"I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom!Without these things, I am nothing."
Based on Clive Barker's short story The Forbidden, Bernard Rose's 1992 horror film Candyman is a very underrated slasher flick that introduced Tony Todd's eponymous villain to audiences -- the son of a slave who was brutally tortured and killed, but whose ghost can be summoned by chanting his nickname 5 times into a mirror…
It's a simple, yet very effective premise – an urban legend that marries the supernatural power of Freddy Kruger with the sympathetic birth of Jason Vorhees. Indeed, the Candyman character's requirement for people to remember his legend is something Freddy Kruger would steal for Freddy Vs Jason.
Tony Todd made a memorable villain, primarily because of his distinct, gravely voice. Sadly, an attempt to turn Candyman into horror icon failed thanks to two weak straight-to-video sequels (the entertaining Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh and awful Candyman: Day Of The Dead.) Unlike 80s-era horror franchise icons, it seemed the Candyman's history and modus operandi was just too narrow to expand on.
However, the real masterstroke of Candyman was the casting of Virginia Madsen as heroine Helen Lyle, a student researching modern folklore who discovers the Candyman myth is very real. Madsen's talent has never really been fully appreciated (thanks to her roles in underachieving films), but she delivers one of the best Scream Queen performances here -- even winning 1992's Saturn Award for her portrayal.
For a brief moment in the early-90s, British director Bernard Rose seemed ready to to shake-up the horror genre, by combining an adult sensibility to schlocky 80s horror. Candyman was a mature, skilled and affecting horror film that promised so much from Rose... but he moved into more "worthy" projects and only had moderate success with 1997's Anna Karenina. He has recently returned to horror with 2005's critically-mauled, audience ignored Snuff-Movie.
If you haven't seen Candyman, please do so immediately. It was years ahead of its time, contains some wonderful performances, a fantastic soundtrack by Philip Glass and a very unnerving premise. To this day, I know people who won't say "Candyman" 5 times in a mirror!
Trivia1. The bees were bred specifically for this movie, because the filmmakers needed bees that looked fully mature, but were harmless -- and only 12-week old bees are both.
2. Virginia Madsen has claimed she was hypnotized for some of the film's scenes!
3. "Sweets to the sweet", written on a wall, and later to become a catchphrase in the sequels, is actually a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
4. In the film's climax, Tony Todd has real bees in his mouth. His only protection was a plastic mouthpiece.
5. Virginia Madsen is actually allergic to bee stings, so an ambulance was always on set.
6. The producers' second choice for the role of Helen was a then-unknown Sandra Bullock.
