Jacked In Reviews ‘Candyman’ (2021)

Warning this review has SPOILERS regarding Candyman (2021), so if you wish to keep the element of surprise intact, shield your eyes and run as far away as you can from your screen!

Candyman is an iconic horror figure amongst urban legends, say his name five times in the mirror and you’ll sure as hell wish you hadn’t. For those familiar with the previous, Tony Todd features, as soon as eerie mirrored versions of the production and distribution companies presented themselves in 2021’s instalment, you were ready for this interpretation.

Starting in 1977’s Cabrini Green, the local police are searching for an African American via wanted posters. We follow a child into a basement-laundromat, who encounters a chilling hole in the wall filled with darkness. The screams of the child are then heard by the nearby authorities and with that, we get our first tease of this movie’s (initial) Candyman.

We are then immediately taken to the present day where an artist, Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), his girlfriend, Brianna (Teyonah Parris) and their social circle are amidst a juicy story of some horrific goings-on back in the day (via some tremendous, unsettling shadow puppetry). A horrific story about Helen Lyle, Cabrini Green and child abduction. . . And with that, you soon realize this is not a remake but a sequel!

Seeking inspiration for his latest art piece, Anthony decides to investigate Cabrini Green. Upon his arrival, he suffers a “mild” bee sting, before running into a laundromat clerk (the same young boy from the beginning) who soon begins to inform Anthony on the urban legend that is Candyman, or in this instance, Sherman Fields (Michael Hargrove).

We then delve into (this) Candyman’s origin, as we get a continuation from the movie’s opening. Unlike Danielle Robitaille (Tony Todd), Sherman Fields wasn’t tortured and stung to death by bees. Instead, his death was caused by police brutality, after being wrongly accused of handing out razor-filled sweets to the neighbourhood kids. Not only that but he already had a prosthetic hook hand whilst he was alive, as opposed to being fitted with one by his executors. He does end up having a spikey hook when appearing as Candyman, it’s not explained how. . . Don’t worry about it.

Despite this very large difference in origins, when you first see Fields step out of a hole in the wall, with a sinister grin that stretches from ear to ear all the while humming melodically, your initial thoughts are, “he’s got this”.

Unfortunately, this is where the movie starts to dip. Originally based on Clive Barker’s (Hellraiser) character from his short story “The Forbidden”, this is the first Candyman movie without Barker’s involvement. . . and it definitely shows.

The pain, I can assure you, will be exquisite. – Candyman (1992)

Leaving the sadomasochism at the door, as well as the iconic deep, demonic voice, this movie instead features more of a mute, poltergeist, slasher, who hides in reflections. Although that is generally what people think of when Candyman is mentioned, there was a certain “rawness” to the original that this movie was lacking. The inclusion of bees also made it somewhat confusing as there was no direct link between them and Fields’ Candyman. That is until the third act when you find out there isn’t just one Candyman, but instead, “a whole damn hive” that uses tortured souls that were wrongfully executed to carry out the legacy.

The finale sees Anthony’s bee sting take him to a vegetative like state, the laundromat clerk – who is obsessed with keeping the legend of Candyman alive, for some reason – then cuts off Anthony’s hand and replaces it with a hook in a very Tony Todd-esque fashion, before donning him with the standard fur-collared coat. After being falsely accused of Fields’ Candyman killings, Anthony is gunned down by a trigger-happy officer, thus becoming the new Candyman. It’s at this point, we hear that iconic, chilling voice recite the poetic “I am the writing on the wall, the sweet smell of blood. Be my victim.” and for the first time and it truly feels like a Candyman movie. We’re then hit with an appearance from Tony Todd’s original Candyman, but before you have time to react, credits.

In conclusion, it’s hard to know who the audience for this movie would be. It’s so intent on coming at the story from a new angle and seems to be catered for people who aren’t devoted fans of the original. At the same time, you need to have seen the original to better understand the movie, so for that reason, sadly, it felt slightly muddled.

However, it’s important to recognize the movie’s strengths. The police brutality segments which paint a horrifying picture, beautiful cinematography, mirror effects that simply weren’t achievable in the ‘90s and not to mention, it definitely has a creepiness factor. The subtle reflections that make you double-take will leave you feeling subconsciously unsettled throughout. Nia DaCosta took it in a new, fresh direction as opposed to regurgitating what we’d already seen, a brilliant cast and moments that have the movie’s co-writer, Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) written all over them.

All in all, it’s worth a watch, but if you’re a hardcore fan of the original, it’s probably best to not get your hopes up.