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(Reviewed by Eminem4569) - I already knew Candyman
was one of the most popular horror films of the 90’s. Then last winter
while browsing my employer’s (Hollywood Video) horror section Candyman
caught my eye. Being a huge horror fan I was wondering why I passed it up so
many times. Upon looking at the box, I remembered. Good old Clive Barker,
the man behind Hellraiser. Ewww. Anyhow, I decided to look past that. I am
glad I did as this really is a cinematic achievement.
Candyman tells the story of graduate student (Virginia Madsen) who is
studying urban legends and hears the story about Candyman. As the legend
goes his the spirit of a dead slave who had his hand cut off and replaced
with a hook and was covered with honey and stung to death by bees. Now when
you say his name 5 times in front of the mirror he appears... and the
massacre begins. The film really sets up the eerie tone better than even
some of the more accomplished horror films. It also helps that Tony Todd has
a chilling presence as The Candyman. I believe he ranks high on the list of
great modern horror actors with the likes of Donald Pleasence, Robert
Englund, Christopher Lee, Bruce Campbell, Brad Dourif and Peter Cushing.
By the early 1990’s the Slasher film had essentially died. 1989 featured a
string of heavy hitter franchises fail financially; Halloween 5 (11.64
million) Nightmare on Elm Street 5: Dream Child (22.16 million) and Friday
the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan (14.34 million). The problem was
that movie studios overloaded the market in the 1980’s with slasher films.
Halloween jumpstarted the surge and Friday the 13th cemented the
sub genre’s stay. However, soon their were many copycat films and by 1984
the genre was already tired, with both Myers and Voorhees meeting their
deaths for the first time in Halloween II and Friday the 13th:
The Final Chapter. However, when Wes Craven created A Nightmare on Elm
Street the genre was suddenly alive again and slasher films ran their course
again. Candyman came out around the time Freddy was dying and Jason went to
hell, studios last ditch effort to make a buck. It was also one of the few
slasher films at the time able to be taken seriously.
At their worst 1980s slasher flicks are true horror: shallow,
incomprehensible, clichéd and repulsive. However, at their best they are
deep, suspenseful, shocking and best represent the evils of the real world.
On the surface Candyman looks a lot like them. Like many slasher films the
exotic (in this case, supernatural) elements have been drained of all
romance. The ho-hum pale, everyday world is depicted very similar to many
other slashers. Candyman also has the hideous and nasty force that seems to
be lurking. There's the staple killer stalking its victims, toying with them
like a cat with a mouse. Then there's an awful lot of blood… actually
rivaling some of the best gore fests. These similarities are enough to link
Candyman to most slasher films.
The style of this film is amazing. From the pale white of Helen’s
(Virginia Madsen) apartment, to the slummy hood she visits and the
horrendous world of the Candyman, this film is beautifully and craftily
shot. It’s not a popcorn flick; the only person that takes pleasure in any
of the character’s death is Candyman himself. In fact, when one of the
characters dies it lingers, on the consequences, not on the anticipation.
The film isn’t always perfect as the ending feels like it belongs in
another the film. Also parts of the story near the end may not be the most
believable, though I didn’t too much care. I was just glad that this was
one of the few slashers of the 90's (along with Scream and New Nightmare)
that tried scaring me without insulting my intelligence.
*** 3 stars / 4 |
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(Reviewed by Snake-666) - Dark and atmospheric modern
horror masterpiece. This dark and unnerving horror outing based on
a story by Clive Barker and directed by Bernard Rose has quite rightly
earned a reputation as one of the best horror films of the Nineties.
The story follows Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen), a researcher for a
University as she works on her latest thesis regarding modern urban legends.
After hearing stories about the myth of the Candyman (Tony Todd) she and her
friend Bernadette Walsh (Kasi Lemmons) decide to investigate the myth
further. According to the legend if you stare into a mirror and recite the
word `candyman' five times then you will call him and he will come for you
so obviously that is what Helen decides to do, but it didn't work….or did
it?
‘Candyman' has to be credited as at least one of the top five horror films
of the 1990's due to its interesting and unnerving subject matter. The story
takes the ideas of harmless urban legends (much similar to the ‘Bloody
Mary' legend) and gives them an evil and physical form. While some people
have slated ‘Candyman' for ignoring its own rules I don't think it did.
‘Candyman' is not a straight forward horror film; there is an intricate
plot which requires thought to be fully understood. The Candyman is expected
to act one way but chooses to do otherwise, he plays games and confuses
people with riddles, why does he do this? Those are the type of things that
people make complaints about when talking about this film, he should do one
thing but does another, however the reasoning for this is explained in the
film if people look for the answer. ‘Candyman' itself is a rather
interesting and complex puzzle that needs thought to figure out.
Bernard Rose does a great job of creating an unnerving and dark atmosphere
which is complimented perfectly by the haunting music. The film has an
almost religious feel to it without actually being a religious-based movie
and an abundant sense of dread is created through some inventive and
impressive direction. Virginia Madsen's performance should be acknowledged
as well as she plays her role very well, even generating feelings of
sympathy for her character.
The only thing I'd say that this film lacks is character development. While
Madsen's character is developed well the other characters in the film,
including the Candyman himself, remain rather under-developed. While I will
agree that leaving a certain air of mystique to the Candyman is a good idea
and enhances the whole experience I feel that Bernadette and Trevor Lyle (Xander
Berkley) become almost unrelated characters. The relationships between Helen
and these two characters aren't explored enough and this I feel negatively
effected a couple of scenes where these were pivotal characters.
However, even taking that into consideration ‘Candyman' is definitely
worth watching for horror fans and even just casual movie fans. This is a
quite ingenious and thought-provoking movie that doesn't rely on gore and
cheap effects but rather its self-generated dark atmosphere to provide
tension and shocks. My rating for ‘Candyman' – 8/10 |
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