Candyman (1992)
74%RT Audience Score: 62%
Awards & Nominations: 7 wins & 17 nominations
Though it ultimately sacrifices some mystery in the name of gory thrills, Candyman is a nuanced, effectively chilling tale that benefits from an interesting premise and some fine performances
Candyman is the perfect horror movie to watch on a Saturday night, as long as you’re not squeamish about excessive gore. Tony Todd’s performance as the titular character is truly iconic, and his towering build and basso voice will both intimidate and seduce you. The plot may be a bit ambiguous, but that just leaves room for you to come up with your own take on the Candyman myth and keep it alive. Just don’t say his name five times in front of a mirror, unless you want to summon him for real!
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
TriStar Pictures, Columbia Tristar
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
DeKalb, Illinois, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for bloody horror violence, and language including some sexual references
Year of Release
1992
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 38m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 16, 1992 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 17, 2004
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Kasi Lemmons, Vanessa Williams, DeJuan Guy, directed by Bernard Rose, written by Clive Barker, produced by Steve Golin, Alan Poul, Sigurjon Sighvatsson, horror, R rating, box office gross $23.5M, reviewed by Budd Wilkins, Monica Castillo, Dave Kehr, Michael Rechtshaffen, Kevin Thomas, Anton Bitel, David Reddish, Randall King, Brian Eggert, Skeptical graduate student, urban legend, superstitions, Chicago’s Near North Side, knife-wielding figure, recent murder, Candyman myth, revenge, horror story, gory thrills, nuanced, interesting premise, fine performances, mystery, chilling tale, sacrifices, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman
Worldwide gross: $77,411,570
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $84,193,344
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,098
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 9,181,390
US/Canada gross: $61,186,570
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $66,546,925
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 947
US/Canada opening weekend: $22,001,750
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $23,929,251
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 560
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $22,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $23,927,348
Production budget ranking: 1,268
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,884,877
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $47,381,119
ROI to date (est.): 129%
ROI ranking: 831
Tony Todd – Candyman
Xander Berkeley – Trevor Lyle
Kasi Lemmons – Bernadette ‘Bernie’ Walsh
Vanessa Williams – Anne-Marie McCoy
DeJuan Guy – Jake
Director(s)
Bernard Rose
Writer(s)
Clive Barker, Bernard Rose
Producer(s)
Steve Golin, Alan Poul, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
7 wins & 17 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (79) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (62) | Rotten (17)
Candyman explicitly becomes a horror story about the power and fascination of horror stories.
June 7, 2022
Budd Wilkins
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Wonderfully playing against expectation, Candyman leaves you wondering where the story will go next, something missing in most horror movies.
January 13, 2021
Monica Castillo
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
If Candyman doesn’t live up to its potential, it does fulfill most of the Saturday night requirements. The action is swift, if excessively graphic, and Madsen proves a strong-willed, sympathetic lead.
March 4, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
This Candyman can elicit some bona fide shivers while the picture that bears his name is high-caliber horror in its purest, most primal form.
February 26, 2020
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
To pull it off would take the utmost artistry and imagination, but writer-director Bernard Rose expends his energy mainly on the easier task of churning up violence and gore for its own sake.
February 26, 2020
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Candyman offers a plot riddled with narrative ambiguities that are never fully resolved, all as a spur to the hooked viewer to spread their own take on the Candyman myth, and so to keep it alive.
October 29, 2018
Anton Bitel
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Todd knows the perfect way to use his towering build and basso voice to intimidate and seduce. He embodies the sex & death hallmark of all Clive Barkers work better than any other actor ever has. It is, quite simply, a great performance.
March 20, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
David Reddish
Queerty
Still something of a classic, thanks largely to Tony Todd’s grand performance in the title role, literally a tortured artist out for vengeance.
March 17, 2022
Randall King
Winnipeg Free Press
Candyman’s lasting greatness lies in its richness as a readable text and its ability to stoke our desire to keep finding new interpretations – even if its relevance continues to develop in disturbing ways.
February 17, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Tony Todd shot to international stardom in this Chicago-based horror hit…
November 2, 2021
Dann Gire
Chicago Daily Herald
…one of the smarter, more cerebral horror films on the block…
August 31, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
A topical and prescient adaptation of Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden”, Candyman will stick with you long after the credits roll.
August 30, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast…
Plot
In present day, many years after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, Anthony and his partner move into a loft in the now gentrified Cabrini. A chance encounter with an old-timer exposes Anthony to the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to use these macabre facts in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, he unknowingly opens a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Candyman on Fresh Kernels.
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