Candyman (1992)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Tim S

  
  A very effective fall from grace sort of horror film. That sounds strange, I know, but that's exactly what I got out of it. Virginia Madsen is good and gorgeous as always, and of course, Tony Todd is very menacing and brings another great performance to his role. I found the film… More
  A very effective fall from grace sort of horror film. That sounds strange, I know, but that's exactly what I got out of it. Virginia Madsen is good and gorgeous as always, and of course, Tony Todd is very menacing and brings another great performance to his role. I found the film to be effective and stylish for the most part, but it did tend to drag in a few areas - specifically in the first hour. Overall, I found it to be quirky and original... and coming from Clive Barker, I shouldn't be surprised.

• Bethany M

  
  Undoubtably creepy but the plot doesn't seem to have been very well thought out and I got bored after a while. Surprised I got to the end of the film.

• Luke B

  
  Candyman is one of those films I really should have seen by now. I remember the trailer on the Cinema Club trailer reel from a wide selection of videos I owned in the mid 90's. Anyway, I finally saw it and it was great horror. I forgot you could make powerful slasher movies and… More
  Candyman is one of those films I really should have seen by now. I remember the trailer on the Cinema Club trailer reel from a wide selection of videos I owned in the mid 90's. Anyway, I finally saw it and it was great horror. I forgot you could make powerful slasher movies and keep the teens well away. The movie is all about myths and how they can spread and take control. These days myths spread world wide and at a greater rate, thanks to the internet. Candyman really allows you to feel emotions for these characters. Madsen isn't going crazy, but we can't blame people for thinking she is. Tony Todd has a very dominating screen presence, not to mention a powerful voice. The kills all seem necessary in this film, as each one has an impact on our protagonist and the world she inhabits. Finally, we have Phillip Glass' incredible score, which adds a bizarre and haunting atmosphere to the movie. Great horror at an early 90's pace.

• Drew S

  
  Very competent in its creation of an oppressive atmosphere (why won't anyone believe Virginia Madsen?! WHYYY), moderately scary, and surprisingly bereft of dumb behavior, Candyman adequately hits all the bases of a well-crafted, serious horror film. It even addresses Big Issues… More
  Very competent in its creation of an oppressive atmosphere (why won't anyone believe Virginia Madsen?! WHYYY), moderately scary, and surprisingly bereft of dumb behavior, Candyman adequately hits all the bases of a well-crafted, serious horror film. It even addresses Big Issues like race! Aesthetically it feels quite brittle, and although the Philip Glass score is great, there's something unpleasantly garish about the lighting that's emblematic of many horror movies of the period. I guess I just prefer my horror a little more sanguine, or at least not so overexposed. There's a lot going on in Candyman - infidelity, the dissatisfaction of the lower class, the pressures of academia, urban legends, bees. I think it's a double edged sword in that though it makes the movie uncomfortably busy at times, it also gives it a lot of directions to move in. No one would ever accuse this of being a boring movie, that much is certain. It's trim, so the busyness doesn't necessarily detract from the film's focus, but I think it's just a matter of finding a consistent thematic bridge. At the end of it all, I feel like the movie wants to say something, but doesn't actually do it. Don't be racist? Don't cheat on your wife? Believe in urban legends? Not too important, I guess, but it would have given it that little extra oomph that it needed to forgive its dated look. In this form, it's solid entertainment, but unimportant and bound to be forgotten.

• Jeff "

