Candyman
Director: Bernard Rose
Writer: Bernard Rose (based on the novel The Forbidden by Clive Barker)
Starring: Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd
Available On Video: VHS ($14.95) and DVD ($29.99) from Columbia/Tri-Star Home Video
Body Count: 4 (5, if you count the dead dog)
Review: Once again, Clive Barker proves why he's known as the future of horror.
This movie kicks ass.
The Candyman is the subject of an urban legend in downtown Chicago. He was a slave, according to the story, who was brutally killed after impregnating the white woman he loved. He has returned with a hook to seek revenge and to "shed the blood of innocents." Virginia Madsen plays a woman obssessed with disproving the Candyman stories, and in doing so becomes a part of them.
Candyman was the first attempt in the 1990s to start an entirely new slasher franchise, and it works--awesomely. The critics liked Candyman, and so do audiences. What makes it work are the fresh story and perfect acting from both Virginia Madsen and the Candyman himself, Tony Todd.
And, of course, Clive Barker. The man is a genius, and his story is so well done that it will appease the avid slasher fan and even compell him, despite the film's relatively low body count.
Candyman is the scariest slasher film of the 90s. I know there's a lot of people who would give that crown to either Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer, or even (God forbid, those poor souls) Urban Legend--but they're all wrong.
You don't believe me? Fine. Watch Candyman, and after doing so, I dare you to go into your bathroom, say his name five times, and turn off the light....
I guarantee you won't make it past number four....
