Plot
The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.

Release Year: 1992

Rating: 6.5/10 (23,995 voted)

Director: Bernard Rose

Stars: Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley, Tony Todd

Storyline
Helen Lyle is a student who decides to write a thesis about local legends and myths. She visits a part of the town, where she learns about the legend of the Candyman, a one-armed man who appears when you say his name five times, in front of a mirror. Of course, Helen doesn't believe all this stuff, but the people of the area are really afraid. When she ignores their warnings and begins her investigation in the places that he is rumored to appear, a series of horrible murders begins. Could the legend be true?

Writers: Clive Barker, Bernard Rose

Cast:
Virginia Madsen - Helen Lyle
Tony Todd - The Candyman / Daniel Robitaille
Xander Berkeley - Trevor Lyle
Kasi Lemmons - Bernadette 'Bernie' Walsh
Vanessa Williams - Anne-Marie McCoy
DeJuan Guy - Jake
Marianna Elliott - Clara (as Marianna Eliott)
Ted Raimi - Billy
Ria Pavia - Monica
Mark Daniels - Student
Lisa Ann Poggi - Diane
Adam Philipson - Danny
Eric Edwards - Harold
Carolyn Lowery - Stacey
Barbara Alston - Henrietta Mosely

Taglines: Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman... Don't Say Again!

Release Date: 16 October 1992

Filming Locations: Cabrini-Green Public Housing Projects, Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $5,404,320 (USA) (October 1992)

Gross: $25,792,310 (USA)

Runtime: 99 min

Trivia:
The architecture flaw of the medicine chests and people being able to sneak in, is something that Bernard Rose discovered in his research for the film and there was actually a series of murders that were committed this way.

Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: 64 minutes into the film, when Helen is having medication injected for her apparent psychotic episode, the needle bends on her shoulder, indicating a movie prop.

Quotes:
[first lines]
Candyman: They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What's blood for, if not for shedding?

The Candyman definitely can...

Rating: 8/10

Being a horror movie buff, I have no idea how this little gem escaped me the first time around. I'd heard a lot about it, read about it, etc but wrote it off as "probably stupid" like most of the other horror movies I had so wanted to see. So, it wasn't until many years after the movie's release that I finally saw it. And boy am I glad I did!

Surprisingly, the acting is fabulous...especially for a horror movie. Each character portrayed fantastically so as to add to the movie, rather than detract. No one really went over the top or became TOO dramatic. Overall, each character was portrayed realistically.

As for the plot: absolutely wonderful premise playing on the Bloody Mary urban legend. Surprisingly, the movie delivers on aspects of believabilty. Of course we don't *really* expect Candyman to pop out of a mirror, but how many of us have started the "Bloody Mary" chant only to stop at the very last one, not daring to continue? Our fears lie behind what COULD happen and the possibility that maybe..just maybe it's all real. Candyman plays on that fear and takes us even further over the edge.

The movie rids itself of the typical cliches (white, undefeatable stalker chasing half naked twits) and allows itself to be an entirely enjoyable, CEREBRAL horror movie. At first we wonder if the Candyman is perhaps just a person pretending to be him, then we start to question Helen's own sanity...wondering perhaps if SHE isn't the "real Candyman". Eventually, the movie leads us to an ending that answers our questions but doesn't shove those answers down our throat. Candyman also does what very few horror movies are capable of: it succeeded in having a strong ending rather than fizzling out during the last 10-15 minutes.

The setting and atmosphere are top notch. Using Chicago and Cabrini Green as its stage was perfect...bringing into play racial issues without going over the top or getting "in your face" to the point of losing its focus. The music in Candyman adds a mysterious mood that matches the dark, dismal atmosphere of the lone apartments in Cabrini Green.

All in all on my horror movie scale, I give Candyman a 10. To me, it was purely artistic and absolutely enjoyable. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone even slightly interested in horror movies.

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