Lookin for vengeance in all the wrong places! If you like to see a killer with no conscience utilizing the power of repetition, then you'll love this full movie reaction to Candyman!
Candyman lost his lover and unborn child. His intent was to make Helen and the baby a part of his legend so that he could get back what he lost and make them immortal with him. Candyman himself probably hadn't actually murdered anyone in a long time. Just more rumors and folklore misattributing unsolved murders to him and the like. Evidently being immortal for so long makes you cold to the same issues he had faced when he was alive. It's tragic to see him so lost in his own mythic revelry.
From what I've read, Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen were required by the director to take ballroom dancing lessons together prior to filming to make their interaction more 'romantic' in a way that Dracula/vampires are sometimes made darkly romantic.
@@marcusjones6098it’s only in the beginning but the children in Cabrini Green leave candy out for him, but fill the candy with razors. Still not sure how the name originated but they do utilize the candy imagery in one way 🤷♂️
Sort of like in Neil Gaiman’s American Gods where the gods have to have belief in them to exist or they are forgotten forever? Basically this is the horror version of American Gods?
I just read that story in the harshest deaths in Chicago video. It’s so sad she was in her 90s, she lived alone and murdered in the middle of the night by some crackheads who went in their to steal from her medicine cabinet. It took the cops two days to make some progress because she called the cops and the building manager for help and the next day they sort of dismissed it thinking everything was alright because her door wasn’t broken into. Next day the building manager thought something really was wrong becuz she didn’t come all day. The building security opened the door and saw Ms. Ruth dead body. They had two suspects who were known to hang around the building but no evidence was found and they were let go.
"How did they film this?" (in response to the bees in his mouth) Well, they took some bees and put them in his mouth. Part of his contract was an extra $5000 every time he got stung. This was across the entire movie and not just that scene.
The scene where she wakes up in the house with the dog's head and the baby gone. The brutality and unflinching bleakness comes out of nowhere yet the movie, thanks to its crisp and immaculate direction, built the tension quite effectively up to that point so when we are thrown into the scene, we are as confused as the heroine at first. Candyman is just horror done right.
@@natsohigh5552 sadly Jordan Peele tends to make his movies too political which is fine in his original movies like "Get out"... but taking an already established character and adding too much political bs in it tends go diminish the horror.
@@thedragon12 The original was just as political, but people seem to ignore that. I enjoyed the movie a lot actually because it wasn't afraid to go after the tones and political subjects that the original did also. The biggest difference is Clive is just a better writer. If Clive had a hand writing the new movie it would've been Oscar worthy.
Yes, so true Bernard Rose had made. Tony did it because Bernard wanted her reaction and he didn’t want to do it but Bernard Rose had convinced him to do it so it’s only Todd did it and Rose had got his reaction from Virginia.
Tony Todd is so damn good, he's hypnotizing and I love his outfit. He's the 20th century Dracula. And Tony Todd also did actually have bees in his mouth for that scene! They used honey bees since they don't normally sting. And the 2021 Candyman movie is a sequel. It would be great if you could watch the sequel too!
Hi Alanda. So I’ll explain it the way I interpret it. So the man in the bathroom was just a low life serial killer using the persona of the Candyman to kill his victims and keep the people in Cabrini Green terrified. However, Helen survived the attack and testified against him, so he was arrested and put away. However, the real Candyman’s legend was being kept alive by the serial killer’s use of the Candyman persona. So when Helen revealed to the people of Cabrini Green that Candyman was just a regular man, the real Candyman decided that he needed to add a new chapter to his story to make them believe again. He kidnapped the baby and Helen was blamed for it. She claimed that Candyman was doing everything, but nobody believed her because she simply looked crazy. When Helen decides to sacrifice herself and save the baby, she sees that Candyman has written on the wall “It was always you Helen.” Helen then see a painting of the woman who Candyman fell in love with, who looks startlingly like Helen. So Helen is a reincarnation of Candyman’s lover, and he wants her back. Candyman was planning of Helen dying on the fire with him so that they could live together forever. However, Helen attacked him and saved the baby. But in the process, Helen succumbs to her burns. At her funeral, the people of Cabrini Green appear and throw Candyman’s hook into her grave. I think this is a sign of gratitude and respect. They’re giving her the hook of the Candyman since Helen was able to defeat him and thanking her for saving the baby. Then, Helen appears in Trevor’s bathroom and kills him after he says her name in the mirror five times. So Helen has essentially became the new Candyman. As the credits start to roll, the camera zooms in on a new painting of a woman with her hair in fire. This symbolizes how Helen and her story have officially become apart of the Candyman legend. Her story and the legend of Candyman will continue to be told be people. Like Candyman has promised her earlier, she has become immortal and will be kept alive by people’s spreading of the Candyman Legend. I hope this helps, Dear! I love you!!!
