Candyman (1992)

Acting:		Partying:		Girls:
Blood:		Language:		Gore:
Violence:		Humor:		Sexuality:
Torture:		Predictability:		Overall:

The early nineties were an odd time for the horror genre. Audiences were clearly tired of endless stalker movies franchises and The Silence of the Lambs proved that viewers were less interested in the supernatural and were becoming fascinated by real-life serial killers. Thrillers won Academy Awards and horror became passé. Very few good supernatural-themed horror movies came out in that era. Candyman was one of them.

A clever little film based on Clive Barker's short story "The Forbidden" the titular character is an urban myth, a supernatural killer who comes after you if you say his name in the mirror five times and tears you apart "from your groin to your gullet" with the oversized hook sticking out of his bloody arm. A graduate student (Virginia Madsen) and her unlucky compatriot go to the Cabrini Green housing projects where the legend originated and the disbelief that they spread among Candyman's flock compel him to appear once again.

Candyman is a horror movie for adults. It would have been very easy, and very unimaginative, to simply have Candyman running around hacking people to pieces. Instead, Candyman's primary mission is to keep his myth alive in the minds of the people who believe in him. When Helen challenges his legend he is compelled into action and begins killing again to remind his congregation that he's very real. ...

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