Candyman (2021) Review

In 1992, Candyman was first released. Just to be clear, this Candyman isn’t the one who mixes it with love and makes the world taste good. Rather, he’s a black man in a long fur coat with his right hand replaced by a hook. Say his name five times while looking in the mirror, and he’ll come to split you from your groin to your gullet. Adapted from Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden” and directed by Bernard Rose (who also directed Immortal Beloved and Anna Karenina), Candyman was completely different from horror films coming out at the time. It had a low body count, mostly took place in the daytime, and had surreal, dreamlike atmosphere akin to The Shining or Suspiria, and had underlying themes of race and poverty. Candyman himself was different from slasher villains like Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhees, as he was a Gothic, romantic figure like the Phantom of the Opera. It was also well remembered for its iconic performance by Tony Todd and its fantastic minimalist score by Phillip Glass. Candyman was followed by two inferior sequels in the mid and late 90s, with Tony Todd reprising his role as the titular character. Now comes a direct sequel to the original film. Produced and written by the emerging horror director Jordan Peele (of Get Out and Us fame) and directed by the up-coming Nia DaCosta (who made her debut with Little Woods back in 2019), Candyman provides us with a sequel that is worthy of standing alongside the original.

The film takes place 30 years after the original, where the last of the towers of the Cabrini Green project has been torn down and its remains have been gentrified beyond recognition. The follows Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), an up-and-coming visual artist in Chicago’s art scene, who has moved into a loft in Cabrini Green with his girlfriend, art gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris). Currently going through a creative rut, Anthony is introduced to the legend of Candyman by Cabrini Green resident William Burke (Colman Domingo). Using the legend as an inspiration on a new series of paintings, Anthony unwittingly brings back the Candyman, as his sanity takes a toll and his obsession with the legend deepens, all while a new wave of violence grips Cabrini Green.

Brilliant performances from Abdul-Mateen II, Parris, and Domingo.

One of the strongest elements of the film comes from its acting. Starting off is Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Anthony McCoy. Best known for his work on the Netflix series The Get Down, I first gained attention of him when he played Black Manta in Aquaman. However, his standout performance as Bobby Seale in The Trial of the Chicago 7 made me realize his talents as an actor, and I want to see more of him. He’s great as Anthony, bringing a real likability and charisma to him, and really sells the creative rut he’s in as an artist (which, as a writer, I relate to all too well). But the strongest aspect of Abdul-Mateen II’s is him selling Anthony’s gradual descent into madness. It starts small, like with Anthony being excited that a news report covering some grisly murders at an art gallery mentions some of his projects installed there, but slowly builds up like a snowball rolling down a hill. It’s an overall really fantastic and incredibly committed performance.

Next up is Teyonah Parris as Brianna Cartwright, an art gallery director and Anthony’s girlfriend. She has made her name in other African American focused films such as Dear White People, Chi-Raq, and If Beale Street Could Talk. As of recently, she’s become a household name for her role as the adult Monica Rambeau on the Disney Plus series Wandavision, a role which she’ll reprise in Nia DaCosta’s next feature The Marvels. And here, she gives another great performance here as Brianna. She has great chemistry with Anthony and provides a grounded presence for the film as Anthony descends into his obsession and alienates her with his behavior.

Last but not least is Colman Domingo as William Burke, a Cabrini Green resident that owns a Laudromat who introduces the legend of Candyman to Anthony. Domingo (who was also one of the highlights of this year’s Zola) gives a Burke a very approachable, old timer presence to him. However, he really shines when he tells two separate origins of Candyman. You can actually feel the pain and agony in his voice where he recounts the tale and death of Daniel Robitaille, the man who became the original Candyman. To go any further with Domingo’s role would spoil the climax, but he really shines here.

Another notable role is Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Troy, Brianna’s openly gay brother. He’s similar to Rod in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, where he provides some much-needed comedic relief in the film, whether it be talking about the kind of wine he prefers or talking about how “black people don’t need to be summoning ghosts”. He’s a delightful character that I wanted to see more of in the movie.

