CANDYMAN (2021) – Review

Hey, is this the end of August and near the end of Summer), or is it October, around mid-Fall? Just wondering since this is the third weekend in a row with the release of a new horror flick to theatres. Hmm, maybe the studios are getting a bit of a “head start” in case our health situation goes ‘sideways” (as if that thought’s not scary enough). Last week’s release was an original idea, while the 8/13 premiere was a sequel to a flick from five years previous. Now the roots for this week’s big shocker go back nearly thirty years, but it’s not really a reboot, remake, or a “re-imagining”. The marketeers are dubbing this a “spiritual sequel” as it harkens back to that 1992 original and ignores its sequels (much as the 2018 HALLOWEEN only references the 1978 classic). And with the recent social injustice movements, today might just be primed for a return of the CANDYMAN. But only say the title once, just to be safe.

Hmmm, a chiller that begins with a puppet show? Oh yes, as paper-cut silhouettes, moved by sticks, play out the story of research student Helen Lyle’s fateful encounter with Cabrini Green’s (the notorious low-rent housing complex in the “Windy City”) avenging spirit, the Candyman. The murdered wraith from the late 1800s eviscerated lots of folks with his hook for a right hand when they repeated his name five times while staring into a reflective surface. After the “recap” (and a brief 1977 sequence at “the Green”), the story shifts to the modern-day as Troy (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) and his new boyfriend attend a dinner party at the swanky Chicago apartment of his art gallery manager sister Brianna (Teyonah Parris) and her beau, up-and-coming fine artist Anthony (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Over drinks, Troy tells the tale of the Candyman as Brianna scoffs. However, Anthony is curious as the “urban legend” sparks his imagination (he’d gone “dry” preparing new pieces for a fast-approaching gallery showcase). Later he sneaks into the remaining row houses of Cabrini (The towers had been torn down to make space for the trendy gentrified neighborhood long ago) and runs into former resident Burke (Colman Domingo), who runs a nearby laundromat. He tells Anthony of his time there and of a different Candyman. But on his way home the artist is surprisingly stung by an errant bee. Anthony thinks nothing of the nasty welt as he hurriedly prepares his new pieces. He displays the mirrored door at the opening with a paper handout explaining it (basically challenging patrons to repeat “Candyman” five times). Of course, someone takes the dare, and…the local news is soon filled with reports of gruesome bloody killings. Has Anthony helped bring the hooked monster into the new century? Could the two be somehow connected? And why is that bee sting looking so gnarly?

The award-winning cast aids in adding to the film’s tension-filled dark “vibe”. Mateen, so good in the HBO “Watchmen” sequel, expertly balances the complex character shifts in Anthony. He shows us how the artist’s struggle for a defining work is swept away by his all-consuming need to know all about the “silly fairy tale”. And he’s not afraid to show the awful side of Anthony’s persona as too many drinks unleash his verbally abusive id (mostly directed at art rivals). We’re rooting for him, even as he changes mentally and physically while falling deeper into the supernatural “rabbit hole”. It’s a plunge that can’t be slowed by the love of Brianna, played with grit and “street smarts” by the engaging Parris (part of the superb “Wandavision”). She shows Brianna’s devotion to Anthony even as she tries in vain to halt his obsessions. Those are fueled by Burke played with a sinister zeal by Domingo (“Fear the Walking Dead”)., who seems horrified by his own past, but delighted to pass on the nightmares to Anthony. Kudos also to Stewart-Jarrett who’s having a great time as the catty Troy, and Rebecca Spence who happily spews venom as a castigating art critic (ain’t they the worst).

Director Nia DaCosta, fresh off the heart-breaking family drama LITTLE WOODS, proves her talents by entering the horror genre and mixing a familiar horror icon with the current social and political clime. Yet, the film feels a tad sluggish and very disjointed (I have expected to see the “scene missing” title card from GRINDHOUSE). The discoverer of a gory slaying is abruptly seen in bed (quite a narrative jump). Perhaps that can be traced to the screenplay DaCosta contributed to along with producer Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld (using the original characters from Clive Barker and Bernard Rose). Though I never saw the original I could pick up (after a bit of research) the notion that they were playing to the 1992 film’s rabid fans, even using actress Virginia Madsen’s vocal track (and a nice final VFX sequence), the twists are often predictable (another bullying scene in a deserted high school bathroom), and social norms and logic (beyond the usual “suspension of disbelief”) feel ignored (Brianna would certainly insist that Anthony see a doctor, as his bandages pop on and off). Some of the digs at the pretentious “modern art world” are nice, as is the use of those stick paper puppets (watch them during the end credits), but many horror fans will find that this re-visiting more sour than sweet as they consume the brightly re-packaged CANDYMAN. “Talk about your childhood wishes (and nightmares).”

2 Out of 4

CANDYMAN opens in theatres everywhere on August 27, 2021