People in the Movie: Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan
Director: Bill Condon
Pigeonhole: Horror / Slasher
The Basics: The Candyman (Todd) has been summoned in New Orleans
and a murderous spree ensues. We learn
that Candyman is more than an urban legend; he was a real person who lived in
the area and that his demise is related to why he has returned. Annie Tarrant (Rowan) is the main protagonist
and learns that her family is tied very closely to Candyman’s prior life, more than
anyone could know. Annie also learns
what she may be able to do to stop Candyman’s reign of terror forever.
Recommendation: Fans of the original should enjoy this, and fans of Tony Todd should definitely check it out. The movie can stand alone, as story elements from the prior movie are clearly explained right at the beginning of this one. ‘R’ rating is for violence, gore, and language.
My Take: With the story and setting, this movie could have actually matched the original for entertainment, unfortunately it got sidetracked at moments and for a 93 minute horror film that usually means it’s brought down a few notches. Todd shines in his time on screen, but there are no new scares of note. It is difficult for me reconcile the potential of the plot versus what showed up on screen.
**spoiler alert**
The Good: New Orleans is a great setting for movies; it is a
historic haunted city and the French Quarter lends itself easily to a horror
film’s backdrop. It takes place during
Mardi Gras, so the festivities provide a fun, colorful contrast to the horror
which is unfolding. Candyman’s mythology
is built on and expanded from the original story which the audience is shown
through the movie in different flashbacks. His name was Daniel Robitaille and was he
raised in the area of New Orleans.
Daniel was a talented painter, and his last job was creating a portrait
of a wealthy plantation owner’s daughter named Caroline. The two, of course, had an affair and she
became pregnant. Caroline’s father, as a
result of this, hired men to attack and kill Daniel, and we learn that the pain
and torment he felt at the hands of his attackers, as well as taunts from the townsfolk
who were witnessing it, is what helped to create the “monster”. Candyman’s bloodline survived and Annie is
Daniel’s great-great granddaughter, which I thought was fun element to use, and
lended itself well to the story.
The Bad: Annie is teacher in an elementary school, and one of her students is dreaming of Candyman. (There is another horror character who already “owns” the bad dreams genre.) To prove a point, Annie calls Candyman in the mirror, saying his name five times, to pacify her student – not because of her father learning of the family ties to Daniel Robitaille, and subsequently dying as a result, or her brother being implicated in a Candyman murder. Her character being a teacher was not a bad thing, it is a nice innocent contrast to the family legacy, however, the kid dreaming of Candyman was a complete waste of time.
The writer and director also could not seem to resolve whether we see Daniel as a sympathetic character, a man who was tortured and murdered for the color of his skin, or a murderous supernatural being. The direction also moved away from Candyman’s “power” being tied to the power of rumor or urban legend, which I did not like. Again, this is New Orleans during Mardi Gras – the power of rumor on the streets and intoxicated persons making poor decisions is a proverbial buffet for horror movie victims. I also remain a little unclear as to why Candyman would want to harm his descendants, other than to punish their dismay of being related to him. That did not make much sense to me.
On the Fence: The ending was somewhat bittersweet for me; Annie finds the mirror Caroline was holding the day Daniel was killed, that supposedly has his soul trapped (hence his ability to be called while looking into mirror and saying his name), and she destroys it – we see Candyman splinter and crumble like broken glass. Annie also gives birth to her daughter, whom she names Caroline, potentially setting up another sequel (there is a third movie with her character). My feeling with this film is that something more ambiguous should have happened at the end, because the film spent too much time developing Candyman’s human side – almost like a character who could have been redeemed or chosen himself to stop his killings, but instead was eliminated as most horror movie monsters are.
Final Thoughts/ Extras/ For Fun: This is the second of three Candyman films…
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