Candyman

Rating:
Summary: Horror of the highest order from a master storyteller.
Review: The incomparable Clive Barker, known for penning such horror classics as "Hellraiser" and "Lord of Illusions", hits the bullseye dead-on with "Candyman," based on yet another of his gripping short stories, "The Forbidden." This is every bit as gory and ghoulishly engrossing as you might expect and plays havoc with your fears more seriously than any sweat-inducing nightmare you've ever had. Unlike the "Scream" trilogy and "I Know What You Did Last Summer," this movie casts a hypnotic spell that haunts your very soul to the core. I dare anyone out there, as a matter of fact, to try and claim they enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep after watching it.

The whole urban legend mythos along with the tie-in to Chicago's Cabrini Green really helps in elevating the suspense level for this film. It goes without saying, as well, that Tony Todd makes an imposing ghostly presence.

I was thoroughly impressed with this film and find it hard to comprehend how any other serious horror fan could not be. If you haven't seen this rare find of a motion picture, please, do yourself a favor and check it out. It belongs in every horror fan's video collection. God Bless you, Clive Barker!

Rating:
Summary: WOW.........Awesome horror movie.
Review: Let me start off by saying that I usually perfer smart horror (The Exorcist, Silence of the Lambs) rather than blood and sex horror (Friday the 13th, the Freddy sequels). This movie is defintely the earlier, with excellent performances and a very interesting premise. That is not to say the movie is devoid of gore, however, quite far from it. At times, this movie has plenty of gore, but not enough to make you forget the plot and characters, which is fantastic. This movie has so many good things gooing for it, awesome performances, a great villian (Tony Todd), and one of the best horror movie soundtrack ever. I do not wish to give much away, and I'm sure you know what the plot is from other reviews. I strongly reccomend this movie. Simply a horror masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Not just scary or disturbing, this is one of those films that, like "Castle Freak", truly captures the word 'horror'. Really I think fear (or terror), shock, horror, and that subtler, more-lingering feeling we call 'disturbing' are related but seperate senastions, and while many scary movies mix them in in different amounts, in "Candyman" the emphasis is definately on the Horror (though shock is certainly present too; see the film's last ten minutes - one of the few unexpected finales not ruined by too many people giving it away one day after it hits theaters) (On a slightly digressive note, there are also quite a few movies in the horror section that, despite ranking relatively low in areas of actual horror or fear, still excel massively while maintaining their identities as horror films, drawing on spookiness, thrills, fun, awe, or whatever - "Night Of The Demons" and "Cutting Class" are 2 prime examples)

"Candyman" is about a graduate student (excellently played by Virginia Madsen) doing her doctoral thesis on urban legends, in particular the "Candyman", a mythological figure said to appear when someone says his name in the mirror 5 times and, with his hook hand, split the victim - how does that go? - 'from groin to gullett'. Hoping both to explore the roots of how such legends get started and to debunk the legend herself, Helen (the Madsen character) ends up getting a lot more than she bargained for. It can be a harrowing watch - the nightmare Helen unleashes upon herself, the horrific partial origin of the tragic Candyman and why he does what he does - but it's an excellent movie, with Oscar-worthy performances from Madsen and the always outstanding Tony Todd in the title role, though I suspect Oscar politics and Hollywood prejudices against graphic horror movies may prevent anyone in a movie like this from ever even being considered for a nomination, no matter how good they do.

A tremendous horror movie, though the faint-hearted should approach with a grain of caution.

Rating:
Summary: Candyman, Candyman..............
Review: Candyman is a creepy and very scary horror movie. The first time i saw this i think i was like 11 maybe at a slumber party, i was so scared. Watching it again recently and i didnt find it as scary, but i thought it was very clever and a really decent film. Helen Lyle is a writer working on a story about the Candyman, an urban legend in which if you say the name Candyman into the mirror five times, the Candyman comes to get you. So Helen goes about to prove that the urban legend isnt true and says Candyman five times in the mirror. Soon she is being stalked by the Candyman and she will live to regret her actions. Both Helen (played by Virgina Madsen I think?) and the Candyman (Tony Todd) are portrayed superbly. I also absolutley love the score by Phillip Glass, the music is so perfect for the movie and its also very creepy, yet cool. Anyway check this out all you horror fans.

