Rating: Summary: 5 stars for haunting concept Review: Candyman is scary if you believe in ghosts, hauntings and if you love to play ghost in the mirror games. I saw the movie in my early teens. I wasn't scared but thoughts of such a monster summoned through a game of ghosts in the mirror sent shivers down my spine. The only thing that frightened me the most about it was when I pretended to summon Candyman. Through out the night I couldn't sleep I thought Candyman was really going to get me. I believe the book would be scarier. I'll only want to watch this if I want to be scared out of my wits again.
Rating: Summary: Better than a thriller, a marrow-chiller Review: This film is strange and totally disquieting. It is a rewriting of the old tale of the ferryman who will be liberated from his enslavement to the ferryboat by the coming of a naive victim he will abandon in the boat as soon as they reach the other bank. It is then loaded with the lynching of a black man for some sexual offense at the end of the nineteenth century. This legend becomes then an urban tale and the rejected populations in the projects of Chicago have to assume his coming if you call his name five times in front of a mirror, and to assume their mission is to help in the passing of the candyman's fate onto the next candyman who in fact will be a candywoman. The film is terryfing in many ways, very well done and its mythical and folkloric logic is absolutely unevadable. This mythical and folkloric dimension makes this thriller a lot more powerful than a simple thriller like Seven for instance, because there is a mental level, a level of necessary belief in myths, a level that is never absent in man's consciousness, in the consciousness and culture of any man or woman, either simple uneducated people who believe out of superstition, or educated people who believe because they know myths are an organizing and energizing force in humanity and will always be. A good film indeed. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.
Rating: Summary: Great lead performance saves it from camp Review: Virginia Madsen's surprisingly deep and layered performance shows how much a shame it is that she's not a bigger star, as well as saving this movie from dissolving into camp during the scenes that Candyman spouts his oft-silly dialogue while waving his bloody hook about. In one scene right before the finale, Madsen manages to convey all of Helen's emotions--anger, hurt, betrayal, and hopelessness--all in about five minutes of film time; it is far more powerful stuff than you're likely to see in any horror film as bloody as this. Tony Todd does a good job of being both menacing and sad despite the aforementioned silly dialogue; Candyman is truly a monster that was made, not born. The ending is a bit abrupt and doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but overall this is an above-average horror movie and definitely worth a look.
Rating: Summary: "What's blood for, if not for shedding?" Review: Candyman is an all out psychological/supernatural thriller that will mess with your mind and your ability to control your gag reflex. Utterly vicious by design (based on a story by Clive Barker, what else would you expect?) this story of a vengeful urban legend bent on re-establishing his hold on the psyches of the tenament dwellers who have slowly stopped believing in him will chill you to the bone. The way Candyman, the ghost of a murdered artist, goes about cementing his existence is by by framing the woman who set out to prove him only a myth. Exploring the power of belief and the depths of human sanity Candyman is a truly dark and satisfying Horror film, with superb performances by Virgina Madsen as the hapless victim and Tony Todd as Candyman himself. Terror and gore are ever present throughout and by the end of the film you will believe. So don't go standing in front of a mirror to utter his name. Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. What? Do you think I'm crazy? "The writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom."
Rating: Summary: This movie scary? Yeah right! (: Review: Having read other reviews on this board praising this film for its effectiveness in being a quality horror picture skillfully crafted, I must say that I completely disagree and think that this has been the worst horror flick I've ever seen to date. The quality of these types of pictures has obviously gone down over the years, but even the recent "Scream" series or "Halloween", "Friday the 13th" were much more effective using the suspense element to keep an audience on the edge of its seat, blood and gore aside. Nothing was of surprise or totally unpredictable in this film. In fact, it read like a cheap 100 page thriller from beginning to end and if you asked me if I was scared at all I'd say I spent most of time trying to figure out what the heck really was so scary here in the first place and not in fact worth laughing at instead. I admire Clive Barker and his work, and I think his material surpasses Stephen King at least on paper. As far as film adaptation is concerned, I've yet to see a Stephen King film that truly disappointed in every sense whereas its a shame this film didn't use a little more creativity. My recommendation is rent this one if you're looking for a cheap thrill on a Friday night with nothing else to do, and even that would be a waste of money.
Rating: Summary: "They Will Say That I Have Shed Innocent Blood" Review: i can never watch this movie by myself.this is the scariest movie i have ever seen.candyman's voice made me freak.i cant look straight into a mirror anymore.i still enjoy watching it and all,but not by myself.this is definetely the best horror film ever made.see it today
Rating: Summary: THE BEE IN THE MOUTH Review: Usually I'm not fond of horror movies, they all look the same : blood, blood a little sex and blood. It's the reason why CANDYMAN really surprised me. Here's a movie you can appreciate for its suspense and bloody moments. Or you can enjoy the inventiveness of the screenplay. You can also consider it as a subtile metaphor of the artist's destiny. No wonder that the career of the director Bernard Rose is one of the most interesting to observe in this period lacking of real authors. I recommend this movie to the curious movie lover who sleeps in each one of us. He will not be disappointed.
Rating: Summary: Excellent horror. Review: Eerie, effective horror with a very original script written by the master of horror Clive Barker. Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) is eager to do research on her project on serial killers. Many serial killers have been caught, but the mystery of one remains unclosed. Candyman, when his name is mentioned five times in front of a mirror is supposedly meant to come to the person and slay them. Helen is determined to discover if this "myth" is real. Most recently someone is brutally murdered, but is this the responsibiltiy of Candyman or is it something else? Tense, psychological horror thriller. Tony Todd plays the evil Candyman with excellence. Just one note before I go. Whatever you do when you finish watching this film don't take the chance saying his name five times in the mirror. I know I didn't!
Rating: Summary: Mirrors Indeed! Review: I have watched many "horror" movies, which become either too silly or too gross you can't possibly take them seriously. (Halloween and Scream included, - come on people, get a life!) Yes, I spent many sleepless nights after watching this movie, but mirrors? Come on! This movie left me questioning the definition of insanity. It left me thinking about all the people I have known that were slightly off, and people who think they see things or hear voices - from Joan of Arc to Son of Sam (I can't believe I put those two in the same sentence). True instances of this, are so much creepier than fiction, simply because they are REAL. Candyman, silly plot aside, effectively questions if one persons sanity is anothers insanity.
Rating: Summary: A Pleaser Review: Candyman is cool! I have to say this horror flick rises above Friday The 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street! Candyman is a delightful treat, so don't be scared or you won't be able to sleep!
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