing even now is the directors’ commitment and quest for authenticity, to the point where the film was shot in the real-life location of the dangerous Cabrini-Green neighborhood in Chicago, thoroughly immersing the viewer in that world. As a result, that location becomes an essential character in the film and evokes a sense of pure terror; each visit to Cabrini-Green is a pit of horror, sending shivers down your spine. Consider the scene in which Helen and her friend Bernadette (Kasi Lemmons) visit the place for the first time. The director takes his sweet time and follows the two characters, starting from the outside of the building to the murder site of one of Candyman’s victims, allowing the audience to completely engulf themselves in the atmosphere and experience the terror that permeates the area. Even more horrifying is Helen’s solo expedition scene into the hole beyond the wall to snap photographs of the crime scene, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats as they worry about her safety from the Candyman.
Additionally, the sequence that introduces the character of Anna Marie (Vanessa Estelle Williams) and the thought of her being a single mother attempting to raise her child in this hellish world of Cabrini-Green and a neighbor of one of Candyman’s victims will give you nightmares. The film’s realism is enhanced by incorporating real-life occurrences. In real life, the buildings did have a concealed door behind the bathroom window, which robbers (replaced by Candyman in the film) used to steal and murder locals.
Things take a dark turn when Candyman shows up in the second act—who has one of the most terrifying entrance scenes for a devil, and that too in broad daylight in the middle of a parking lot. The film then delves into psychological horror territory, with Helen’s obsession with Candyman driving her insane, losing contact with reality, and finding herself in strange places at strange times, culminating in some terrifying scenes of horror and violence. As a result of her obsession, the last act seamlessly merges her story with Candyman’s, with her eventually taking his place.
At its core, Candyman is about the racial inequality that has plagued the African-Americans in America and how segregation and isolation brought about by discriminatory government policies have left a community feeling hopeless and in a state of despair. This is illustrated by the fact that despite the architectural similarities between Cabrini-Green and the Lincoln Tower, where Helen resides (both share a concealed passageway behind the restroom mirror), their economic conditions couldn’t be more different. While Helen’s place is thriving and abundant, Cabrini-Green is wallowing in poverty and neglect, leading to horrific acts of violence and murder. The film also explores how an entire community begins to attribute their everyday problems and horrors to a mythological entity and how Candyman capitalizes on this and grows stronger by spreading terror to the locals. Candyman comes across as a vengeful spirit who has returned to haunt and resurrect the traumas of slavery (something that he went through), embodying the lingering wounds of racial injustice.
On the other hand, Helen represents the white people’s complicity and their neglect towards the suffering of the African Americans. She leads a privileged lifestyle and, despite visiting the impoverished Cabrini-Green, fails to acknowledge the atrocities endured by the residents, let alone help them. Instead, Helen exploits the myth of Candyman for her profit. As a result, in Helen’s pursuit of answers about Candyman, she is indirectly responsible for all of the horrors that take place in the film, including the killings of some of the characters. Although she does have a redemption arc towards the conclusion, her ignorance and carelessness essentially make her guilty of inflicting trauma on the sufferers.
Thanks to his thorough characterization and Tony Todd’s superb acting performance, Candyman is easily one of the most memorable villains in horror film history. He is also an empathetic and romantic character owing to his background as the son of a slave, who had exceptional painting skills and was asked to portray the virginal beauty of a wealthy white man’s daughter. They ultimately fell in love and had a child, which infuriated his father. As a result, he dispatched a lynch mob to pursue him, which mutilated his hand and coated him with honeycomb, attracting bees that stung him to death. His body was eventually burnt on a pyre. Additionally, Tony Todd’s hypnotic and commanding voice and his domineering screen presence give him an air of menace and intimidation.
Virginia Madsen also gives a convincing performance as Helen Lyle, a doctoral student researching about urban legends. She does justice to her character arc by displaying a wide range of emotions as she progresses from an ordinary researcher to an integral part of Candyman’s story, which has terrible consequences for her.
Candyman movie links: Letterboxd, Wikipedia
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