Rating:
Summary: Hypnotic and Suspenseful
Review: First of all, I don't wish to sound unappreciative, but I don't think this film would have been as atmospheric and eerie without the wonderful soundtrack of Philip Glass.

Other than the strong soundtrack, this film is actually quite an excellent adaptation of Clive Barker's short-story (From "The Forbidden").

What I enjoyed about this film was the hypnotic presence of Tony Todd (Candyman), as well as his Karmic link with Helen. The merging of past and present, along with their forbidden romance, made the movie all the more mysterious. In addition to this, a little armchair psychology on the existence of Good and Evil, and Candyman's own twisted theories on cruelty. He is a metaphor for our own love affair with dark, mysterious villians . . . imaginary evil is always more interesting than the real thing, isn't it?

Rating:
Summary: He is the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom!
Review: Directed by Bernard Rose, based on a Clive Barker's short story called "The Forbidden", "Candyman" is unlike what I've seen before. It's a mixture of psychological and downplayed bloodfest that manages to make you think and scream at the same time. It's a thinking man's horror movie, if you will.

Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) is a graduate research student, undergoing an assignment on urban legends, particularly of Candyman, a titular mythic figure with a hook on his bloody stump of a right hand that haunts a ramshackle Cabrini-Green housing project in Chicago. After interviewing dozens of people and going through a grave assault by a gang, Lyle stubbornly still doesn't believe in Candyman. As oppose to taking the gravity of the people's beliefs seriously, to Lyle, Candyman is still nothing but an urban legend created to frighten the kids to go back to sleep and keep away trespassers from the notorious Cabrini-Green residential area. All is just a thesis until the day Candyman appears to her, haunting her first with his enigmatic, gravel sounding voice and later, murdering the people around her. As a result, Helen is arrested and is committed to a mental institution even though she doesn't really commit the murders (or does she?!?) simply because like all police in every horror movie, they don't believe in monsters and supernatural killers, let alone in urban legends.

A side story involves Helen Lyle's husband who abandons her halfway through for his sanity but mostly for a young ditzy girl from his University class he teaches in. Sounds like a pulpy soap operaish technique to make us sympathize with the heroine but man, could it work even more genuinely. Helen's plight at the end is just as sincerely heartbreaking and painful as any other non-horror tragic movies out there, offering a tranquility in poignancy: a quality very rare in this type of genre. This is where the movie really works because, unlike its sequels and clones and other mundane, generic slasher variety, it's refreshing to have someone who we can care and root for. Even without this aforementioned quality, the subplot still has to exist, because in the context of the film, it shows that Lyle's normal life is never the same again once Candyman's wrath is unleashed upon her.

The intelligence of the script is just as strong as its ambiguity. Mainly, the psychological aspect of it plays around the notion of one's individualism going over the sea of insanity and hallucinations. Does Candyman really exists? Is so, is Helen the reincarnation of Candyman's lost love? If he's just a myth; nothing more, nothing less, how one can define Helen? Innocent or have finally given up to her craziness of her urban legend obsessions? A few questions out of a lot that are left unanswered and to be pondered to the audiences thinking brain. It can also be seen as a satire of shallow mass consumption, formulating ideas through the analogy of the ever-increasing popularity of urban legends in this kind of protocol: people believing in Candyman: safe and alive; Helen not believing in Candyman: crazy and a scapegoat.

Only "The Blair Witch Project", "Scream" and "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" in the late 90's come close to this level of sophistication of setting up the mystery and ambiguity to be analyzed that "Candyman" laid out.

Of course, it also satisfies the gorehounds of all of us. Scenes of bloodshed and gore-letting are few and between, but once they come, they come unleashing a violent and unrestrained look at the torture done to the victim. Some scenes are nauseating, disturbing and just plain nasty.

The actors are great, particularly the underrated Virginia Madsen (Michael Madsen's sister), who exhibits great vulnerability through her occasional tough and determined strong-willed individual. Tony Todd is very effective and enigmatic as Candyman himself. He holds our attention even if we want to look away. Terrifying voice too!

