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Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop  CANDYMAN - When I was a young kid getting into horror I would dismiss anything like this as anaemic drivel, so fixated was I on the 'Forbidden' glow of banned video nasties. I thought films needed to be pulled from deep underground on semi-watchable tape to be valid. Seeing this now through the eyes of a fourteen year old would be pointless if not impossible, and my mid-thirties self is happy to report that 'Candyman' is a well executed and thoughtful exercise in urban horror. In fact, I really enjoyed viewing 'Candyman' this evening. Adaptions are always awkward and tricky - there's enough inherent friction between film and literature to make me disregard the idea of translation as an end in itself. I must say this, because Clive Barker's original short story exudes a menace which isn't captured here - I love the essential dankness of Brit horror lit from this period, if only as exemplified by the likes of Barker and Campbell - and it would've been great to have seen a twisted avant gardist Ken Loach do a Liverpool council estate based horror back in the eighties, but really, as a film and an imagined realm unto itself, 'Candyman' delivers. That nineties feel is there - slick and linear, but not without style. Performances, direction are all great, and the Phillip Glass score amplifies the mood markedly. I liked it. |
I always thought (the first) candyman was a lot better than many of the slashers that preceeded it. I also remember getting the vhs widescreen tape off a car boot right after my dad had got surround sound installed and the sound mix was excellent. Tony todds voice comes from all around the room and genuineley adds an extra dimension to the film. Bernard rose is a great director (when he wants to be) and I didn't mind the change in locale, a tenement is a tenement wether its in chicago or liverpool, the only difference is the american one feels more like its based on ethnic lines where in britain its more about class.