'Candyman' A Review

Candyman is a horror film, a sequel/soft reboot of the 1992 cult classic. In the now mostly gentrified remains of Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing project artist Anthony(Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) lives with his girlfriend art curator Brianna(Teyonah Parris). Anthony, amidst painters-block, walks the neighborhood in search of inspiration where he runs into a resident William(Colman Domingo) who tells him the Candyman legend, wrought through beautiful and effective shadow puppetry. This sends him down a path of obsession which have inevitable results.

Abdul-Mateen has great presence and although the character might not have a ton of dimension, he is the audience cipher in the story, and we are propelled along with him on this journey, his performance and almost exclusively tight shots help to create this feeling of constriction, claustrophobia, and momentum. Parris is, as always, a joy and if there isn't a lot of explicit information given about her character, she's able to create depth with implication, context, and inference along with a brief but incredibly punchy flashback. Domingo clearly relishes the opportunity to play the defacto neighborhood soothsayer and crushes it. The supporting cast is full of talent- Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Brianna's brother, Rebecca Spence as an elitist art critic, Vanessa Williams reprising her role from the original(stupendous, she has one of the best moments in film this year)- to name a few. And although Anthony and Candyman are always the focus the ensemble weave together perfectly to create a sharp and startling atmosphere.

Shot with clarity and deliberation Chicago is gorgeous and evocative and is clearly not New York(or Atlanta as a stand in) which is so refreshing. The last standing row houses of Cabrini-Green are particularly well utilized to evoke not only the city as it is but the ghosts of the city that has been paved over. Visually it also pairs perfectly with the constricting mood and ramping up of tension, a series of tighter and tighter shots on Anthony as he digs deeper in the Candyman legend, mirrors are a big theme with some bravura inverted/flipped shots serving to further evoke the mood. The score is effective but not intrusive, a kind of cascading droning elongated crescendo. And the flashbacks to 70's Chicago as well as the shadow plays are integrated seamlessly within the film to provide needed information but also to enhance the creeping doom and gloom.

The social commentary aspect of it, the recontextualizing of the Candyman from dangerous/seductive Black man specter(per the 1992 film) into this kind of amalgam for coping with generation trauma perhaps isn't quite as successful, or at least at 90 minutes not enough time is given to that part of the script to fully come to fruition. The same is true of the attempt at addressing gentrification. But. That's OK. Every horror film doesn't need to have sociopolitical ambition. And as a tight, immersive, engaging, thrilling horror piece with a solid engine Candyman absolutely soars even if some of it's broader aspirations don't. Perhaps something was sacrificed to get down to the tight run time but that run time is absolutely necessary for the petal-to-the-metal pacing.

Director/co-writer Nia DeCosta delivers big- stunning visuals, an excellent cast, a thrilling ride.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

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