About the film (courtesy of Universal Pictures):
For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood 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) and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris), 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) 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 terrifying wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.
Master horror author Clive Barker released a series of six short stories called The Books of Blood which was published in 1986. One of the novellas,The Forbidden, served as the inspiration for the original Candyman (1992) feature film which spawned two sequels. While the original film became a legitimate staple in the horror genre, the sequels were quickly forgotten. With that in mind, Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld and Nia DaCosta made a wise decision to resurrect the franchise that is tied to the first film while completely ignoring the two flops that followed. The trio puts together a solid screenplay with DaCosta getting the additional honor of directing the sequel.
Candyman brings an interesting story together that combines current hot-button topics of authority figures abusing power, gentrification and racial tension in order to make this latest offering feel more realistic than most films in its genre. Nia DaCosta sets the tone from the outset and continues to tap away as the story continues. While this is a horror story, it also serves as a reminder of some of the pitfalls, albeit a bit less supernatural “killery”, than what’s depicted in this feature.
If you haven’t seen the original, fear not because Candyman stand on its own. That being said, there’s obviously some advantages to being familiar with the first film of the original trilogy. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II takes on the lead role and passes with flying colors as he’s placed in a constantly changing environment of circumstances. Teyonah Parris and Colman Domingo are the two other actors that receive the majority of the screen time and their performances are pretty good.
Candyman stays true to its original nature by providing a horrifying tale that can’t help but capture the imagination of its viewers as they wonder, “what if?” There are a few instantly tense moments, some violence, strong language and terror spread throughout this feature. I’d say that going ahead with a stronger R-rating rather then the safer industry copout of a PG-13 rating, makes for a better overall experience since there’s no need to skip and censor parts that deserve a more mature outcome.
This film’s runtime is only 91 minutes and it doesn’t fill rushed nor does it feel bloated in any way. The story of Candyman is once again alive and well, and this should give moviegoers something to look forward to seeing if they’re seeking a little horror to go along with their popcorn. You can see this feature in theaters starting Friday, August 27 and then you can decide whether or not you want to fool around and say his name in the mirror five times.
