Candyman (1992)
Candyman is a good news bad news type of film. The good news is the film is technically fantastic...Phillip Glass's score is memorable and haunting. Anthony Richmond's cinematography is incredible this isn't his best work but for a mid-budget film it's incredible. The film's production values greatly elevate what is a silly and confusing story. The first half of this film is perfect...the idea of this urban legend that deals with urban people is great. Madsen gives an incredible performance as a woman who is going mad...the movie has a Yuppie nightmare quality to it(similar to After Hours). Tony Todd is a compelling actor and he chews scenery very well.
But the second half of this film is just and lead weight on the story. The rules and mythology of Candyman become so muddled I didn't know where the film was going or what Helen could or could not do. I liked the full array of people in the ghetto it didn't feel like the overtly sanitized stories we get today but a number of the later horror scenes could have been played for terror but instead they were just here's a hook slash dead. It was surprise not horror wasting a concept that I'm still confused about.
Was Candyman trying to seduce Helen...but he was terrorizing her. The concept just came off like Freddy Kruegar light...just didn't work for me. Still credit where credit belongs the first half of this film is fantastic...they just didn't stick the ending.
C+