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
  • agorodnickis - 25 April 2024
    Mental World «Candyman».
    The movie Candyman (2021), directed by Nia DaCosta, is a bold and timely reimagining of the iconic horror franchise. The action takes place in modern day Chicago and this movie is both a sequel and spiritual successor to the original 1992 film.

    One of the most striking aspects of the Candyman film is its visual style, its parasitic atmosphere, its perfect blend of colors and hues. This movie really brought a lot of pleasure from the aesthetic side. DaCosta uses contrasts of colors and is not afraid to add harsh but very appropriate colors to the frame. This also helps to distinguish the main character from the secondary one and gives the impression of a target on him throughout the movie, which gives a sense of uneasiness and anxiety.

    Abdul-Mateen II does a terrific job playing the role of Anthony McCoy, who is the centerpiece of the movie. He brilliantly conveys all the inner struggles of a man fighting his own demons and Candyman's legacy. His acting adds to the darkness and seriousness of this movie. The supporting actors also shine, with Teyonah Parris doing a great job as Anthony's girlfriend, Brianna Cartwright. Their complicated relationship is the central focus of the movie, adding emotional depth and difficulty in dealing with the horror elements.

    In my opinion, what separates Candyman from a mediocre, run-of-the-mill horror movie is its thematic intensity and social commentary. DaCosta uses the legend of Candyman to show the public the problem of race and class in America. The movie shows how past, seemingly long forgotten traumas always catch up with people and that even the most innocent jokes and pranks about race and class can turn into very bad consequences.

    Candyman also effectively breaks down genre conventions, eschewing cheap scares in favor of a more subtle and thought-provoking approach to horror. Though the movie contains genuine tropes of the horror genre, Candyman makes you think about the horrors of the human psyche and the darkness that lives within each of us.
  • LetsReviewThat26 - 10 October 2023
    Not as good as the original, but alright
    It's been done before. The original film is good so they make a remake some twenty something years later in the hopes it can resonate with a new audience. Let's get past all that and look at this film. We get introduced to main character Anthony. His friend is telling their friendship about the candy man legend and from this Anthony used inspirational to paint and creat and installation piece from it that encourages people to repeat his name. Focus on them and a unconnected girl as the legend does in fact resurface. The gore is there and it's actually aright. The plot overall could be better but for what it was it was enjoyable.
  • mkh-61963 - 19 May 2023
    Way better than I expected
    I'd been avoiding this because I don't usually enjoy remakes/reboots. But this was surprisingly good. When they started out by having a different interpretation of Candyman at the beginning, I hated the idea (don't mess with the classics!), but I ended up loving how they wove it all together. They didn't take away from the original, they added to it. I thought the acting was good, and I liked the look of the movie. I don't know what some of these reviewers are talking about saying the acting was bad and the movie looked cheap. Parts of it were downright beautiful. I also don't know why some people are complaining that this movie is too political. Did they not watch the original? Candyman's origin story has always been a commentary on racial violence. As for whether this is horror or not ... uh yeah, it is. It's sort of psychological/cerebral, but it's a definitely a slasher movie. A killer hunting people down. Blood spray. Mutilated bodies. Yep, all the hallmarks of a slasher movie. But I guess creepiness is in the eye of the beholder. I personally enjoyed this movie and would watch it again. 7.2/10.
  • HafizhMaulana21 - 30 November 2022
    Sequel with different perspectives and appears much different
    A sequel to Candyman (1992) which is now back in Chicago. Anthony, a famous painter who wanted to explore local folklore to become a painting. Candyman's story in the past haunted Anthony in his life.

    The tempo of the film feels slow. Too much dialogue and drama so that the horror element is not felt. Candyman's appearance here is too little that doesn't give people a terroristic impact when he says his name. The terror of Candyman seems to me to be like a murder movie in general, not having such a horror and terrifying impression. Character development is also considered slow and has no influence on the film. At least it gives a snobbery and horror but all of that doesn't materialize well. The execution of a horror that is judged to be very tangent or perhaps even lacks a sense of horror in filmmaking.

    This film takes the story of Candyman historically, not from the horror side so a lot of dialogue leads to candyman stories in the past. There wasn't much horror inflicted from the Candyman side. It is enough with the psychic side presented to see a figure of Candyman. A little disturbed to see McCoy's hand which was ultimately disgusting to look at.
  • wallerj-23488 - 23 October 2022
    Potential
    While i didn't necessarily love this movie i think it had potential. While i know a lot of people just wanted a slasher and not a political statement it was definitely a good choice. I think they did a good job of setting the tone and origins. Explaining multiple peoples stories of being racially targeted and becoming the legend of candyman was a great choice, i just don't believe the executed it well. The original film had a good bit of scaring and even gore for those horror fans that enjoy that and unfortunately this film didn't deliver on that. Not an entirely bad film and certainly not the worst candyman but it could've been better.
  • dcpaget - 6 October 2022
    Lives up to the Original.
    Superbly crafted, amazingly cast, and the artistic choices are stark. Even if youve never seen the original its a terrifying movie that could stand on its own. Just like with everything its a product of its time. Theres things certain folks will automatically write off simply because of the "politics". But its true to the original. Nia DeCosta is a fantastic director and Jordan Peele working with her on the screenplay is brilliant. This movie is singular; and this is very obviously their love letter to this movie and what it meant to them as well as so many who actually get it.

    That being said even if you havent seen the original you can get a lot more from this one if youve seen it. Going back and viewing it again will be just as rewarding and if you havent seen the original pick it up. If you want to go even further back you can read the original short story, The Forbidden, by Clive Barker.