Clive Barker's Candyman (1992)

Based on a story by Clive Barker and skillfully written and directed by Bernard Rose, Candyman rises above most horror films by eerily suggesting that some urban legends--in this case a particularly frightening one--have a spooky basis in reality. The legend of the Candyman is a potent one around the high-rise tenements of Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing complex, where the residents speak of a dark, ominous figure who appears when his victims say his name five times in front of a mirror, then mercilessly slashes them to death. Upon learning that the Candyman is rumored to live in one of the vacant tenements, a University of Illinois researcher (Virginia Madsen) investigates a recent murder at Cabrini-Green. She learns that the Candyman (played by Tony Todd) is both unreal and chillingly real--a supernatural force of evil empowered by those who believe in his legend. He is a killer made flesh by the belief of others, and the young researcher's investigation is a threat to his existence. What happens next? We wouldn't dare spoil the chills, but rest assured that writer-director Rose has tapped into a wellspring of urban angst and fear, and Candyman serves up its gruesome frights with a refreshing dose of intelligence. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Not What You Think

I remember the old reviews of this movie which was once called, "The scariest movie since Silence of the Lambs." That reviewer must not watch many movies...and this must have been the first one they watched since watching Silence of the Lambs. This movie is not only NOT scary (even by older standards) I cringe at the idea that it is called a "horror classic," This IS NOT a horror movie. A psychological thriller, maybe, but not a horror movie. Actually it would be a three-four star psych-thriller, but don't bill a movie as something it's not. This was a HUGE disappointment. October 1, 2008

Don't look in the mirror

Tony Todd at his most menacing. Given its low budget, it manages to be much scarier than many glossy horror movies, and has several top quality shock scenes. You can almost smell the grime oozing from the blocks of flats, and the protagonists descent into her own personal hell is very well handled.

It succeeded in spooking me so much that I gave myself a fright looking in the mirror on the way to bed
March 23, 2008

solid horror flick

as horror movies go,this one is pretty good.it's from the imagination
of Clive Barker.it's basically a movie about an urban legend involving
the title character,and one woman's research into urban legends and
folklore.without giving anything away,she gets way more than she
bargained for.The character of Candyman is certainly creepy,and the
movie has a very good atmosphere.the acting is good and Tony Todd is
terrific in the title role.there are some real eerie moments.the one
thing i didn't like was i thought the violence was too excessive.the
movie is not groundbreaking or anything,but still,i enjoyed it.i don't
think it as good as another Clive Barker creation,Hellraiser,which i
thought was groundbreaking.for me,Candy man is a 4/5 March 2, 2008

Candyman,Candyman,Candyman,Candyman,Candyman!

Another Barker masterpiece, Candyman is my second favorite story from Clive Barker right next to Hellraiser, and it is one of the scariest horror films of all time. Anybody that has seen a Clive Barker movie or read one of his books knows he is the master of imagination, and Candyman is no exception. It is one of the first horror films to use the urband legend theme and the only one to do it correctly in my opinion. Virginia Madsens performance is excelleent and Tony Todd plays one of the best villians in horror history. Not quite on the same level as Hellraiser, but then again, nothing really is. By far one of the best horror films of the 90's. Highly recommended. February 8, 2008

really disturbing but not the best storyline

I got this movie becuase a couple of people reccomended it because i love horror movies. The movie is pretty disturbing and graphic but the story leaves alot to be desired. If you are looking for something disturbing, this is a good movie but dont expect a great story or any real depth February 6, 2008

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