Directed by: Nia DaCosta
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Tony Todd
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date: August 27, 2021
Running time: 91 minutes
Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars
I have been a fan of the original 1992 film “Candyman” since its release on home video likely back in 1993. It was a film that scared me growing up. It was suspenseful and gory and I loved it. When I heard that they were making what turned into the “fourth film” in this franchise, I could have been more excited. Bring on “Get Out”, “Us” writer/director Jordan Peele and I thought we were going to have an instant winner here. The rest of this review could offer some spoilers so if you don’t already know that much about this film, I would steer clear…
Official Premise: For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; HBO’s Watchmen, Us) and his partner, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris; If Beale Street Could Talk, The Photograph), move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials. With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini-Green old-timer (Colman Domingo; HBO’s Euphoria, Assassination Nation) exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.
I must say that I am definitely a Yahya Abdul-Mateen II fan, but here is my rant, if you going to make him Candyman, then make him Candyman. With this new film they hesitated to announce or reveal who was playing the role of Candyman. But when fans found out that original actor Tony Todd, who played the villain in the first three films, was involved that this was going to be an epic sequel. Maybe the film is too smart for me but I was just left saying “What?” when those credits started. I understand what they were trying to achieve with their ending but after hoping to see Todd reprise his role the whole movie, I got to say, I was left very disappointed. With little scares, less gore than the original, I am perfectly content with the first three films.