I couldn't agree more. I'm a huge soundtrack fan and the pairing of great music and visuals in motion cinema can really take films to the next level. Are you by chance a fan of Hip Hop music?
Fun fact about Vanessa Willams: this actress registered her name with SAG 1st (she was on Cosby show as Theo's dramatic gf Jade) so the more well-known singer had to use "Vanessa L Willams" when she began to act. They had a legal settlement for the singer to eventually drop the L. But if you see "vanessa willams" in credits in early 90s, it's the actress who is not well-known anymore.
The concept of Candyman is basically that his legend is what gives him his power. In his case, the fear that it instills sustains him, much like "IT". A similar concept is discussed in other stories like "American Gods" and even "Final Fantasy XIV"; That it's the prayers of the faithful that sustain a deity, or in this case, a demon. So long as people keep believing in him and telling his stories, then he will be able to sustain himself. Helen jeopardized "The Faith", and so Candyman decided he had to make her another part of his story. To keep people telling it.
This movie!!! As a kid who grew up and still lives in Chicago - on the south side where a lot of the stuff near me looked very similar to Cabrini green - this movie was so scary to me and so real. Saying candyman in the mirror at sleepovers was the thing and so terrifying. I knew about Candyman before I ever saw the movie lol So glad this movie is getting its recognition. It's so different from all the other slashers. Also Virginia Madsen was hypnotized by the director so she would have that hazy look when she was around Candyman but she had to have him stop because she was under hypnosis so much she was forgetting big chunks of time. Edit to add one more thing lol: if you're not interested in seeing the origin of Candyman (rightfully so) skip the sequels. They do go back in time and show it a couple times. It's rough.
I’m another south sider, born and raised and still here, this is a absolute gem that many my age (I’m 23) dismiss since it’s not really “scary” but they only looking surface level.
My of the family remembered where the projects used to be where they filmed. They had to make a deal for the gangs to not cause any chaos during production. They legit became extras for the film.
I was like 5, and I loved horror. Most scary movies didn't get to me, but this one did because of that scene. Never wanted to use the bathroom alone again.
I honestly don't think I fully processed that until I was editing. I looked away so quick cause It was so much blood and a kid 🥴. It's easily the most disturbing thing in the movie for me. I see NO REASON
@@AlandaParker Well, at least they don't shoe Candyman doing it. There is an 80's movie where a kid gets attacked and we assume he dies. We see the kid getting attacked kind of graphically, but it's not bloody. I think you might like the movie. A couple of the actors in it were in The Walking Dead including the actor who played Dale. That's partially because Frank Darrabont co-wrote it. The movie is 1988's The Blob. It's an amazing movie to me. I think it would fit in well with your series of watching 80's and 90's horror.
As if Bloody Mary wasn’t enough of a reason to fear mirrors, but now we got John Candyman with his “all about that bass” sweet nothings in my ear to traumatize me. Candyman scared the dogsh*t outta me as a kid and that voice still haunts me.
Now thissss is literally one of my favorite horror movies A few interesting things about the movie: the apartment complex and the people that were guarding the complex are just normal people that lived there, they actually had to pay a gang to be able to film there so the people they enountered are gang members of that specific gang. the scenes where helen meets the candyman she looks as if shes in a trance... because she literally is. The director of the movie thought that the usual screaming upon seeing the killer was obnoxious so they had helen get literally hypnotised for those scenes. I m pretty sure they stopped half way into the movie though because the actress felt very disoriented and not like herself afterwards. The bee scenes were filmed with silicone (i think) prothetics in tony todds mouth and a beekeeper in constant attendance. Helens actress had a very bad bee allergy too so this was very dangerous to film. Also towards the end of the movie helen was actually supposed to confess her love for the candyman but the director wasnt comfortable with that because he thought a biracial love story would be too controversial ...
This movie traumatized me at a sleepover when I was around 12 years old. I never watched horror movies (I wasn’t allowed) and I stopped watching because I was scared. At the end of the movie, they told me to come watch this “really cool part” and bam. I was never the same. They even wanted to try chanting “Candyman” in the bathroom afterwards. Umm, no. I did not because I like to believe I would survive a horror movie type situation, lol. Love the commentary as always!!