  
  Candyman has got to be the best Horror film of the 1990's, hands down. The film is scary, Thrilling and original. Based on the Clive Barker short story, The Forbidden, and directed by Bernard Rose, Candyman is a horror film that delivers top notch scares. The film works as a… More
  Candyman has got to be the best Horror film of the 1990's, hands down. The film is scary, Thrilling and original. Based on the Clive Barker short story, The Forbidden, and directed by Bernard Rose, Candyman is a horror film that delivers top notch scares. The film works as a supernatural horror film, and boy does it work. Using Urban Legends as a subtext, Bernard Rose crafts a terrifying blood curdling ghost story with plenty of blood and guts. Producing the film is the author of the story, Clive Barker. Barker's touch for the film is an integral part of this terrifying story. Candyman, unlike horror films after 1996, Candyman is a work of terrifying genius. Candyman is a true horror picture with style, wit and imagination. Also one of the main reasons that this film works terrifyingly well is the fact that Clive Barker himself produces this masterpiece of terror.Candyman is a boogeyman type figure of which if you say his name five times in the mirror, he'll come and kill you. Helen Lyle is working on a research project about Candyman and how he haunts the Cabrini Green housing projects. Candyman has some of the blood chilling moments of any horror film. Watching this film again and again still makes me have a hard time falling asleep at night, and thats a good thing. Candyman is a modern classic of modern horror and delivers the best scares since The Exorcist.

• Stephen M

  
  Though silliness creeps in eventually and possibly the only thing that will have you screaming in the second half is the hapless Virginia Madsen's propensity for self incrimination, I would say that the first fifty or so minutes of <I>Candyman</I> represent the… More
  Though silliness creeps in eventually and possibly the only thing that will have you screaming in the second half is the hapless Virginia Madsen's propensity for self incrimination, I would say that the first fifty or so minutes of <I>Candyman</I> represent the high-water mark of Nineties mainstream US horror, better even than the first quarter of an hour of Wes Craven's <I>Scream</I>. Madsen is superb as the graduate student researching urban legends who stumbles upon a hook-handed bogeyman terrorising the projects of Chicago, and director Bernard Rose creates a terrifically oppressive atmosphere. Yes, it's easy enough to pick holes in the plot - who, for instance, do the police imagine was looking after the missing baby during the month that Madsen was heavily sedated in the mental hospital? - but this is still one of the smartest and most original horror movies of its era. If the more conventional second half disappoints slightly, it's only because the first half is so good the movie couldn't possibly get any better.

• Chris W

  
  Hardly the most remarkable or original film, but it works quite well nonetheless. I remember so many kids daring each other to look in the mirror and say "candyman" after this came out...and that was back when I was in elementary school, so that just shows you what kind of… More
  Hardly the most remarkable or original film, but it works quite well nonetheless. I remember so many kids daring each other to look in the mirror and say "candyman" after this came out...and that was back when I was in elementary school, so that just shows you what kind of messed up environment I come from. Tony Todd is creepy and gives a very effective performances. I also like Madsen, but I think I'm a fan of her brother more. Still though, she's very likeable and does a good job given the material. I think the atmosphere and mood are what really make this film succeed.

• Richard C

  
  B+

• Conner R

  
  Great Clive Barker story. Only he would come up with an urban legend that stems from the projects. Virginia Madsen was great, she made the movie way more enjoyable and classy. It's got the style of Barker's other films without actually being directed by him. A great original… More
  Great Clive Barker story. Only he would come up with an urban legend that stems from the projects. Virginia Madsen was great, she made the movie way more enjoyable and classy. It's got the style of Barker's other films without actually being directed by him. A great original horror movie, even though it's slightly similar to Bloody Mary. It was well made and definitely had a creepy feel to it, which must've been hard to pull off with the subject matter being sorta wacky.

• Anthony L

  
  Good horror film, the bit with the bees is great! With a voice like that, Todd was always going to be a good horror villain!

• _kelly .

  
  It's refreshing to finally watch some decent horror. Not a masterpiece by any means, but it still delivers on the goods of an effective villain and some nice bits of gore. The acting of the heroine is quite convincing, even when her character's motives don't fit with… More
  It's refreshing to finally watch some decent horror. Not a masterpiece by any means, but it still delivers on the goods of an effective villain and some nice bits of gore. The acting of the heroine is quite convincing, even when her character's motives don't fit with any standard strain of logic. The art and set design here is quite brilliant, very atmospheric and gritty.

• Summer W

  
  This is one of my favorite horror movies. It works for me because it's all about ambiance. Good music, good suspense, less gore. I feel the need to go watch it now.

