On C List of Movie Reviews

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Candyman (1992)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 5/03, 9/08, 3/19

Candy1
9/08: Candyman is a slick horror thriller with some of the most hypnotizing scenes.

If there's anything to watch, it's Virginia Madsen's mesmerizing performance that makes the biggest difference in the storytelling. She's strong, assertive, beautiful, and sensual as Helen Lyle. Reportedly to be the favorite role of his career, Tony Todd is effective as Candyman. Whenever he appears in a scene, he's bone-chilling.

What I appreciate is the intricateness which is innovative and different in a neo-noir manner. That's why I've continued to revisit the film over the years since it first came out. Impressive is the scene of Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd being covered with bees; I can't imagine how they endured the constant tickling.

All in all, Candyman has a well-constructed story with plenty of suspense to boot.

3/19: Candyman is an underrated horror film.

The way the editing is constructed, it easily sucks me in. When I first saw the film in 1992, I knew the beautiful-looking Virginia Madsen had the goods and was destined to be an Oscar-winning actress. Playing Candyman, it's Tony Todd's finest hour in acting.

According to IMDb: "The bees were bred specifically for this movie. They needed to make sure that the bees were only twelve hours old, so that they looked like mature bees, but their stinger wouldn't be powerful enough to do any real damage." Tony Todd was stung over twenty times and had bees inside his mouth while Virginia Madsen, who's allergic to bees, was covered by them.

All in all, all you have to do is say it five times: "Candyman, Candyman, Candyman...," but if you won't, it means the film worked.