@@AlandaParker 😂oh, girl, I love you! When I got older, I learned that I actually like horror movies (well, for the most part). I can 100% do without seeing "The Exorcist" ever again, though, haha... Great vid like always! Keep shining, girl! ❤
The Original "Night of the Living Dead" 1968 would be an amazing watch for Black History Month, and the 1990 remake of it has Tony Todd as the lead Actor. Really recommend those films!
All the bees in this movie were real.. They put them all over Tony Todd and the director told Todd that he would pay him $1,000 every time that he was stung.. Todd was stuck 32 times by the bees and received 32k on top of his salary for this movie.
@@jordanofficially That’s what they said when Heath was going to play Joker , and then they said it again when Joaquin Phoenix was playing it. Alanda is my Joker
@@luvleyjae Stop destroying my fantasy! You people are a bunch of destroyers! I WANT MY FANTASY! If I want Alanda playing Willy Wonka I’m gonna have my Willy Wonka! 🍫
@@luvleyjae and its funny because Aaliyah was originally approached to play Brenda, but she turned it down because they wanted her to mock Brandy. I'm glad she turned it down.
It (embarrassingly) never occurred to me when I was younger that Candyman terrorizing his own community didn't makes sense, considering his death was racially motivated. It wasn't until I saw the fantastic documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror brought that point up that it really dawned on me. The new Candyman from last year honestly makes more sense and really builds on and grows the mythology of what Candyman IS and how it's affected the area generationally. I loved it, can't wait for your review of it.
The new Candyman movie is more of a sequel then a remake but also I recommend The People Underneath The Stairs which is Directed by Wes Craven and the lead characters are black it’s a very underrated movie
In the spirit of Black History Month, I rebuke all foolishness. Also, you confused the hell out of me when you said Maxine from Soul Food. I realized you were talking about the show 🤣.
I need to give you props for these videos. So entertaining. In theory it sounds easy. React to film. But your personality adds so much and it’s not something anyone can do. 👏🏼
When I was a kid my mom refused to let me watch this movie. When I was staying with my cousins they put it on but I was too scared to finish. After the movie they dared each other to say Candyman in the mirror and I was so mad. I couldn’t believe they were risking the wrath of Candyman for a stupid game. Clearly my mom was right, because I was NOT ready for Candyman 😂
The "remake" is actually a "requel" (to use the new Scream movie's terminology. It's set in the same continuity 30 years later. And without giving anything away, it sort of deals with the "Shouldn't he be killing white people?" question. Or at least the ending does.
Yeah, I think Candyman's victims being black fits the pattern of most monsters; they hurt the people around them not necessarily the guilty ones. (Dracula's like this early on, and a lot of Chinese vengeful ghost types.) But the requel does a lot of interesting stuff. Glad she watched this one first though!
Now I can't remember the director's words exactly so I could be mis-remembering, but I don't think Candyman was specifically targeting fellow black folks, rather he was just targeting anyone he could, and in that area the black population was dominant. Also, it could be seen as a rather depressing metaphor about the evils done to black people in the past still harming black communities today.
Yeah, I always viewed it as 'trauma begets trauma'. He wasn't doing it for revenge or anything, it was just that violence had become his whole reality.
Candyman can only continue to exist within the collective fear of a community. Otherwise he is forgotten, and will finally die a true death. In the bitterest of twists of fate, his only way to survive is to prey upon that community in as terrifying a manner as possible, perpetuating pain and violence on the only people disenfranchised enough to endure him.
Plus he's more of a vengeful ghost than a typical slasher movie villain. And vengeful ghosts tend to just violently lash out at anyone around them even if they were peaceful and kindhearted people before their tragic, violent death.
In my view, the movie is about Betrayal. Candyman was betrayed, Helen was cheated on, the little boy accuses Helen of lying to him, the people of Cabrini Green feel betrayed by the system and society, there’s black on black crime that goes unnoticed, the director talked about the biblical story of Samson and made comparisons to that story and Candyman (a story about the betrayal of Delilah eliminating Samson’s strength)…Having a key theme throughout a movie creates a narrative that is so relatable to any person watching regardless of race or gender and I think that’s why the social commentary yields so much power in this particular movie compared to the requel.
