Movie Review--Candyman (1992)

"They will say that I have shed innocent blood.  What's blood for if not for shedding?"
--Candyman, Candyman

"I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom."
--Candyman, Candyman


The original Candyman movie is hardly in the same company as some of the more popular slashers of its century.  This does not reflect poorly on Candyman.  Rather, the film towers above many slasher movies with far more current mainstream recognition.  Whereas other slashers from its approximate time were often riddled with horrendous acting or thematic shallowness, Candyman explores its storytelling premise seriously thanks to quality acting and an honest look at how racism can impact African American lives.


Production Values

For a horror movie from the 90s, Candyman has very good practical effects and performances.  The first Candyman movie has much better acting than that of movies like the original Friday the 13th, setting it apart before the conceptual differences between it and other slasher films even begin to show themselves.  Virginia Madsen is even given a nuanced role that distinguishes her character Helen from other "final girls" in several key ways, and Tony Todd makes the most of his few appearances as Candyman himself.  The core performances are excellent, which makes the interactions between Candyman and Helen all the more well-realized.


Story

Spoilers!

Helen, a professor's wife, gathers information about local stories of a supernatural figure called Candyman, an entity that the residents of a nearby apartment building fear as if he is real.  She goes as far as visiting the location of a murder supposedly linked to Candyman, whom she is later told was a black man who was torturously murdered for having a romantic relationship with a white woman.  As one might expect, she begins to encounter visitations from a figure who identifies himself as Candyman, and she finds herself being placed by Candyman in situations that make her look like she herself is murdering his latest victims.


Intellectual Content

Like several other older horror movies such as The Craft, Candyman is far more progressive--in the true and consistent sense of the word--than the vast majority of modern films.  Not only is Helen a courageous and strong female protagonist who can genuinely stand on her own--and who ultimately sacrifices her life for someone other than a love interest--but other characters around her do not even pay lip service to stereotypes that treat women as if they are have a higher moral standing than men.  When Helen appears to be spiralling into a psychotic and murderous fantasy from the perspectives of other characters, no one claims that she must be innocent because women aren't capable of or likely to commit anything malicious.  It is not just the themes of gender egalitarianism that are handled well, though.

The very origin of the titular villain is rooted in the racist actions of certain in-universe characters, and racial tensions are on full display in multiple scenes.  A seemingly throwaway line from Helen even clarifies that she dislikes how a particular community of African Americans was not investigated by the police until she, a white woman, was assaulted, even though several blacks have been murdered in the area (even if it turns out that Candyman was almost certainly behind the deaths).  When Helen dies from burns received while saving the life of an African American baby, many people from the black community she aided with her heroism appear at her funeral.  Even though there is more to Candyman than themes of racism and racial reconciliation, those themes are prominent and important in the context of the film's lore.


Conclusion

The upcoming Candyman reboot, backed by Jordan Peele, has a grand legacy to honor.  The 1992 Candyman is not just a disposable horror movie that lacks depth.  It is a great example of how sophisticated slasher themes are not a myth, but a reality that could be achieved by modern filmmakers far more frequently if the attempts were made.  Horror does not have to be executed in a halfhearted or unintentionally comedic way, nor does it have to lack a connection with important social.  The best horror stories meet all of these criteria.


Content:
  1.  Violence:  Helen is struck on the face with a hook for looking into Candyman folklore.  Later on, a dog's decapitated head is shown shortly before Helen slashes at a woman's shoulder in self-defense.

  2.  Profanity:  Words like "bitch" are used on occasion.
  3.  Nudity:  Helen is told to remove her clothing by a police officer after her arrest, and her uncovered breasts are seen from the side.  As I have clarified multiple times before, female breasts are not sexual and their exposure is thus not true nudity, but American prudery treats it as such.