The only major cast member returning from the first Candyman in a significant partis Vanessa A. Williams as Anna Marie McCoy. It’s a very brief scene, yet it really stands out because of how well acted it is and how Williams packs so much into one singular scene.

Unique visual and audio presentation, with relevant social commentary weaved in.

What really makes Candyman stand out from other run-of-the-mill horror movies coming out is its visuals, as Nia DaCosta has a real eye for cinematography and composition. There are several real stands out shots that look beautiful, like a shot of Brianna standing outside of a building, or a winding tracking shot of Anthony waking through the halls of an apartment. What also enhances the cinematography would be more stylistic choices that DaCosta makes. It’s noticeable in the opening production logos, which are mirrored to represent the way of summoning Candyman, while Sammy Davis Jr.’s jaunty, happy cover of “The Candyman” play over it. However, as the logos go on, the song becomes increasingly distorted, and it gets drowned out by the sound of bees buzzing.

Asides from the opening credits, another noticeable stylistic choice is the use of shadow puppets to depict flashbacks in the film, namely the origins of Candyman. They’re meticulously crafted, and credibly moody and stylized, and all done in practical, with not a hint of CGI. What ties all of these stylistic choices together in a pretty bow is the score by Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe. Like with Phillip Glass’s score for the original film, it is very minimalist in its nature, such as the repetitive and droning track “The Sweet”, which plays over the opening credits. The other standout track in the score is “Music Box”, which incorporates a stripped down and haunting version of Phillip Glass’s original theme into it. Lowe’s score does help create a tense and creepy atmosphere for the film.

What also stands out about Candyman is its use of social commentary. This is be expected from a Jordan Peele project, as he has woven social commentary into his horror works, but as mentioned above, the original Candyman had elements of social commentary regarding race and the Cabrini Green housing projects. A notable comment from the original is Virginia Madsen’s Helen Lyle commenting that “two people get brutally murdered and the cops do nothing, but a white woman goes in there and gets attacked and they lock the place down”. This Candyman still comments on racial issues, namely in the form of gentrification of housing projects and ghettos, and police brutality against the black community. The former plays a part in that Cabrini Green has been gentrified into affordable, trendy lofts for young people, with characters commenting that the residents of Cabrini Green were originally put there to help them but are now being kicked out when things didn’t pan out. The themes of police brutality against the black community is shown in how Candyman has been slightly retooled and retconned. Candyman now isn’t just a singular spirit, but a collection of spirits who were victims of racial violence in life, with the original Candyman, Daniel Robitaille (a black painter who was brutally lynched for being in love with a white woman) as their leader. As Burke puts it, the residents of Cabrini Green use Candyman as a way to remind them that the racial violence that has happened to them in the past are still happening.

However, where Candyman falters is in its ending, namely with how rushed it is. I was generally surprised that the movie had the standard 90-minute running time but feel like it could have been benefitted from more breathing room, with 15 minutes to a full half hour added on to make things feel a bit less rushed. The movie could have used this to expand on certain ideas, such as the idea of Candyman being a collection of spirits could be expanded on to comment on the cyclical nature of racial violence. Other plot points could have been excised from the film, such as a flashback where Briana’s father, a troubled artists with mental health issues, commits suicide in front of her. It’s creepy and chilling in its presentation but has very little impact on the film as a whole.

 While it suffers from a rushed ending and a few underdeveloped ideas, Candyman is still a tense and chilling horror film that’s a great sophomore feature from Nia DaCosta. The cast, especially Yayha Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, and Colman Domingo, are fantastic and give excellent performances. The score, Nia DaCosta’s eye for cinematography and shot composition, and the use of shadow puppetry make it visually enticing. And its social commentary on police brutality and gentrification is well woven into its scenes of horror. It’s a worthy follow up to the original Candyman, and I look forward to what Nia DaCosta does next with The Marvels.