Candyman (2021) - Well, What Did You Expect?

I was looking forward to Jordan Peele's sequel/remake of Candyman since it was announced back in 2019. So it was very exciting to have it finally released, and very confusing that so many people had such a strange reaction to it.

The film follows the story of Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), an artist struggling to come up with ideas for his next show. In investigating Cabrini Towers, he ends up getting entangled with the urban legend of the Candyman.

The plot is solid. There's a nice element of body horror stemming from Anthony's bee sting and eventual turn into the man himself. It was understandable for longer why he might not go to the hospital, since it was just an infected bee sting for so long. (And maybe all in his head? Unclear.) His relationship with Brianna (Teyonah Parris) isn't frustrating or tiring to watch, and she becomes a final girl who can hold her own in the final sequence of the film. It was also refreshing to see a gay couple in a horror film in a happy, healthy relationship who do not die at the end!...Even if they didn't have a lot to do after info-dumping us about the first movie. (Which isn't too annoying; it's been twenty years since the first, it helps to have a recap.) The pace is steady, making use of all 90 minutes. The next twist is always just around the bend. It's just a shame the identity of Anthony was spoilt before the film's release. It was a simple connection to the first that was the puzzle piece the movie was missing.

Which, with all these elements sitting together so nicely, means its a little distracting when we keep pulling away to see Candyman get to slashing. It does feel a little like they were just trying to get the movie's kill count up, but that's kind of excusable when the kills are shoot so cleverly. They really make use of the mirror aspect of the legend to create some visually interesting scenes that aren't just slicing someone up with a hook. They also serve to show just how easily a name gets spread around and killers can come back.

Although the mirrors are a two edged sword. They make for cool scenes, but we don't get to hear the man speak. Which, when it's Tony Todd reprising the role, feel like a big shame. He has a great, deep voice that it felt like a cheat he only got one audibly distorted line at the end.

In a similar vein, the 2D paper-cut out animation to show Candyman's past was also a nice touch. It was aesthetically pleasing and cut the film up - reminding us of the underlying theme of art. So, it's a shame it wasn't used that much. At least it makes a nice closing credit montage to walk away to.

So why didn't people like the film? Most people said that it focused too heavily on race. But with Jordan Peele's name all over it, why would it not touch on social issues? (Especially when he was vocal that was where he wanted to take this film.) And considering the original film - in which a black man was lynched for loving a white woman - was about race, why wouldn't this follow in its footsteps? The aspect of him loving Helen in the original was slightly uncomfortable, when it was the reason for his demise and he didn't seem to be taking revenge. The only version that doesn't touch on the subject is the original Clive Barker short story, 'The Forbidden,' though it could be argued the implication is still there. Barker's also holds the theme of gentrification that Peele's retelling focuses on.

Or, was meant to focus on. The characters say their thesis about gentrification quite a few times, but there's not a huge discussion about it. It's more of Anthony's starting point than a theme.

Another aspect of 'The Forbidden' Peele took was the razors in the candy. This was a nice detail to bring back, and ties the Candy part of the name in neatly. Personally, the direction to change the mythos as a title to be handed down because of an unchanging justice system, was an interesting one to me. It was original, interesting and made a poignant point. Things have changed, but not that much.

Which is not a bad thing to be reminded of. Especially when its impossible to forget for some. (And shouldn't be forgotten.)

(It's also important to remember this film was due for release in 2019, before the huge wave of awareness in Black Lives Matter. It wasn't 'jumping on the bandwagon.' Especially as the movement's been around for much, much longer.)

Overall, Candyman does a brilliant job of breathing new life into an older slasher, with some awesome actors and interesting kills. It develops its slashers mythos with room to grow, and is another solid edition to Peele's film line-up.

What else was to be expected?