Director, Nia DaCosta brings us a chilling story of the supernatural variety with her new film Candyman. In what has been called a “spiritual sequel” to the original 1992 film of the same name, DaCosta along with Jordan Peele and Ian Cooper create an intriguing storyline that builds from minute one. With a highly talented cast of actors, a captivating plot, and camera work that is visually interesting it’s hard not to get pulled into the narrative that the three have created.
We follow the up-and-coming talents of artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris) his girlfriend and art curator, as they move into their new apartment which was previously the location of Cabrini-Green. However, Anthony soon becomes engrossed in the urban legend of Candyman. A nightmarish boogeyman who was said to gruesomely slaughter those daring enough to repeat his name five times in a mirror. As he begins to create his latest work centered around the idea of Candyman entitled “Say My Name,” his once mere interest grows into an insatiable obsession.
The film itself is visually striking. The use of color and lighting creates dark and twisted scenes full of brutal gore that leave the audience in suspense. The first “incident” of the movie is only enhanced by the use of colorful contrasting lighting that creates a memorable and petrifying scene that sets the pace for the rest of the movie. The CGI and SFX makeup are also startlingly realistic.
The movie is not as gory as some other slasher films but utilizes gore in a purposeful and horrific way that leaves little to be desired. The film is definitely not for the faint of heart. The SFX was viscerally nasty to look at, producing a gut-wrenching depiction of violence that will leave the viewer feeling squeamish. In addition, another memorable visual we see consistently throughout the movie was the use of a shadow puppet show. It is an interesting storytelling technique that not only provides some sinister foreshadowing but creates a refreshing means of conveying essential information from the first film without the use of the often cheesy and boring flashbacks used in reboot films such as Candyman. It was a unique and bold choice that was executed perfectly, only helping to build a story the viewer will care about.
The acting and characters themselves also enhanced the story. An issue that is so often observed in horror movies is the tendency toward annoying or unlikable characters that leave you wondering how long you will have to wait for them to die, however, Candyman definitely does not suffer from this effect. It presents us with a cast of marvelously acted out characters, despite this it feels at times hard to sympathize with our focal character, Anthony. In parts of the movie, he is portrayed as unsympathetic and slightly self-centered, now if this is a result of extenuating circumstances is up to debate, yet it still creates a slight conflict. However, this is mostly made up for by the spectacular performance put on by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. He does an amazing job of portraying Anthony’s character. Yet this should come as no surprise, as Mateen has worked with Peele in the past, first in 2017’s “Get Out” and again in 2019’s “Us”. The leading lady portrayed by the ever so talented Teyonah Parris takes a departure from her previous role of Captain Monica Rambeau in Disney’s ‘WandaVision’ to give us another stellar performance on the big screen. Perhaps the most likable character in the entirety of the movie, you cannot help but feel concern for her as the movie progresses and this is due in no small part to Parris’ extreme talent.
Overall Candyman was a fantastic movie that definitely did justice to its original predecessor. If you are looking for a good scare, with an interesting story and brilliant acting Candyman is the horror movie for you. The movie was an outstanding 8/10.
Zoey Lind // Staff Writer