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(1992)***1/2

Helen is a graduate student writing a thesis on folklore/urban legends. One particular legend, the legend of Candyman, resonates with her and she decides to track down the source of this story. The legend itself concerns a slasher who appears when his victims say his name five times in front of a mirror. After reading about the details of a recent, grizzly murder at Cabrini-Green, Helen cannot ignore the similarities between the murder and the Candyman legend. With the help of another graduate student working on the same project, the two visit one the vacant tenements where the murder occurred. While playing around in one of the empty apartments, Helen says “Candyman” five times in the bathroom mirror. After that, things start to get weird.

This movie was such a pleasant surprise! I hadn’t seen it in years and I’d forgotten how effective it was. After all the stupid Freddy sequels of the 80s, someone remembered that horror is supposed to be serious and scary, not infused with one-liners and heavy metal. I’m pleased to report that there’s no humor in this film and the Phillip Glass soundtrack is perfect. This is a dreary, bleak story that could be Hellraiser’s sibling. The Candyman himself speaks in a creepy, gravelly, voice and his killings are vicious and very wet. Although the ending was not all that surprising, it was effective and satisfying.