My horror movie reviews

Candyman (2021) Review

Most movie genres allow us to be the hero/protagonist of the story when we’re immersed enough. For the first time in what seems like a while Candyman 2021 reminded me how horror movies are one of the (if not the only) genres which allow us to be the villain/antagonist when said character is fleshed out well enough. First let me get something out of the way: I never could get into the original movie. It’s not that I didn’t want to get past the first two to three minutes, but much like the original Scream, if not Friday the 13th, its brand of horror was never my cup of tea beyond bits of the first act. The first two to three minutes of this iteration, however, had that professional 10s holdover charm which felt more welcoming than the original’s. Also the horror seems at least ten times more quiet than the original when it first begins. As it progresses, however, it becomes a sort of teeter totter between merciless and inspired, growing in subtlety little by little once we get the gist of his presence. At some point it almost made me feel how the original film might have even been a precursor to Ringu/The Ring in terms of summoning someone by doing/seeing something. Yet it wasn’t until I saw the first painting of the tragedy that led to the incident when I felt transported back to the 90s. I felt like the movie was at first flirting with that notion when the main character, Anthony, leaves a house fitting for a Syncopy production in favor of investigating abandoned buildings that were as much covered with not only plant life to show their age, but arguable the very staple of that decade: graffiti. And at the risk of spoiling, one quote (and the commentary it was built up to) helped elevate this movie beyond its allegorical horror roots as Anthony did his research: “Candyman is how we deal with the fact that these things happened. That they’re still happening.” While the horror in the myth, mixed with the reality of situations that wouldn’t be anything new to anyone too aware of American history, is stronger here than ever, it’s also the connection with Anthony’s dilemmas of discrimination and how the eponymous character, shall we say, relates to him narratively, that serve as a nifty way of bringing back that history. Plus as that character is brought back into the past (be it his, the story’s, or both), so is the aesthetic as we return to as much musically as visually to both the 90s and 70s which the story begins in (whether it’s in the original film or the time period in this version). And although I still don't want to give anything away, the dialogue from the original's prologue is brought back in a fairly clever way that works even better. There’s overall a lot to like from this as more than just a horror movie. Personally, though, I wasn’t disappointed when it even found a way to have Mr. Todd’s version offer a wink (or two).