Candymans Fluch

A couple female grad students are researching urban legends, when they accidentally summon the demonic spirit of "Candyman"- a man who had his hand hacked off and replaced with a hook...before being stung to death by bees...who now goes around killing people...so that his legend can live on in the minds of his "congregation".

His hunting ground is the Chicago area projects...and his congregation is made up of all those who fear him.

The two young ladies head into the projects to do some research. Hoping to find the place where the last Candyman killing took place, and to ask local residents what they might know.

But they are asking too many questions, and this gets them some unwanted attention...leading to Helen (Virginia Madsen) getting beaten up.

The guy who beat her up was pretending to be Candyman, in an attempt to intimidate people. Though, in reality, he is just the leader of one of the local gangs.

So Helen becomes skeptical of Candyman's existence- thinking this is the source of the urban legend that the community holds onto so dearly

But that was her greatest mistake...for now Candyman seeks vengeance...for f*cking with his legacy.

He starts to take over Helen's mind- making her do things she would- she could- never fathom doing.

And forces her into a position, where she must accept a deal with the devil...or, well, him...in order to save the life of an innocent baby who he has kidnapped.

Now, she is wanted for murder, kidnapping, and animal cruelty...and finds herself institutionalized.

Is Candyman really responsible for all these crimes...or is it all in her head? Nothing a quick summoning test won't clear up...

This film is a pretty cool combination of slasher and psychological thriller, with some decent gore and awesome death scenes. Honestly, I'm really surprised I've never watched it until now. It sets you up for the gore with some cheap scares. But that final scene where Candyman is about to kill Helen is wicked. And the final twist at the end was a welcome surprise.

Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

6.5 out of 10.

Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) doctoral student, and wife of a collage professor, is doing research on urban legends and mythological folklore for her school thesis. Though, there is one legend which gets her attention and leads her to rundown housing block where the residents believe that the murders that took place there were done by the hook-handed serial killer The Candyman (Tony Todd). A mysterious figure that can be summoned by repeating his name five times while looking in the mirror. Which Helen does and now her life turns into horrifying nightmare, which teeters between reality and myth, as she gets closer to the truth about the Candyman.

Second time around and this memorable piece hasn't lost any of its effect. It's not only a incredibly brood horror film that manages to create an creeping/ingenious plot with such an unsettling physiological tone, but also providing some generally horrific shocks that creep up on you and aren't for the squeamish. So, it's far from your normal slasher and it just doesn't concentrate on the violence for a change. Not only does the plot build on this mystical legend constructively, but also there's also some solid social commentary on the mindset towards race and sex, which added more to this cleverly layered plot (or should I say tragic love story). What is so great about the screenplay is that you yourself feel apprehensive to what's happening to the protagonist and to where this story is heading by playing on what people believe and how these believes can overcome them. Plus it makes great use of the Chicago's gloomy surroundings. Not only does the film have substance, but also style to boot. The direction by Bernard Rose is quite brilliant, with Rose superbly mixing visuals that gel myth and reality superbly. Particularly the well-crafted encounters between Helen and the Candyman - these sequences were incredibly hair-raising. He creates such a glum and dark atmosphere within these rundown buildings filled with vibrant artwork, the richly layered aura goes hand-to-hand with the moody legend. The slow pacing of the film is perfect; there are no tedious blotches because you are totally wrapped in the story and by the delightful performances. The death toll isn't big, but there are some real gruesome deaths, with A LOT blood. The make-up and special effects are extremely thoughtful and inventive. Phillip Glass' extremely effective score deserves such high praise. Soothing, but also haunting and was incredibly effective towards building towards such an almighty blow. Another bonus was the smooth as silk camera-work; it captured the balanced layout of Chicago with plenty of stunning Ariel shots (great intro). Overall, I was just amazed by this beautifully planned production.

