Candyman

First – and finest – chapter of a fitting trilogy to introduce a new boogeyman to the pantheon of sacred cinematic monsters, “Candyman” (adapted from a Clive Barker short story) is an industrious example of urban fantasy. The film’s strong points definitely include the always-captivating Virginia Madsen’s intense performance, the majestic musical score composed by an inspired Philip Glass, and Anthony Richmond’s laudable cinematography work.

Regarding the figure of the Candyman, a particularly talkative black man, the social context behind his actions is dealt with in a rather haphazard manner, to say the least (I suspect the result would’ve been quite different under the direction of a politically active writer such as George Romero, for example).

All in all, viewed in the context of the underwhelming gamut of 1990s horror movies, this film almost seems like high cinema. Among the pearls of wisdom uttered by the caustic Candyman, we would cite: “What do the good know, except what the bad teach them by their excesses?” and “They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What’s blood for…if not for shedding?“.