"Call him 5 times in front of the mirror, and he will immediately come to kill you."
The name Candyman may sound foreign to today's horror genre, but the name
sounds like a comedy or other casual film, without the hint of horror.
However, don't judge a book by its cover, even if the title doesn't sound like
a horror film, Candyman tells a darker story than you might expect.
Candyman tells about the urban legend of the black community in the
Cabrini-Green Settlement Project area, if you search for more information on
Google, you can find that the Cabrini-Green area is a settlement filled with
black residents who have now been evicted because of the many problems that
arose. in the area, such as poverty, gangs, drugs, and various other types of
crime.
I don't know for sure whether this film has anything to do with that history.
What is clear, based on this incident, Candyman is not an ordinary horror
film. The way the historical conflict of slavery is conveyed to black people
in America is poured into the horror-thriller genre through its antagonist
character named Candyman making this film seem to have more value than just a
classic horror film filled with ghost and jumpscare scenes.
Candyman tells the story of a painter named Anthony McCoy who is looking for
inspiration to make a painting until finally, he starts hearing stories about
Helen Lyle who is said to have gone mad and died tragically due to her
curiosity about Candyman. Hearing more about Candyman, Anthony McCoy seemed to
have a separate room from Candyman so he finally made a painting about this
mythical character. However, Candyman turns out to be connected to a past he
doesn't want to know about.
Candyman is said to be a ruthless killer, who will appear when you call him 5
times in front of a mirror while staring at your reflection.
Say "Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman." Then in an instant,
Candyman's figure will be in the mirror image and immediately kill you with
the hook in his hand.
The story is indeed too fictitious and at first, glance seems like an ordinary
rumor, but that changes instantly when victims start falling after Anthony
tells the story of Candyman in a painting exhibition.
As a horror film, in my opinion, Candyman manages to present a unique horror
atmosphere, almost like the film Mirror, where a new ghost terrorizes its
victims when faced with a mirror. Broadly speaking, this Candyman is also like
that, terrorizing anyone who mentions his name in the mirror, but the
difference is that the background of Candyman's story is full of historical
values about slavery and injustice experienced by black people in the
region.
This picture can be seen clearly in the scene where William Burke tells the
history of Candyman's birth which started from excessive stereotypes between
blacks and whites. In the past, the black race was often degraded and
considered not the same as the white race, various cruel and unfair behaviors
were often accepted by the black race which eventually led to endless grudges
and revenge.
This Candyman also has its style in depicting flashback moments, namely by
showing simple animations which in the end made me who watched it even more
curious about the truth behind the figures of Candyman and Helen Lyle who had
a relationship with little Anthony McCoy.
My curiosity has finally been answered because it turns out that the 2021
Candyman film is a sequel to the film of the same name which was released in
1992. In the 1992 Candyman film, the story focuses on Helen Lyle while
investigating the Green Cabrini Area.
The film's story seems to be a thread that explains the flashback moments
shown in Candyman 2021. Therefore, for those of you who still don't understand
the ending, you can continue watching the first film, which was released in
1992 so you can understand history better. the appearance of the Candyman
character and find out in more detail what happened to Helen Lyle at that
time.
Broadly speaking, Candyman is an out-of-the-box horror film, with various
complex conflicts and the figure behind Candyman which turns out to reflect
the historical values of black people in the US region. For those of you who
like the horror genre that's not too gripping, Candyman can be a solid film
choice.
But, you also have to remember that this film has thriller scenes which are
certainly very unsafe for those of you who are afraid of blood. So, please
just write your opinion after watching this film in the comments column.
SCORE
8/10
Score 8 from me thanks to the quality of deepening the story and Michael
Hargrove's role as Sherman Fields aka Candyman which is enough to make me
interested especially when he appears from behind the wall in the opening
scene of this film, in my opinion, is the best scene throughout this film, see
Candyman coming out of the wall, holding a candy while humming softly with the
other hand which is a sharp hook like a psychopath ready to swallow its prey.
Overall, I recommend Candyman for you to watch, the story is also fun, and not
easily boring, coupled with various thriller scenes that are shown in the
right portion, making this film still interesting even though it's been
watched many times.
TRAILER
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That's all I can say regarding the Candyman film review. If there are
criticisms or suggestions from you, please just write them in the comments
column.