Candyman

Candyman

Anthony and his partner move into a loft in the now gentrified Cabrini-Green. After a chance encounter with an old-timer exposes Anthony to the true story behind Candyman, he unknowingly opens a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence.

  • Released: 2021-08-25
  • Runtime: 91 minutes
  • Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thrillers
  • Stars: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Kyle Kaminsky, Vanessa Williams, Brian King, Miriam Moss, Rebecca Spence, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Christiana Clark, Michael Hargrove, Rodney L Jones III, Ireon Roach, Breanna Lind, Heidi Grace Engerman, Sarah Lo, Malic White, Mark Montgomery, Torrey Hanson, Cassie Kramer, Sarah Wisterman, Cedric Mays, Alec Silver, Hannah Love Jones, J. Nicole Brooks, Pamela Jones, Genesis Denise Hale, Katherine Purdie, Tien Tran, Mike Geraghty, Aaron Crippen, Dan Fierro, Nadia Simms, Nancy Pender, Johnny Westmoreland, Guy Spencer, Daejon Staeker, Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen, Ben Marten
  • Director: Nia DaCosta
 Comments
  • jp_melville-58170 - 26 January 2024
    Stick with the original 92 version.
    I have been trying to see this for the last 4 years now and finally got the chance yesterday after renting the dvd from my library.

    This started off well the feel was there however I felt the story was trying to hard and to do too many things, like making the Anthony character into the next Candyman because apparently there have been many over the centuries, this is something that wasn't included in the original films. The scary parts or death scenes are mediocre imo most of them the few that are you don't really see much just some blood spills it's only at the very end that Candyman goes postal but that's too little too late.

    The problem with this remake is that it's bland and uninteresting unlike the original 92 version, the original the acting was far better they actually created fear and a creepy atmosphere while still having a story that could be followed and was not convoluted like the 2021 version, it's not really surprising to me considering how a lot of these modern remakes turn out, this is worth checking out for the sake of seeing it but having said that it's very forgettable.
  • therealcmr - 24 August 2023
    Not a Proper Follow Up to a Classic
    Candyman. That name alone should invoke quite a lot of memories for those of us that were kids when it came out. To this day I have always felt that the first Candyman film is all class across the board. Instead of being a generic slasher film, Candyman ends up representing a lot more than just a few nasty kills with a hook. We can analyze the film for its innovative commentary on white fears towards the black community in the early 90s. It's a major theme of the film. That along with its gothic, tragic romance subplot, Candyman remains one of the best horror films of the 90's. Then came along its clear cash grab sequels, which remain lifeless clones to the original film. Years later, Peele promises us a real sequel to the original film, basically disregarding the events of the 3rd film, and keeping the backstory for Candyman that was revealed in the 2nd film. I thoroughly enjoyed Get Out but was equally letdown by Us. I had a feeling this may be a hit or miss film as a result. Sadly, after 2 viewings, I have to give it a miss...

    Candyman 2021 has a relatively hard to follow plot. The film has to do with the gentrification of Cabrini-Green, police corruption, and how Candyman works his way back into the hearts of the people that now live there. To tell this story the plot follows Anthony McCoy, who was the baby that was taken from Anne Marie by Candyman in the first film. Anthony is a starving artist who lives with his very successful art gallery director girlfriend Bri. While Anthony is figuring out what he wants to do with his next art exhibit, he discovers numerous lores involving numerous "Candymen" throughout the years. This leads him down a rabbit hole that ultimately decides his fate, along with that of everyone in Cabrini-Green.

    The positives are that this Candyman certainly does not lack style. Compared to the original films two sequels, this movie looks like a breath of fresh air. Its style has a reminiscent look to that of Hitchcock at times. The way the movie opens up with everything in backwards is clever and one would think it leads into something even more clever...

    The acting across the board is mostly good. The films two main leads, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris, are fully capable in their respective roles. Particularly Parris. Unlike the role of Anthony, whom we never feel much empathy, the role of Bri is the only one in the film we feel anything. The problem is certainly not in the acting, but in the films writing of the main character of Anthony. He comes across as a cliche artist. A bit smarmy, opinionated, and lacking in much to attach the audience to his character. Maybe this is the intent. A way to showcase what living in a "white world" does to a black starving artist. If this is the intent, it is never really made that clear. He seems more like a parody of the character he should be playing. Since Anthony is the main protagonist of the story, we as the audience should be able to connect with him. But unfortunately it just seems impossible. He is just not very likable. Which is a shame because when the ending comes, and his fate is revealed, it doesn't really let off much steam. Honestly, I didn't really care what happened to him.

    As for all the secondary characters in the film, none of them are given much detail outside of what you see on the surface. Gay characters are played like cliche gay movie characters. Art critics are portrayed as being snakes. Cops are portrayed as all being corrupt. This is another area of the movie that makes me shake my head. Why is every secondary character a cliche? Is this movie a parody? It's very hard to tell where that line stops or even begins.

