Review of Candyman (1992) by Shane V — 31 Dec 2009

Helen Lyle is a university student who is writing a thesis on urban myths and legends. She visits a slum with a heavy belief in the mythical Candyman: a tall man with a hook hand who appears when you say his name five times before a mirror. Of course, Helen believes nothing and goes about her investigation, unknowingly stirring up a supernatural hornet's nest that threatens to destroy her, and everyone around her.

I can honestly say this is the first horror movie to impress me in a long time. The acting from Virginia Madsen brilliantly captures Helen as a woman losing her mind. The plot moves rather quickly while maintaining the excellently creepy atmosphere. The character work is great, never leaving any character to feel wooden. The plot is a fine one, but seems a bit obtuse at first, letting us work slowly into it with brilliant explanation by the end. The dialog moves from perfect to just a tad bit out there, almost like Stephen King's dialog, but more properly placed. The one problem I had with this film, oddly enough, is the killer. Yes, Tony Todd creates a brilliantly creepy character and I was actually a bit frightened for the first time in years. But Candyman had so much mythos around him that was never fleshed out, and it felt a little hollow. As I mentioned in my review of "Silent Hill" what I do not understand doesn't scare me, it simply bores and annoys me. but this is kept to a minimum by Madsen & Todd's excellent performances. And in this sense it, like "Taxi Driver," is simply open to great debate over depth. There were buckets upon buckets of blood, but I think the gore was kept to a modest amount. The scares were executed perfectly. The best kind of horror movie is the one that doesn't have to try to scare you. And with Bernard Rose's direction and atmosphere, does exactly that. And in that vein, I must applaud the spectacular musical work involved. Overall it's a decent plot with excellent acting, great direction, atmosphere, and a chilling theme. It's a horror film that caters both on the surface, and deeper into your mind with great scares. Though the title character is never fully explained, and that removes a bit of the fright, it's still a solid film. I look forward to the sequels. I give "Candyman" 7.5 steel hooks out of 10.

"I am rumor. It is a blessed condition, believe me. To be whispered about at street corners. To live in other people's dreams, but not to have to be." -Candyman.

"Our names will be written on a thousand walls. Our crimes told and retold by our faithful believers. We shall die together in front of their very eyes and give them something to be haunted by." -Candyman.