What a horror icon! Tony Todd totally nails down such a terrifying and profound performance as the mythical being The Candyman. I believe this horror character totally wipes the floor clean of the other icons of its genre and who created him? No other than from the dark mind of Clive Baker (Hellraiser), who brings this frightening thriller alive, which is basically based on Baker's short story - The Forbidden. He came up with a unique horror character that's downright unnerving, completely authentic and has a lot of depth. But Tony Todd's towering figure and eerie voice has a lot to owe to that and to make one tremble in his presence! Virginia Madsen gives a stellar performance as Helen Lyle, who we really do care for her and feel what she is feeling. Good supporting roles from Xander Berkley as Helen's Husband, Kasi Lemmons as her friend/student who's also working with her their thesis and Vanessa Williams as Anne-Marie McCoy who lives in the rundown estate. The dialogue was packed with depth, but also laced with interesting topics and Todd's lines were pretty much poetic and smooth.

The one and only "small" negative would be the ending for me. I was somewhat let down by the second ending and I thought maybe it could've done without it. It just felt tact on. Anyhow it didn't stop it from being damn right creepy and it does pack a real unsteadiness.

To get in the mood of it, I say it's definitely a film to watch late at night… alone.

One of the clever horror films (if not the best) of that disappointing decade they call the '90s for horror films. If you're looking for a serious horror (before Scream's imitators made a mockery of the slasher sub-genre), I highly recommend this provocative slasher that doesn't cop out the audience.

Based on a short story by Clive Barker, Candyman concerns itself with Helen, a grad student who is researching the myth around a supposed demonic killer who goes by the name Candyman. Convinced the killer is a normal guy who is trying to conceal his identity behind an urban legend, Helen gets much more than she bargained for when she summons the evil spirit and it falls in love with her.

I quite enjoyed this. Its suitably gritty and dirty, has a great villain and some pretty brutal gore and effects. You really begin to question whether the candyman is real or not and if Helen is just nuts, and Tony Todd puts in a great performance as the titular killer. The bee scene in particular is pretty great and was done with real bees! Urgh! In the mood for a supernatural slasher? Then this might just quench that thirst...

College student (Virginia Madsen) decides to write a paper on a slave (Tony Todd) who was killed for simply being in love with a white woman. Legend has it if you call out his name several times, he will appear and kill you to avenge his death. Naturally Madsen is disbelieving of this, but Todd starts butchering off all of her friends and framing her in order to make her believe.

This film is so intense and frightening, that when I first saw this on home video with all of the lights on, I actually had to call my mother and get her to come over and comfort me, because this film scared me to death. Tony Todd is perfect in a menacing performance as the villain and Virginia Madsen makes the perfect victim capturing the right balance between terror and disbelief. The myths and legends behind the film are so complex and so fascinating that this film could have gone on for at least another hour and not be one bit overlong. There is plenty of characterization and atmosphere and the settings for the film are very well chosen. However, working somewhat against the film are some of the supporting actors, poor special effects, and an ultra gimmickey ending that feels as though it belongs in another film given the tone and subject matter of this film.

Rated R; Graphic Violence, Profanity, and Brief Nudity.

A strong contender for the title of best horror film of the 1990's, Bernard Rose's "Candyman" is a very faithful (and therefore truly scary) adaptation of Clive Barker's skin crawling short story. This film features a very rare and successful combination of both creepy atmosphere and visual ingeniousness. Whereas most movies (especially during the 90's) can hardly focus on any of these essential horror elements, Bernard Rose masterfully succeeds in stuffing his film with genuine tension as well as shocking gore-images. The plot centers on doctoral student Helen (underrated actress Virginia Madsen in her best role) who becomes obsessed with the urban legend of a hook-handed killer that terrorizes the pauperized ghettos of the nearby Cabrini Green. Needless to say that the Candyman-myth gets a little too realistic for Helen, as everyone she comes into contact with ends up being brutally killed with a hook. The script is intelligent and always several steps ahead of you, the eerie musical guidance is brilliant and the make-up effects are fantastically gruesome. Tony Todd is ideally cast as the bogeyman, with his strong posture and – above all – incredibly frightening voice. The legend behind his character is staggering and it's beautiful to see how director Rose plays with the realism and surrealism of Barker's basic idea. Not many horror films of the 90's decade come with my highest possible recommendation, but this one definitely does. And don't forget, the Candyman CAN…rip you to pieces!