• David L

  
  This dark and unnerving horror outing based on a story by Clive Barker and directed by Bernard Rose has quite rightly earned a reputation as one of the best horror films of the Nineties. The story follows Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen), a researcher for a University as she works on… More
  This dark and unnerving horror outing based on a story by Clive Barker and directed by Bernard Rose has quite rightly earned a reputation as one of the best horror films of the Nineties. The story follows Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen), a researcher for a University as she works on her latest thesis regarding modern urban legends. After hearing stories about the myth of the Candyman (Tony Todd) she and her friend Bernadette Walsh (Kasi Lemmons) decide to investigate the myth further. According to the legend if you stare into a mirror and recite the word `candyman' five times then you will call him and he will come for you so obviously that is what Helen decides to do, but it didn't work?.or did it? ?Candyman' has to be credited as at least one of the top five horror films of the 1990's due to its interesting and unnerving subject matter. The story takes the ideas of harmless urban legends (much similar to the ?Bloody Mary' legend) and gives them an evil and physical form. While some people have slated ?Candyman' for ignoring its own rules I don't think it did. ?Candyman' is not a straight forward horror film; there is an intricate plot which requires thought to be fully understood. The Candyman is expected to act one way but chooses to do otherwise, he plays games and confuses people with riddles, why does he do this? Those are the type of things that people make complaints about when talking about this film, he should do one thing but does another, however the reasoning for this is explained in the film if people look for the answer. ?Candyman' itself is a rather interesting and complex puzzle that needs thought to figure out. Bernard Rose does a great job of creating an unnerving and dark atmosphere which is complimented perfectly by the haunting music. The film has an almost religious feel to it without actually being a religious-based movie and an abundant sense of dread is created through some inventive and impressive direction. Virginia Madsen's performance should be acknowledged as well as she plays her role very well, even generating feelings of sympathy for her character. The only thing I've heard some of my friends say as a negative is that this film lacks character development. I can't say I agree with this statement but their agruement is while Madsen's character is developed well the other characters in the film, including the Candyman himself, remain rather under-developed. I myself feel that leaving a certain air of mystique to the Candyman is a good idea and enhances the whole experience. To sum up, for those who haven't seen the film ?Candyman' is definitely worth watching not only for horror fans but for even just casual movie fans. This is a quite ingenious and thought-provoking movie that doesn't rely on gore and cheap effects but rather its self-generated dark atmosphere to provide tension and shocks.

• Film C

  
  scary and weird

• Curtis L

  
  dumb

• Steve B

  
  This was nowhere near as good as I remember it being. A ridiculously flawed film, this one. Best thing about it was the Philip Glass score.

• Lafe F

  
  Candyman is a classic horror film about a urban legend of the "Candyman". Saying his name three times while glaring into a mirror will evoke his spirit. It's got a rich backstory, of a black slave who fell in love with a white woman, who was brutally murdered; and… More
  Candyman is a classic horror film about a urban legend of the "Candyman". Saying his name three times while glaring into a mirror will evoke his spirit. It's got a rich backstory, of a black slave who fell in love with a white woman, who was brutally murdered; and now haunts the housing projects of Cabrini Green in Chicago. The place itself is scary and run-down. The Candyman's lair is one very spooky place. Helen (Virginia Lyle) is a woman researching the urban mythology of the "Candyman", and goes to Cabrini to investigate the legend. Scary things happen and she gets in very deep. The Candyman ghost is truly frightening and dangerous, yet there's a whole romantic element, as he attempts to seduce Helen. It's very hard for her to resist his power, yet people around her are dying. I really liked this tragic element. How things all turned out was unforgettable. Tony Todd played Candyman menacingly, with his deep hypnotic voice, shaved head, his long black coat and hooked hand. His appearances in the movie were awesome and spooky. Often, he would defy the laws of gravity in his movements. The haunting score by Phillip Glass added so much to the movie.

• Dr Blood  

  
  Shocking psychological and physical horror from the twisted imagination of Clive Barker at its best.

• Dean !

  
  A bit like Urban Legends. This is the best of the bunch.

• Lady D

  
  I used to think this was pretty scary when I was younger. I guess it's not so much to today's standards but I still like this film

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