"Candyman" also introduced me to the minimalist maestro himself, Philip Glass. Before "Candyman", I didn't know such a talented musical composer exist until the music during its opening credits bombarded me with its simple and repeating vocalized concerto. It sounded bizarre, something I've never heard of before, and harsh to the ears; but I believed that somehow because of those qualities, it was beautiful and powerful on its own twisted way, like a deformed but equally lovable version of Beethoven.

"Candyman" is a psychological mind game that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, refusing us to have the answers whether the things that happened are actual fact. To disservice the movie, it is a kid's version of "Mulholland Drive" and "Memento" with a dash of "Friday the 13th" as it does falters along the way, especially at the end, where it turned into a full-on, generic, slasher mode, dampening the powerfully moving scene of Helen Lyle's funeral at the gravesite, where I feel that the movie should have ended.

Nevertheless, one of the best horror films out there; genuinely scary, heavy with atmosphere, laden with good performances, a deafening and dizzening but equally amazing score and a very intelligent script all equals to saying his name five times in the mirror!

Candyman....


Rating:
Summary: This Candy isn't too junky
Review: I've always heard about this movie, but never saw it until last night. For some reason, I had always thought this was a film about a killer clown who liked candy.

I started watching "Candyman" ten minutes into it because I was channel surfing and saw Virginia Madsen, a very talented and much underrated actress who deserves a lot more praise than she sometimes gets!


possible spoilers may follow...



What surprises me most about this above-average horror film (besides its refreshing lack of dim-witted characters) is how close it comes to having the power and depth to deliver a message about society and what we are willing to believe about people without giving them a chance. "Candyman" falls just a bit shy of reaching its true potential, but nevetheless is unforgettable with performances by Virginia Madsen and Vanessa Williams.

If you're laughing at me because I think "Candyman" has depth, don't worry. I can't believe I'm writing this either. There's just something about this movie that's different. For me, the strengths rest in the following:

a) How many times do you see a horror film where the women keep their clothes on (except for the effectively disturbing scene with the police officer) and are portrayed as intelligent females who form non-combative friendship with each other??

b) How many genre films dare to explore themes dealing with society and how we sometimes ignore people who deserve better from us? --An example of this takes place when "Helen" is attacked in the bathroom and the police finally take action. She is sincerely upset that the police noticed her rather than others' plights. It is terribly unfair and hypocritical (and unfortunately realistic) that it sometimes takes a white woman with money to get noticed whereas the everyday, hard-working citizens of the projects get ignored.

c) While films such as "Final Destination" get absurdly carried away with wondering what happens when you try to avoid your fate or destiny, "Candyman" shows (quite creepily) what can result from simple, good-hearted actions. The more Helen tries to intervene and keep people from getting hurt by the Candyman, the more havoc she wreaks until she becomes exactly what she didn't want to.

d) Virginia Madsen, no question about it, is the best thing about this film. She manages to give "Helen" the qualities of intelligence, caring and strength and keeps them in balance until Helen's life starts to fall apart. Ms. Madsen also has the rare knack of steering away from melodrama and uses her talent in the way she keeps Helen from just being patronizing in her concern for the people she meets in the projects.

e) Tony Todd is a cut above Freddy and Jason in the antagonist department and that voice of his is just mesmerizing!

The weaknesses that keep "Candyman" from being a truly "wow" movie are harder to pin down. While the cinematography is a bit shoddy ("Candyman" looks much older than its 1992 release date), I'm not sure that is what holds the movie back. The score could have been much better and a better focus on the urban legend aspects and less blood would have been nice. Just because something has lots of blood, that doesn't mean it's scary. Some of the most disturbing films ever made didn't shed a drop of blood.


Rating:
Summary: The Can Do Candyman
Review: When it comes to the horror film, Clive Barker certainly knows how to put a unique spin on the genre. The first Hellraiser, its villian Pinhead, and the vampire flick Nightbreed are two examples of his innovations. Unlike most horror kings though Candyman proves that Barker is comfortable enough with his ideas, to allow someone else to take material of his and still make it work without Barker calling every shot.

