Download Candyman movie review

 

CANDYMAN

Cert 15

91 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong bloody violence, gore, language

The bell will toll for cinema unless it can do better than remakes, sequels and film versions of TV series.

I understand there is an element of chicken and egg because studios want to guarantee success in order to keep the cash flowing.

In the halcyon days, A-listers such as Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn etc would have been the lure.

Films by directors such as David Lean and more recently Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorcese were also events.

Unfortunately, a name doesn't guarantee box office glory nowadays - consumers appear more excited by special effects or franchises.

Thus, we end up with screens dominated by superheroes or lame remakes such as Candyman which has neither improved with age or remodelling.

Nia DaCosta's movie leans on the old fear that if the word Candyman is repeated five times in front of a mirror, the bogeyman emerges to inflict death.

It stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Anthony McCoy, an artist who is struggling for inspiration despite living with a gallery director  (Teyonah Parris).

Her brother (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) shares the urban legend of a student who killed several people and tried to sacrifice a baby on a bonfire.

The horrors happened at Cabrini Green in Chicago where Anthony lives so he goes out to the partly-derelict site to see if he can muster inspiration.

This comes from a local laundromat owner (William Burke) who fills in many of the blanks surrounding what happened and links the Candyman legend.

Actually, I have just made the film seem much more interesting than it actually is.

Mostly, it is simply people talking into mirrors and getting themselves killed while the artist becomes more and more unhinged.

In other words, it is another day and another duff 2021 horror remake and another movie nearer me thinking that the everyfilm quest may have seen its day.

Reasons to watch: If you haven't seen the previous Candyman

Reasons to avoid: Not very scary

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 3.5/10

Did you know? Eddie Murphy was a contender for the part as the original Candyman. Though it’s unclear exactly why he wasn’t cast, sources have reported that it had to do with everything from his height to his salary demands.

The final word. Nia DaCosta: "“I love horror and I felt like I had a really good idea about how to make something scary, but also I’m very measured, especially with a story like this, about what is appropriate and what is not appropriate." The Guardian

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