Candyman Parent Guide

Although the original Cabrini-Green housing project has long been torn down, the rumors of Candyman (Tony Todd) have never faded in Chicago. For struggling artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), the story of the mysterious killer gives him some much-needed inspiration for an upcoming gallery show – but when two people are brutally slaughtered in front of his piece, the legends about Candyman become all-consuming for Anthony. The answers lie in the past, though, and Anthony’s past has secrets of its own…

Films that reboot a franchise are a difficult tightrope for filmmakers to walk. They must stay reasonably close to the source material and bring new people into the story without boring existing and knowledgeable fans. I’ve seen experienced directors mess it up, so for a relatively new director like Nia DaCosta to do such a good job is a remarkable surprise. It certainly helps that she had Jordan Peele, one of the most promising modern directors of horror films, as a producer and screenwriter. I won’t pretend to know enough about either of them to claim to be able tell who’s responsible for what, but together they’ve made one of the more visually impactful films I’ve seen this year.

The cutout animation scenes are particularly interesting, silhouetting the most basic ideas of characters and using them to explore the characters’ pasts. Several of the shots are strongly reminiscent of artist Kara Walker’s work, which fits well with the story’s exploration of race and violence. But, as with Kara Walker, there are aspects of this film you’d probably prefer not to expose your children to. R-rated slasher horror flicks are typically a poor choice due to the bloody violence. Candyman is no exception, but its violence is considerably less graphic than the 1992 production. There is still, however, quite a bit of profanity.

I know this will immediately brand me a heretic, but I think I actually prefer this film to the original. It’s smarter, better shot, and more socially conscious. Candyman is not just a good sequel: It stands on its own as solid horror fare for fans old and new. And that’s not easy – just look at some of the other reboots we’ve seen in recent years. While it’s not hard to be better than, say Tom and Jerry or Space Jam: A New Legacy, that’s not a fair comparison. This is closer to Doctor Sleep, both in its ability to explore new stories while maintaining a continuing narrative, and in its capacity to scare the pants off you.