What The Franchise? CANDYMAN

I’ve talked about Candyman before. I think it should never be remade. The amount of people that have not seen Candyman was kind of strange to me. I wasn’t sure if they were too scared, or too apathetic. I have a strange feeling concerning Candyman’s legacy. It’s one of the better slashers out there, and I feel it’s generally looked over in the horror genre. At the same time, I’m glad Candyman is like...an after thought. I think of Candyman was as popular as Freddy or Jason we’d have to deal with remake, after reboot, after reimagining and tbh I’m tired just thinking about it. I know that times have changed and not everyone wants to sit and watch several hours of stuff at once. So here’s a breakdown of all the movies in the Candyman franchise.
Candyman
Virginia Madsen plays Helen, a student studying urban legends for her thesis. She is very interested in Candyman, the son of a slave who was murdered. Before his death, his name was Daniel. He was murdered because he knocked up a white woman. His right hand was cut off and he was then covered in honey and stung to death by bees. After death, his body was burned and his ashes were scattered. Eventually, Daniel’s rightfully angry spirit came back to earth, and was big mad people were questioning if Candyman existed/if the lynching even happened as bad as it did. Helen learns that to summon Candyman, you need to say his name in the mirror five times. Then, Candyman comes and kills you, and anyone else who saw him appear. Naturally, Helen does so, with her friend Bernadette, as a prank kind of thing. Later, Helen goes to the Cabrini Green projects, because a Candyman-Esque murder happened and a woman saw a man come out of the wall. The second time, Helen is lead to a bathroom by a boy named Jake. Jake’s friend was brutally attacked in the bathroom earlier. Helen uncovers a toilet completely covered with bees. “Sweets to the Sweet”is written on the walls. Quick Shakespeare nerd note: in Hamlet, Hamlet’s mother says “sweets to the sweet” as she places flowers on Ophelia’s grave. Pero like, people say it to people they like in a romantic way and they should probably stop lol. Helen is stopped by a gang and a man with a hook for a hand attacks her. The next day, Helen hears someone calling her name in the school parking lot. It’s the Candyman! Like, the real Candyman...not some weirdo cosplaying I’m the ghetto. Candyman says that since she didn’t believe in him, he has to prove he is real. By shedding innocent blood. Helen wakes up in a random bloody apartment and a mother is crying for her missing baby. The blood is from her dog. The police arrest Helen, because she was holding a meat cleaver in her hand. In custody, Helen calls her husband. He bails her out and takes her home. She takes a bath, Helen gets attacked by Candyman. There’s blood all over the place.Bernadette comes over to give Helen flowers. Helen’s like, don’t come in! Bernadette doesn’t listen and is instantly killed by Candyman. The police take Helen to a hospital where she is sedated. Time passes, Helen is still in the hospital waiting for the trial. She tells a doctor about Candyman and he doesn’t believe her. She makes the logical™️choice and summons Candyman. She escapes because well, Candyman killed the doctor lmao. She goes to Candyman’s lair to save the missing baby. The people of Cabrini Green burn down the hideout, Helen has to sacrifice her life to save the baby. This also legally clears her name for the other murders, I guess? Don’t read into it lol. At her funeral, people honor her or whatever. Jake, puts a metal hook on her grave. I feel like it’s a tad inappropriate, and kind of wonder why no one stopped him. Or why they did it too. I like to think this was their way of acknowledging it really was Candyman. Later, Trevor calls out his wife’s name five times in grief. Helen, now a angry af spirit kills Trevor. Which is exactly what I plan on doing if my husband has another woman in MY house after I die. Anyway, the film ends with a mural of Helen in what’s left of Candyman’s lair. She’s wearing white and is on fire. Helen is now an urban legend herself. This is the best film in the franchise in my opinion.

Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh

Alright, here we go. In New Orleans, Annie (a teacher) and Ethan’s father Coleman Tarrant has been murdered at the old family mansion. He was investigating murders of people that look like they we’re killed Candyman style. Why New Orleans? Because Candyman’s origins have changed! He was lynched in New Orleans instead of Chicago. Why? I have no answer, that’s just the way things are. A year later Professor Purcell writes a book concerning these murders and Helen’s (from the first movie) story too. Candyman kills the professor for sharing the legend. Ethan is beleieved to be the murderer due to the beef him and the professor had over Candyman. One of Annie’s students see Candyman. Annie’s like, “Candyman’s not real”. And, says his name to prove it. Candyman’s like, “sweet, It’s Mardi Gras.” And starts killing people. Including Annie’s husband. Annie’s student Matthew goes missing and the other students blame Candyman.
Now, we find out more about Candyman. In life, he was an artist named Daniel. He was commissioned to paint a portrait of this lady named Caroline. They start hooking up and Caroline gets pregnant. Daniel is like wtf because a black man getting a white woman pregnant was not the move back then. Caroline’s father and a lynch mob find Daniel, cut his hand off and cover his body on honey. A boy tastes the honey and calls him Candyman.

