Candyman - A Slasher of Innovation

MGM

The Candyman can, so says the famous song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Mel Stuart 1971). Now we see the name in a new and glaringly different context.

Last night, my partner asked what I wanted to do. She’s lovely enough to offer me the choice. I, inevitably, chose the cinema. Candyman (Nia DaCosta 2021) was out, and I was itching to see it.

This rather cultivated slasher, sequel-reboot features the influence of one Jordan Peele (with credits as writer and producer). His tagline “from the mind of” is one I have come to admire. It’s a fresh, dynamic voice; ponderous if nothing else. Who says dark humour must take a backseat for sophistication, or vice versa?

Equally as encouraging is the name Nia DaCosta in the director’s chair, who, by the grace of both her gender and race, represents two criminally under-represented groups in modern cinema. Indeed, the subject of race stands as a prominent theme throughout, both symbolically and from a very literal sense. Yahya Abdul Mateen II leads a cast of predominantly black actors exploring systemic racism, police brutality and class divide in Chicago, USA. In short, this is rife and concurrent subject matter in the time of the Black Lives Matter movement.

It all makes for some sumptuous food for thought, fitting nicely alongside a distinctive visual style and imaginative use of camera angles to depict the candyman’s ghostly and frequently horrific presence. Predictably, gore flows out of this one like a seeping wound, which, bears its own fruit during the course of the narrative. There’s enough to feel even vaguely nauseous, but the supernatural and often abstract style that arises manages to tip the scales in a way that ensures it’s mostly without lunacy.

It seems I’ve been drawn to horrors lately, for one reason or another. I put it down to my somewhat indifferent knowledge of the genre, rather than some recently developed depravity. By that I mean, there’s a wealth of new material for me to explore. An uncommon occurrence for a film buff such as myself, and that makes for an exciting proposition.