A little Trivia: This film is based on a story called the Forbidden by Clive Barker. Barker also wrote The Hellbound Heart which became the movie Hellraiser(Barker also wrote and directed that film.) So remember, Clive Barker created both Candyman and Pinhead and The Cenobites.
White girl goes to the projects is already a horror movie of its own 😂 It was real bold going to make a movie at the Cabrini Green homes at that time, but hey let’s be bold.
Just for clarification, the new one ties in to this movie and its continuity. Its beautifully shot and has a lot of redeeming qualities, the third act kinda drops the ball though - its probably worth a watch, but not as good as the original.
The new one is nothing but a political narrative. It only exist to discredit what happened in the first one. I am not surprised that its already pretty much forgotten. The original dealt with racism aswell but knew how to do it properly without taking away from the movie and alienate a vast majority of fans.
I'm not sure if it was mentioned, but I just want to give a shout-out to one of the best and spookiest soundtracks ever made for a horror movie. Philip Glass did brilliant work.
The director used hypnosis for the movie. Everytime Helen confronted Candyman, the put her in a trance. It's why she looks so dazed and lost in the parking garage.
Oh, no, not this sweet baby seeing this for the first time. This was one of only two movies that have ever scared me in life. Second made by the same guy... Hellraiser II: Hellbound. *hugs*
Alanda I have a suggestion, there is a show, it’s a 90% black cast, no stereotypes, no race trauma, unique plot, but it’s a tv show called blood & water on Netflix. Not sure if you want it on your channel or for just you, but it’s a good show that’s not advertised.
I saw this at the show around 22 years old but didn't really get the fullness of it cause I was w/ a bunch of ppl. I watched it again about 5 years ago & appreciated it lot more as an adult. When I was younger I don't even think I realized it was based around Chicago (born & raised here smh/ lol). It's 1 of my favorites now.
This is the movie that got me into horror movies. I was 5 years old when I first watched this. Just knowing the backstory to this film is amazing. I would definitely look it up for this film. 🙂👍🏿
28:18 They're real - and Virginia's allergic to bee stings. They dabbed something on her that made her smell like the queen bee so that they'd land where they wanted them to land but wouldn't be tempted to sting her, but they had the ambulance and trained nurses on standby just in case. They put something in Tony Todd's mouth to stop the bees from stinging him inside his mouth or crawl down his throat.
Tony Todd is so excellent in everything. He plays Ben in the remake of Night of the Living Dead, an underrated/overlooked movie that really deserves more attention. He's also probably best known these days for his work on Deep Space Nine playing multiple different roles. Bees are largely domesticated, and they're not really inclined to sting. It's amazing what people can do working with them. Now that their behavior is better understood, you can find videos where the beekeepers work with them with no protective gear, not even gloves. They're incredible little animals. I haven't seen the remake of Candyman yet, but it's on my list. Sometimes takes me a while to get around to things. It's been decades since I saw this one, forgot how good it is. Clive Barker writes some really weird shit. You've seen Hellraiser, I think. He also wrote Nightbreed, and Lord of Illusion, and The Books of Blood. He writes the type of horror/fantasy that's best described as "weird fiction." It's almost surreal, like a written form of a Dali painting. For a while in the 80s he competed head to head with Stephen King for the master of horror title. Lord of Illusion stars another widely overlooked actor with a lot of talent, similar to Tony Todd, Scott Bakula. So many crazy horror movies from the 80s and 90s.
Some guy did a deep dive into this movie and the projects it’s based off of. Both this movie and tv show good times are based off same apt buildings. They originally was made to be nice apt for poor families, but then because of corruption, it because overly scary and violent .
For the bee scene Tony Todd had to have a dental dam in his mouth, and both Todd and Madsen were covered in pheromones so that the bees would think they were Queens. Nevertheless Todd was stung 23 times - Madsen meanwhile actually has an allergy to bees, though apparently it was minor enough to not be a problem (though the director had to convince her to take the role).
The fact that I developed a crush on Tony Todd after seeing this says a lot about his performance and his charisma in making the Candyman almost a sympathetic character. Or it says a lot about me, idk...
Virginia madsen was actually hypnotised for the dinner scene, to get the stare just right, Tony Todd is just brilliant as candyman, very scary and the music is bone chilling. A must for any fan of Clive barker who is also responsible for hellraiser. Candyman 2 explains the backstory more. And for the remake, definitely a watch.
