Candyman (1992)

The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.

Director:

Bernard Rose

Writers:

Clive Barker (story), Bernard Rose

Stars:

Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley

4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Virginia Madsen	...	Helen Lyle
Tony Todd	...	The Candyman / Daniel Robitaille
Xander Berkeley	...	Trevor Lyle
Kasi Lemmons	...	Bernadette 'Bernie' Walsh
Vanessa Williams	...	Anne-Marie McCoy
DeJuan Guy	...	Jake
Marianna Elliott	...	Clara (as Marianna Eliott)
Ted Raimi	...	Billy
Ria Pavia	...	Monica
Mark Daniels	...	Student
Lisa Ann Poggi	...	Diane
Adam Philipson	...	Danny
Eric Edwards	...	Harold
Carolyn Lowery	...	Stacey
Barbara Alston	...	Henrietta Mosely

Storyline

Helen Lyle is a student who decides to write a thesis about local legends and myths. She visits a part of the town, where she learns about the legend of the Candyman, a one-armed man who appears when you say his name five times, in front of a mirror. Of course, Helen doesn't believe all this stuff, but the people of the area are really afraid. When she ignores their warnings and begins her investigation in the places that he is rumored to appear, a series of horrible murders begins. Could the legend be true?

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Plot Keywords:

candyman | mirror | urban legend | hook | investigation | 

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Taglines:

Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman... Don't Say Again!

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and gore

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Clive Barker's Candyman

Filming Locations:

Cabrini-Green Public Housing Projects, Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$25,792,310 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Propaganda Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo (Dolby Stereo)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a Guy Fawkes mask hanging next to Helen's bathroom mirror. Fawkes is an infamous figure in English history (an influence from Clive Barker's original story perhaps), who attempted to blow up the English Parliament on November 5, 1605. Every year the British celebrate Guy Fawkes Day by lighting bonfires and burning Fawkes in effigy.

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Goofs

After Bernadette is killed and Helen is in the hospital seeing Candyman the nurse says "Get me 1000 mls". 1000 mls is a liter - that volume is way to large for an IV injection on a human for any sedation drug.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Candyman: They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What's blood for, if not for shedding?

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Connections

Spoofed in Robot Chicken: Robot Chicken's DP Christmas Special (2010)

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Soundtracks

"STATE OF INDEPENDENCE"
Written by Vangelis and Jon Anderson
Performed by Moodswings
Featuring the voice of Chrissie Hynde
Courtesy of Arista Records Inc. / BMG Eurodisc Ltd

User Reviews

Adult horror strikes back

Deeply disturbing, intelligently made and without a screaming teen in sight, 'Candyman' is one of the stand-out horror movies of the decade.

To just list all the elements that make this one of the classiest genre efforts of recent years would probably take up most of the thousand words I am allowed here. Suffice to say, it has a genuinely uncomfortable premise, uncompromising execution and a bone jarringly lonely score by Philip Glass. Tony Todd is exceptional as the hollow-voiced titular creature; a lost soul brought to life by the whispers of myth. At once heartbreaking and terrifying this could be the definitive latter day horror movie monster- if it wasn't just that little bit too close to Hellraiser's Pinhead. But, when you have a winning combination of elegance and disgust in a verbose, cultured villain, why alter it too much?

Virginia Madsen convinces totally as Helen; and you can almost see all the cast acting their little socks off so as not to let the side down. So good, in fact, that I'm struggling to find one bad thing to say about it.

I read here, that in the eyes of one viewer, it "dwells on the nastier things in life" and wasn't a "nice film". I can think of no greater compliment for a truly adult horror movie. No dear, you won't find happy teens in pastel t-shirts having slumber parties and discussing trendy scary movies, while some rap star tries to sell records on the soundtrack. This is a grown up film for grown up people. There is a reason horror films are for adults, and that reason is 'Candyman'.