Candyman (2021)

 

The original 'Candyman' remains a very decent and engaging horrorfilm, that owes a lot of its attraction to the portrayal of the titular killer by Tony Todd, who is also blessed with one heck of a voice for the part. There were a few sequels, but all those are ditched in favour of this one which is a direct sequel to the events of the first film, albeit set about 30 years later. 

But can this one match the disturbing, dreamlike tale of the original? 

It comes pretty close, honestly. 

Set in exactly the same location as before, namely Cabrini-Green, Chicago, the original projects have been torn down (except for a small piece) and have been replaced by fancy appartments. You know, how they often let neighbourhoods grow grimy, then those get bought cheap by real estate developers and then new buildings are sold to rich (or at least well-off) new residents. This is alluded to several times during this film as well. 

We meet Anthony McCoy, a hip young artist who has been struggling for inspiration the last few months, and pressure is building from his girlfriend and a gallery owner to produce something new and spicy, as people feel his work has grown stale and isn't as impactful as it once was. Through some chance encounters, he discovers the story of the Candyman and just like Helen Lyle from the first film, he becomes at first interested, then inspired and finally obsessed with it. 

Things get stranger and stranger when a series of murders starts up again, without any witnesses or even evidence to point at someone. Of course, no one believes Anthony when he claims these are the work of the Candyman, because who would believe a 'fictional' character could do this? But the plot thickens even more once certain revelations from the past seep through and Anthony's world and that of those around him gets thrown for a loop. 

When this film acts a little too self-aware, it doesn't work as well as one would hope. There's a lot of meta-dialogue about the story and character of Candyman and at times, it does come across as a little forced. One might conclude the same thing goes for the clear link to racist incidents, but to dismiss those would be to do a lot of disservice to this project. The message needs to be hammered in at times and it truly feels an integral part of the plot, whereas it was only lightly touched upon in the first one. 

Especially our star Yahyah Abdul-Mateen carries the brunt of this film's emotional arch and his transition/evolution thoughout is slow but inevitable, drawing us closer to him and his girlfriend, as she is trying to make sense of everything and failing until the very end where she embraces the insanity that has become their lives. 

Two things make this film stand out and one of them is absolutely brilliant in execution. The first is that this film doesn't have a lot of gore, but when it does, it sure as hell hits home. There are a couple of scenes that might make you cringe, especially when you are a bit squeamish. Avid gorehounds will most likely not be disturbed, but the carnage is pretty palpable at times thanks to some graphic effects and gooey sound design. But that is not the main focus. There are pieces of exposition that are done through shadow puppetry, and this is not only beautiful, but surprisingly emotional. Not only during the film, but the end credits have an entire sequence of this and this might even be the most direct, emotional and hard-hitting tale of the entire project. 

Oh, and this film doesn't overstay its welcome at a brisk 90 minute runtime either. It's quick, smooth and will leave you with quite a bit of serious questions and a background story that makes it all that much more grand and deep. 

And even if they only brought Tony Todd back for a quick cameo, it's so wonderful to hear him say his few lines in that disturbingly silky voice of his. 

It's pretty certain that some might find this one a little too artsy or a bit heavy on the racism angle, but those that have no qualms with either of those can find a sequel that is pretty much on par with the original and one that has an interesting new take on the subject. It's similar enough to not alienate the fans and yet different enough to bring something new and interesting to the table. It certainly is intriguing.