Candyman has lived as one of the most notable figures in Black horror for decades. The 1992 original starring Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen is classic. Todd fully embodied who Candyman was presumed to be— a dark, grim creature living in the shadows ready to kill when he's summoned.
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The 2021 remake of the film— produced by Jordan Peele, directed by Nia DaCosta, and starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II— takes a new approach on the tale while also seamlessly incorporating elements from the original. The film begins in Cabrini-Green Housing Project circa 1977. A child interacts with the man "living in the walls" who's played by Michael Hargrove.
Anthony McCoy (Abdul-Mateen II) is a painter struggling to find a subject for his art. Now, a resident of gentrified Cabrini-Green and after being told the story of Helen Lyle (the student from the original who became Candyman's muse/victim), he sets out in search of the truth and instead told the story of Candyman.
The full circle moment is that Lyle met Anne-Marie, a single mother, in the first film and Anthony was the child that taken by Candyman as a sacrificial being. However, instead of Candyman being this seductive serial killer that places his victims in a trance before slaughtering them, this new remake implies that he's now someone to call on as a vigilante based on the story of Daniel Robitaille (Todd). Robitaille was an artist and and son of a slave, who fell in love with a white woman and got her pregnant. He was then tortured, had his hand cut off, his body drenched in honey, was stung by bees, and set on fire.
Todd's portrayal of Candyman instilled fear in children and adults. To this day, as the remake was being promoted, fans were encouraged to "say his name," and collectively Black people just refused. Like the 2021 film stated, "Black people don't need to be summoning s***." Yet, as a way to incorporate race into a film, Candyman has evolved into a Robin Hood-Equalizer mashup in the spirit of Robitaille.
Overall, the film lacks the same je ne sais quoi as its predecessor, but it's great if you're seeking a late night thrill.
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