Candyman (1992)

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Due to Candyman's intervention, Helen's life quickly turns upside down. The same policemen who came to her aid earlier accuse her of murder, her personal relationships begin to deteriorate, and her friends and family believe she has gone insane. In lesser movies these elements would be secondary to the run-up between hero and villain, but Candyman makes these elements central to the story, tearing everything away from Helen so she has nothing left to lose when she goes to her fate.

In some ways, Candyman is a throwback to the darkly seductive monsters from years past. The masterful Tony Todd portrays him as a hypnotic, majestic figure who is portrayed as being oddly compelling and sympathetic, given the horrific violence that follows in his wake. The relationship that he has with Helen goes beyond simple victim and stalker and becomes a morbid seduction. It's sad that later sequels didn't keep this aspect of the character, degenerating into the more gruesomely obvious aspects of his story.

The movie is not without it's flaws. The fashion is terribly out of date with modern sensibilities, a couple of actors fall flat, a couple of dialogue bits ring hollow, and people either love or hate the Philip Glass score. Nitpicking aside, this is a very smart and scary movie that deserves to be considered a classic of the genre.

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