Candyman Review

Just in time for Halloween, here is my review for the 1992 horror masterpiece "Candyman"



For children sauntering through the aisles of the video store peeking at R-rated movies they would have to wait an eternity to see, one film in particular likely sends chills down their prepubescent spines: “Candyman.”

The title’s promise of delectable, pleasant mirth is immediately shattered by the film cover's terrifying visual of a blood-red eye with a menacing, man-shaped shadow for a pupil and a solitary bee sitting on the eyelid. The tagline is equally horrific — “We dare you to say his name five times!” — as it creates an insatiable desire to test the declaration while dreading the potential consequences.

In the film, repeating the phrase causes the Candyman (Tony Todd, TV’s “Chuck”) to appear immediately behind the summoner, and he proceeds to hook the person and anybody in the vicinity from “groin to gullet.” But this isn’t just another slasher film with the villain cutting up an endless supply of silly teens who dare test the myth. Instead, “Candyman” serves as an intelligent psychological thriller, examining the impact of an urban legend on the public and individual psyche, while providing enough shocks and chills to be sincerely scary.

Check out the full review here.