The crowd realizes how catchy that is and mock Daniel as he is continuously stung. Right before he dies, Caroline’s father uses her mirror to show Daniel how messed up he looks. Caroline takes the mirror, that now holds Daniels soul. It’s why he can come out of mirrors. Later the baby is born. Caroline names her Isabelle and raises her as white. Annie is their descendant. Candyman starts following her around with the goal of killing her on Ash Wednesday, because it will also mean the death of him....and I thought the Kardashians were messy. Annie talks to Honore Thibideaux, who tells her Caroline relocated to New Orleans after her man was lynched. Which is how her family came to be there. Candyman appears and murders Honore via mean bees while Annie barely is able to escape. Ethan is killed after trying to escape police custody. Candyman also kills a detective. Annie’s mother says that Annie’s dad tried to link their family to Candyman(aka tried to tell the truth) but the mom doesn’t believe Candyman even exists. This brings up an interesting question, did Coleman die by suicide because he knew what would happen if he said “Candyman” in the mirror, or was he doubting his research? I never really understood the motive. So Candyman shows up and introduces himself to the mom, and kills her immediately after. Annie gets tf out, obviously. Annie goes to Candyman’s hometown. She goes to the slave quarters where Daniel was born and runs into missing Matthew. After falling into the basement, she finds the mirror and Candyman, he tells her he mirror is the source of his power. He tries to kill her, but Annie destroys the mirror...also Candyman and his house. Matthew saves Annie from the house falling into the river. Some time later Annie tucks her child, named Caroline into bed. Caroline begins to say “Candyman....candyman....cand-“ Annie tells her to go tf to sleep. Very relatable. I’m going to be honest, this one is my Least favorite out of the three. Sometimes, my eyes were glazing over. I feel like there was too much lore that was made at the expense of the original movie. It’s ignorant to think people weren’t getting lynched in Illinois. I get that New Orleans is more ~cool~ and spooky than Chicago, but I mean....ugh.
Candyman 3: Day Of The Dead

Take a deep breath y’all. Cuz this is straight to video.....so you already know. We’re going clear across the country to Los Angeles during Day of the Dead. This time, Candyman is trying to convince his great (x like 8) Grand whatever to join him in family bonding activities like....murder! Caroline is like, no thanks grandpa. So,he kills everyone she cares about. This includes her boyfriend and roommate. He also kidnaps her friend David in an attempt to frame her for the murders and kidnapping. He kills the racist police detective, which was cool. I love seeing racists die, but that’s just me. Candyman’s reasoning for this set of murders is so Caroline will have no one else to turn to.

A gang kidnaps Caroline in an attempt to sacrifice her to Candyman. Candyman kills the entire gang. He tells Caroline, he murdered her mother and staged it as a suicide. But the kicker is, what prompted him to do so was Annie saying the name five times while telling the story. But it protected Caroline, why? Idk, who cares. Caroline is rightfully pissed because this means Candyman killed her entire family. Mom, Dad, uncle, and grandparents... she threatens to kill him, but he disappears. Caroline finds David in the building. He’s not dead, but he’s really hurt. Candyman reappears and somehow gets her to agree to give her life to decides against it at the last minutes and destroys his paining with a hook. Which destroys Candyman, he bursts into flames. Caroline returns to David, but is attacked by the living racist Detective Kraft, He tries to kill her with a hook, but he’s shot in the head by the non racist detective Matthews. Kraft yells “Candyman!” as he dies. Caroline tells Detective Matthews that it was his confession, so the legend of Candyman can be over with. Since everyone has accepted the lie the Detective Kraft was Candyman, Caroline says “Candyman” in the mirror five times just to be sure the real Candyman is gone. But, his hook comes through the mirror! JK it’s a dream. Caroline hangs out with David and his daughter and they honor Annie during the Day of the Dead Celebration in a pretty cool image of cultural exchange.
So, that’s all for today, guys, gals and pals! I hope to have more posts on franchises soon. I wanted to make sure I posted one with a black main character this month