“Candyman” promotional materials from Galapagos Films
For as long as the people of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green can remember, the whole neighborhood has lived a legend of a marauding assassin with a hook instead of a hand, which anyone who, looking in the mirror, dares to say the word Candyman five times. Today, ten years after the last of the tall buildings were demolished and the estate no longer resembles the notorious blocks of flats, the young artist Anthony McCoy is moving with his partner Brianna Cartwright to one of the luxurious apartment buildings built on the ruins of former apartment blocks.
“Candyman” promotional materials from Galapagos Films
Cabrini-Green is nothing like the infamous place it used to be. The gentrification process deprived the neighborhood of high crime, and newly built apartment blocks became an attractive place to live for a generation of ambitiously climbing millennials. When Anthony looks for a new idea that could push his painting career further, he finds a trace of a tale still alive in the alleys of Cabrini-Green. Hungry for new inspirations, thanks to which he will be able to maintain his status in the Chicago world of art, he begins to explore the mysterious history and discovers more and more dark facts that he wants to tell through his paintings. He does not expect what his searches may lead to and what traces of mental health will be left by the creative process, into which he will be introduced under their influence.
“Candyman” promotional materials from Galapagos Films
Candyman is a sequel to the 1992 film. Jordan Peele (Oscar® winner for Run away! ), Who was responsible not only for producing the film but also for writing the script, points out that the original Candyman had a huge impact on all of his work:
It was a romantic nightmare that for me and every black man must have been not only terrifying but also beautiful. Like any film, it raised many interesting problems, but in itself it changed my way of thinking about what is and what is not possible in cinema. The courage and the idea of building a slasher around race problems for the first time ever made the original Candyman a epochal event for me.
Nia DaCosta also recalls that the 1992 film was an important point of reference for her throughout her life:
When I was younger, I was a huge fan of Candyman because I liked scary movies a lot, but when I grew up I fell in love with his artistry. In how much this movie is different from the others, and in the end, it’s not really the horror movie it seemed to be when I watched it as a kid.
Candyman , like its predecessor, focuses on the urban legend that arose on the real estate in Chicago. The new movie is a natural continuation in which we can see the characters we’ve met before, but it’s also a kind of update to the previous one. Cabrini ‑ Green has significantly changed its image over the past 30 years. Social problems have apparently changed, but some of them still remain the same. The new Candymanis a look at urban folklore and the social situation from today’s perspective. In addition to real places, we can see the works of contemporary black artists. All this creates a film that is realistically embedded in Chicago’s urban culture and makes it significantly beyond the classic slasher convention. It opens up a world where nothing is so obvious anymore. Even who to be afraid of.
“Candyman” promotional materials from Galapagos Films
Candyman Now Available on Blu-ray ™ and DVD.
Special features on Blu-ray ™ and DVD editions:
- Alternative ending
- Unused and expanded scenes
- Say my name
- Body horror
- The filmmaker’s eye – Nia DaCosta
- Shadow terror
- Candyman: Black Horror and Its Impact
- And more!
You can find our Candyman review here .