Folklore studies graduate student Helen Lyle's (Virginia Madsen) thesis research leads her into the urban underworld of Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing projects, whose residents are genuinely terrified of "Candyman" (Tony Todd), a legendary figure with a hook for a hand. Skeptical, she tests whether or not he really exists, calling to him while in front of a mirror. Soon she discovers with horror that he's real and wants her to join him in his "mythic" world; when she refuses, he murders those in her wake, leaving her to be charged with the crimes. She tries to explain who the real culprit is, but the authorities will hear none of that talk, convinced instead that she has lost her mind.

This horror thriller is based on a short story called "The Forbidden," from Barker, who also executive-produced the film. Written and directed by Bernard Rose, Candyman has enough jolts and carnage to satisfy any thrill seeker. But what makes it really work is Todd. His distinct mannerisms and deep voice is very effective at making you shiver. The make up in the film is pure gross out fun. Madsen, whom I've always had a not so secret crush on, gives a great performance as Helen as well.

The special edition DVD has a solid collection of extras (but nothing as good as the film itself). The audio commentary track, features spliced together comments from Rose, Barker, producer Alan Poul, and stars Madsen, Todd, and Kasi Lemmons. As much as I wish the track were a true free for all and everyone was in the same room at the same time, it's still worth it, as you will hear a lot of key production secrets about the film. This disc also includes two featurettes: one on Clive Barker and the other on the Candyman mythology. Each one is ok but at the same time could have been excluded and I wouldn't have missed them. Storyboards drawn by Rose and a few theatrical/product trailers round things out.

Candyman is a fine horror film. It will both scare and delight at the same time Recommended

Rating:
Summary: Special Edition is FAR from special...
Review: Candyman has always been one of my favorite horror films, but I always put off buying the bare bones DVD as I knew a Special Edition was inevitable. Well, the Special Edition has been unleashed and I must admit it is quite disapointing.
The film is about an attractive young lady, Helen (Virginia Madsen), who is researching urban legends for a college paper. When she unearths the legend of the Candyman, a vengeful spirit that haunts the chicago slums, she finds herself on the receiving end of his cold hearted wrath and fury.
The Candyman is a unique, tragic horror figure that evokes a tremendous sense of pathos. A former slave, tortured and murdered for having an affair with a white woman, the hook handed antagonist is a persecuted and in many ways sympathetic character not unlike the Phantom Of The Opera or Dracula. The doomed love story and racial conflict provides the substance of this Clive Barker story, and it is far more intellectual and thought provoking than usual horror fare. Tony Todd is outstanding as the imposing and elegant Candyman, creating a truly unforgettable character. Virginia Madsen is excellent too as the reluctant protagonist.
Now, the problem with the DVD and its a major one, unbelievably the video quality is grainy throughout and comparable to a VHS tape at best. There is speckling and dirt on the print also and this is very distracting, enough to make me regret purchasing this. But until the inevitable Candyman Ultimate Edition is released this will have to make do. The revamped cover art is a big letdown too and not in any way comparable to the original art work. This art work cheapens the film considerably and gives the false impression of a seventies Blaxploitation film, like Blacula for example.
The extras are quite good, especially the twenty four minute documentary where notables like Tony Todd and Barker himself delve into the social and psychological significance of the Candyman and share recollections of the filming in Chicago's dilapidated and gang infested Cabrini Green sector. A short retrospective of Clive Barker's career is enthralling as well, the man exudes both charisma and enigma. Finally and strangely enough, some trailers for some truly horrid films are included-the reprehensible Creature Features Series (Teenage Caveman and She-Creature amongst others), Darkness Falls and the utter crapfest known as Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation.
In closing, I really wanted to give this DVD five stars and without question the film deserves it. This film has stood the test of time very well, however the lackluster presentation and apathetic attitude of the studio in delivering such an awful print prevent me from giving it anymore than a three star rating.

Rating:
Summary: I have been to Cabrini Green
Review: I accidentally walked through the heart of Cabrini Green once.