Review: "Candyman"

Bernard Rose's take on Clive Barker's Candyman back in 1992 still stands the test of time as one of the best horror films to come out. Inevitably, the hit film spawned a bunch of sequels that never quite hit the success of its predecessor. In comes Jordan Peele off the success of hit films like Get Out and Us looking to rejuvenate the franchise and largely he did. Peele worked with director Nia DaCosta on this film and both shared writing credits. The pair disregarded the sequels that followed the original Candyman and instead focused on the aftermath of it created a pseudo-spiritual sequel. This take on the character enriches the universe and builds on it to incredible success.

The plot follows a struggling painter Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who begins to explore the macabre history of the local legend known as Candyman. As he looks deeper and deeper into the dark past of the ruins of the neighborhood once known as Cabrini-Green, Anthony begins to break down becoming obsessed with Candyman. Unbeknownst to him, he also unleashes a terrifying wave of violence on those closest to him.

It is rare to find a sequel or spiritual sequel in fact, that not only stands well on its own feet but also makes what came before it much better. That is exactly what DaCosta and Peele had down with this. From the opening credits, it is obvious that they were intending to modernize that classic with a haunting sequence that mirrors what came before it. The horrifying organs that blared into our eardrums from the original are now replaced with an equally unsettling score that clues us in that something horrible is about to happen. They also managed to make the man and the myth of Candyman much more terrifying in this iteration as the truth behind it all is something that we see on the news almost every day. The social commentary isn't laid on thick but it does manage to make the myth of Candyman that much more impactful. At its core, and it is something that was touched on briefly in the original, a prevalent theme is that of the endless cycle of violence perpetrated on the Black bodies by White supremacy and the system it subsequently created. This is even touched on many times by the dialogue of the main central characters in the opening act. Even the tagline of the film echoes that sentiment, "Dare to say his name," similar to the rallying cry of the current movement against lethal law enforcement.

Through a genius stroke of avoiding too much exposition, we see the central characters of Anthony, his girlfriend Brianna (Teyonnah Parris), and her brother talking about the legend of Candyman and the events that transpired in the original film and Helen Lyle. It is wonderfully done and shown through creepy puppet figures in black and white, symbolism is something they use a lot throughout. The legend of Candyman then truly comes out following that scene as Anthony goes digging through the neighborhood and is absolutely enamored by the man that endured death and returned it in kind to those that wronged him. It is also an interesting parallel between Candyman and Bloody Mary, both are legends that started with hate and suffering and yet we continue to be fascinated by the idea of muttering their names before a mirror.

The pairing of Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peele is truly fantastic. The two did a wonderful job taking a property that is almost thirty years old, if not older, and making it much better. Beyond that, DaCosta is a new director and did phenomenal work behind the camera as well as on the page. She does a great job framing all of the kill scenes injecting them with a certain level of dark humor in spurts, misdirection to keep the audience off-balance, and finally, she knows that what the audience doesn't see is much more terrifying than what you did see. In multiple death scenes, she pans the camera out, and immediately you expect to see something happen but more often it happens off-camera and it works beautifully for more horrifying scares. For her debut as a director and screenwriter, I personally cannot wait to see what she does next.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II continues to add to his impressive resume with a powerful and layered performance as Anthony. It echoes similar notes to what Virginia Madsen was able to accomplish as Helen Lyle in the original. Abdul-Mateen II does a great job at portraying very complex characters as he has done in Watchmen and now Anthony McCoy. Anthony's plight into madness is one that could easily derail the entire film in the hands of a lesser actor but instead, Abdul-Mateen II just makes it all the better as we feel for him and his misery. Teyonah Parris also does a great job as his girlfriend as does the rest of the central characters. As an audience, we don't see the other characters outside of Anthony very often but when we do it is very believable the relations they all have. With the little backstory that Parris' Brianna has, it is clear that she herself has been dealing with plenty of trauma and grief that echoes the main plot and the legend of Candyman but it is something that is never truly expanded on. Overall, DaCosta and Peele created a surprisingly refreshing and powerful sequel.