I remember doing the Candyman chant at middle school sleepovers. Good times. You gotta see the sequel - the imagery literally gave me nightmares. So good!!
Extremely unique , extremely interesting horror film. The racial aspect is treated with respect , the urban legend /folklore aspect was very original at the time, and the ending was very cool , in my opinion.
Those are real bees! Tony Todd made a deal with the producers that for every time he got stung, he would also get $1,000. By the end of the movie i'm pretty sure he got a $23,000 bonus from the stings.
Omg, omg, I’m so happy you did a review on this!!!! I couldn’t sleep, saw this notification and was like yup, we making breakfast while watching this, and maybe rolling up a fat one. I hope everyone has a great Sunday!
I had to watch this for a horror movie class in college. Our professor always held screenings in case we were too scared to watch alone. I went to this one and cried for pretty much the last 20 minutes of the movie. Thankfully not a lot of people were in attendance, but I was embarrassed anyway. I haven't touched it since; too traumatizing. It's definitely well made and gripping though. And props to Tony Todd for powering through the bees in the mouth 👋😨
This film scared me shitless when I was a kid but only saw it properly a year ago. Clive Barker, a writer who wrote the original short story from which this is based on ‘The Forbidden’, was better know for ‘Hellraiser’. I think ‘Candyman’, the film, takes a lot of liberties, even staples the American Black culture to it, but I like the movie a lot. To me it seems it’s open for interpretation. I thought that Helen was actually imagining it all and was insane, but Tony Todd was terrifying and hypnotic… it’s impossible to pin down what actually transpired during the events of this film.
THIS is the one movie I could never fully watch. Kids thought it would be funny saying that name but I was terrified. I’m comforted in knowing I’m watching it with you 😩 I did not know you watched The L Word: Gen Q. They just got picked up for season 3 👏🏾👏🏾 Suggestion: can we do lighthearted and “scary”? Let’s watch Scary Movie 😂
I really want to do Scary Movie! I haven't seen the new Scream yet and I'm terrified to do anything even slightly Scream adjacent cause I don't want anyone to post spoilers (accidentally or on purpose) 😂🥴 and I'm loving Gen Q; I haven't finished season 2 yet, but I'm so glad they're getting Season 3!
As a Black Man from Chicago, this tale shook us to our core as Kids... Those projects are long gone, but the eerie tales of them linger like the aroma of a Gumbo. Peace, Queen.
5:06 "And you're just gonna put your mirror back on and that's it? I would be packing my shit and moving out!" I love you. Your reactions are always hilarious yet accurate.
Definitely check out the recent 'Candyman', it definitely has its flaws but it had some very interesting commentary and building on this movies lore. The two sequels that came out after this one quickly diminished in quality. Tony Todd carries them because he is a legend and such a presence. I personally watch them only for Tony because I've had a crush on the man since I was a kid. Lol. Thanks again for another wonderful reaction! Sending all the hugs. 🤗❤
Agree with Charles - I actually enjoyed Candyman farewell to the flesh because it was more a "standard" horror movie, not as sophisticated but also not as depressing. The third entry was worthless. The reboot had some really creative ideas, and smartly builds on the mythos but somehow simply didn't work. Still definitely worth a watch.
I’ve heard of this but have never seen it. Surprised I haven’t seen it growing up. I just read up to get some idea of a meaning on some background as to what it’s about. Candyman is supposed to be the ghost of an artistic son of a slave who was killed for his relationship with a rich white man’s daughter back in the day.
The part when you say Nasty! Nasty! But he is giving face😂😂 that was a historic moment!! Lol. So good! Your reactions and comebacks are always! Iconic!!💕💕🤗
Tales From The Hood would be an EXCELLENT pick for this theme, it's an anthology movie with a lot of social commentary in the stories. There's 3 of them now, but the original is the best, followed by 3.
As a little kid in the 90's I can say that parents back then had an absolute joy in terrorizing their kids with horror movies (which is probably why I like them now, lol) this was the one I remember the most! Freddy was the one I feared most but Candyman was a very close second. Side note: Ghostbusters: Afterlife is out on video now. Definitely a must watch!
A great Clive Barker movie. Some other great movies done my the master of the macabre are "Hellraiser", "Lord Of Illusion", and "Nightbreed". Love your movie choices.
It has always been my opinion that there are two monsters in this movie: foremost Trevor, and secondarily Stacy’s interior decorating “aesthetic” (truly nightmarish)