Candyman: 31 Days of Horror
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So Monkeypaw Productions have been teasing a remake of Candyman for a while, with Jordan Peele attached to the film. I really don’t have much enthusiasm for this project outside of who is making it, not what is being made. In all honesty, I see the original Candyman held in such a high regard as a singular horror experience, when I see the same old horror story here. Instead of a serial killer being discovered or a ghost being summoned, Candyman has the titular entity being awakened. Maybe the way he is designed is fantastic, and how Tony Todd acted as him really defined the part. Otherwise, I can’t find much that is really unique with Candyman. It’s formulaic horror, which sometimes can feel more heavy handed than conventional romance, forced comedy, or synthetic sadness.
I suppose you can claim that Candyman plays around with the idea of urban legend rather interestingly — considering how the Candyman can be transported to where you are by stating his name in front of a mirror — but the way the film goes about it just really isn’t that fascinating. At least in something like The Ring, there is a certain unstoppable force that comes with the share-ability of a tape. In Candyman, curiosity is the worst trap of all, and that could be a strong starting point, but we get shrugs instead. Again, it’s the Candyman himself that is really why we’re all here, and at least the film puts as much effort into his story as his aura; his backstory does go further than your usual horror villain’s origins would, and it’s the saving grace for the rest of the narrative.
Candyman is the star of the show, and any build up or pay off before or after cannot compete with the character himself.
The character is why the urban legend nonsense has some worth. However, we don’t know that until we get to finally seeing Candyman do his thing, bees, hook and all (Todd with the commitment of no other, ladies and gentlemen). I do understand why people love Candyman and keep watching: once he’s been revealed, it does strengthen subsequent watches, given the foundation of what is to come. Regardless, that doesn’t resolve poor storytelling, more than it just makes a film worthwhile to at least some marginal degree. Candyman is the kind of film you can toss on at a Halloween party, and just get spooked here and there with your friends. If you want to sit down and really get sucked into this thing, you might find yourself mentally pacing back and forth (or migrating to scrolling on your phone) until it finally gets going. Again, it’s the same story, with a different topic, that we have seen time and time again in horror. There just isn’t enough to match Candyman himself.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.