    One of the elements I love from the original film was the lack of actual onscreen kills. Aside from the psychiatrist getting ripped apart, the viewer never sees Candyman killing anyone. We only see the horrific aftermath. Something other directors like David Fincher picked up on and used the same idea for his film Seven. I loved this element in the first Candyman. It leaves a lasting impression and those images, particularly that of poor Bernadette's dead body, have stayed with me for 30 years. The modern Candyman does seem to sort of nod to the off camera kills. However, they are not handled well at all. The first film had some seriously dread soaked lead ups to the kills. One could practically be frozen by the tension buildups in that film. The new film just lacks any of that. There is absolutely no tension build, no suspense at all. Matter of fact, the film maintains, throughout, a one note atmosphere, even during the kills. As a result, one of the most important elements of any horror film, the actual horror, feels rather neutered. Nothing here is scary, dreadful, or clever. It's just... dull.

    As for the idea of the whole "hive" thing. I honestly didn't care for it. It felt like more of an excuse to just not feature Tony Todd in the role that made him a household name, and a beloved figure in both the cinefile and black communities. I like the idea of having to bring Candyman back into the world of Caprini-Green, especially a gentrified one. But the hive idea muddles this interesting concept, and only adds to the confusion of the plot as a whole. Why not focus on the titular character? He is incredibly fascinating. But his legacy gets a bit marred with poor storytelling.

    Last critique is the one that frustrates me the most. The political elements. I can't figure out if we are to take any of the politics we see in this movie serious or not. Every political point is played up to the most extreme. It's played up to the point of feeling ridiculous, like parody of real life. For instance, Anthony is clearly politically fueled, but he spouts off the same lines that we hear over and over again, and in a way that feels forced, and above all, obnoxious. Does he believe in his own political work with his art? Or is he just another talentless hack that is only using politics for his personal gain? That point is never made clear. Which makes connecting with Anthony even harder. But the biggest and most ridiculous element is the handling of the police. They are portrayed as ALL corrupt. Every one of them. This is specifically revealed in the films climax, when officers enter a room, where people are clearly on the ground, hurt and asking for help, only for them to open fire for absolutely no reason. No reason. I had to watch this scene several times to see if there was something I missed. A reason for them to open fire. But there is none. For me, this political statement about police just barreling into places and opening fire isn't realistic. I could believe it if the scene were set up differently. But I believe the case is that Peele and the other writers wanted to make the police look this way. Sorry, if it doesn't make sense, it doesn't work. And it doesn't work here.

    Overall, good grief, Candyman 2021 is a mess. It looks nice, filmed expertly, but it's a DOA situation after the first few minutes are gone. This was not a well handled film and not the right way to bring Candyman back into the mainstream. No... Sadly it's just a mess. If another is made I really hope Peele and Co stay far away from it.
  • maxrclette - 7 January 2023
    Good
    This is a remake of a 1992 movie called the candyman. This is definitely a good horror movie but gets worse towards the end. It has some good jump scares but they only happen if you watch the movie loud. The storyline was smart but the ending was terrible. It was a strange cliffhanger. I thought the candyman himself should have looked scarier. There were a few scenes where I thought it was going to be really scary but in the end someone just died. If you are easily scared and want to scare yourself this is a good movie for you but if you watch lots of scary movies and don't get scared but want to be scared this is not a movie for you. Overall entertaining movie with good storyline and good characters and cast. I would say it still needs work on the ending though.
  • elehiguera - 15 November 2022
    Great horror, widely understimated
    I love horror and I loved this Candyman. It won't make you not sleep at night, but it is definetely going to make you suffer.

    The gore bloody elements created the tension for me. I love gory films and I am used to enjoy them, but this movie made me close my eyes at points.

    The cinematography is beautiful, even too beautiful for a horror movie (I found that a bit distracting).

    Is it the best horror movie I have ever watch? No. Is it a good horror movie? Yes. Jordan Peele is amazing, I feel this one got lost between the catalogue just because his other movies are better. I can't wait to see more of his work.

    I see bad reviews about the lack of dept in the characters. Well, this is a horror gory film, and the characters have all the insides that you need in a horror film.

    I believe as soon as you read a review of someone annoyed at the political view of the movie, you know from that point that review isn't about the film, but about the political stands of the people writting it.

    Loved watching it. The political plot adds very cool twists to the movie. I recommend to give this a watch.
  • mcman-66701 - 12 October 2022
    Better than the original
    Wow what a masterpiece of a horror film. So unlike any other run-of-the-mill boring and predictable Hollywood slasher. It actually has substance and a story along with some brutal killing scenes and the ending is very satisfying. I think most people would say this movie is too "woke" or has a "agenda" but if you just enjoy it for what it is, a brutal horror movie with a gripping story where you dont know where its gonna take you, and dont get caught up in your own insecurities and/or prejudices then you'll enjoy this movie. Jordan peele is single handedly reinventing the horror movie genre. Wow.
  • HypnoticPoison7 - 30 September 2022
    Laundromats don't have pens
    I grew up around Detroit. I'm half white, half black, and this movie offended both parts of me. First of all, laundromats don't put their names on pens, even the nice ones. So last half of this movie couldn't even happen without that impossible little thing. It seems trivial I know, but there were so many little things like that in this entire movie, it just ruined it. Bad stereotypes were all over the place. Why do people in Hollywood continue to depict phony characters and conversations that would never exist in real life? These directors and screen writers aren't doing this trope for us, so who is it for? Can't we have a movie that for once stands on its own and doesn't need to be tearing down a specific group of people people or stand on their backs to have a good storyline? The original story had more depth than this.