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Credits

Director: Bernard Rose Starring: Virginia Madson, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Kasi Lemmons, Vanessa Williams Screenplay: Bernard Rose Music: Michael Reisman Tagline: Dare you say his name 5 times… Country: USA

In Candyman, two students (Virginia Madsen and Kasi Lemmons) are researching urban legends. Hoping to do something really noteworthy, they begin investigating the local story of the Candyman, an ethereal being that many in a nearby ghetto credit with some very nasty deeds. Madsen think she's figured out what's really going on, but just as she believes she's laid the old tale to rest, she encounters something far darker than she ever could've anticipated.

Well before Urban Legend, Candyman sought to explore the word of mouth rumours that quickly become "fact" in the minds of those spreading and receiving them. The Candyman legend is so convincing, many thought it was a true urban legend Barker had borrowed from. While the way to summon Candyman, saying his name five times into a mirror, is taken from the Bloody Mary legend, the rest is Barker's invention.

With my third viewing, I found Candyman to be a very well crafted film. I was a relatively jaded viewer even back when this film was new, and it still had an impact. I obviously didn't find it tense this time around, but I was able to appreciate it, which isn't always the case with movies I liked when I was 14. Candyman also stands as testament that horror movies don't have to rely on humour extensively, unless you count Tony Todd's incredibly long stump arm as a gag, that is. While jokes and jumps have can go together very well, it seems filmmakers have gotten overly reliant on the laugh factor lately, so I always find a good, fully serious horror film a rare treat. Tony Todd makes for a superb, eloquent, empathetic "villain," and despite the undermining sequels, rightly deserves a place in the horror pantheon of memorable monsters.

Along with being an effective horror movie, I remembered Candyman as being very bloody, so was surprised to find it was only rated M. Admittedly, I saw Candyman before I saw Braindead, and that film has left everything before or since as "not really that gory" in my mind. Regardless, I'm not sure about the M rating, as there is some nasty, if not graphically violent, stuff on display, particularly a scene involving a young child's visit to a public toilet. It probably still won't rival Braindead, but there is a slightly stronger cut making the rounds on European DVD.