Every 90s’ horror fan has looked into the mirror and has said, “Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. Candyman,” at least once. Am I right?
For those of you who don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, let me refresh your memory. Candyman is a 1992 horror flick based on the short story “Forbidden” by Clive Barker. Horror legend Tony Todd starred as Daniel Robitaille, a son of a slave who fell in love with a white woman during the 19th century. When the townsfolk learn about their relationship, an angry white mob brutally beat Daniel, smeared honey on him, and released bees upon his flesh, which resulted in his death. Daniel became a vengeful spirit who will kill anyone who repeats the name “Candyman” five times while looking in a mirror.
The 1992 film is a classic, but the sequels Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999) weren’t as successful. A reboot sequel, Candyman, from producer Jordan Peele, is coming out on October 16th, 2020, but because of COVID-19, that date could easily change.
Recently, I watched Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh on CBS All-Access. I had convinced myself that I had never seen the movie, but after viewing fifteen-minutes, my memory returned. Yes, I had seen the movie many years or otherwise known as my teenage years.
The sequel takes place in New Orleans and focuses on schoolteacher Annie Tarrant (played by Kelly Rowan), who's determined to prove her bother, Ethan, is innocent of murder. He’s accused of killing Professor Philip Purcell, the author of a book about the Candyman legend. Ethan believes Candyman murdered their father, Coleman Tarrant, and Professor Purcell. And, of course, the authorities don’t believe him.
After repeating Candyman five times in front of a mirror to prove to her students that the legend isn’t real, Candyman haunts Annie. Candyman has a specific fixation on her family and she must unravel the mystery to stop Candyman killing more innocents.
For those of you who don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, let me refresh your memory. Candyman is a 1992 horror flick based on the short story “Forbidden” by Clive Barker. Horror legend Tony Todd starred as Daniel Robitaille, a son of a slave who fell in love with a white woman during the 19th century. When the townsfolk learn about their relationship, an angry white mob brutally beat Daniel, smeared honey on him, and released bees upon his flesh, which resulted in his death. Daniel became a vengeful spirit who will kill anyone who repeats the name “Candyman” five times while looking in a mirror.
The 1992 film is a classic, but the sequels Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999) weren’t as successful. A reboot sequel, Candyman, from producer Jordan Peele, is coming out on October 16th, 2020, but because of COVID-19, that date could easily change.
Recently, I watched Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh on CBS All-Access. I had convinced myself that I had never seen the movie, but after viewing fifteen-minutes, my memory returned. Yes, I had seen the movie many years or otherwise known as my teenage years.
The sequel takes place in New Orleans and focuses on schoolteacher Annie Tarrant (played by Kelly Rowan), who's determined to prove her bother, Ethan, is innocent of murder. He’s accused of killing Professor Philip Purcell, the author of a book about the Candyman legend. Ethan believes Candyman murdered their father, Coleman Tarrant, and Professor Purcell. And, of course, the authorities don’t believe him.
After repeating Candyman five times in front of a mirror to prove to her students that the legend isn’t real, Candyman haunts Annie. Candyman has a specific fixation on her family and she must unravel the mystery to stop Candyman killing more innocents.
Final Thoughts
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is an underrated sequel. It’s cursed with being the followup to the 1992 classic. To many fans, anything following the original will always be lackluster, but I don’t think it’s a bad sequel. It’s entertaining for 3/4 of the 95-minute runtime, though it falls apart towards the ending. And it’s not as predictable as the so-called critics made it out to be.
Overall, I enjoyed watching (or re-watching) Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh. Sure, the original is better, but this sequel is worth watching, and at least it's better than the third outing.
Overall, I enjoyed watching (or re-watching) Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh. Sure, the original is better, but this sequel is worth watching, and at least it's better than the third outing.
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