Film Review: CANDYMAN (1992, Bernard Rose)

Stars: 3.5 of 5.
Running Time: 99 minutes.
Notable Cast or Crew: Virginia Madsen, Philip Glass, Tony Todd, Vanessa Williams (no, not that one, the other one), Ted Raimi, Xander Berkeley, Clive Barker.
Tag-lines: "We Dare You To Say His Name Five Times!"
Best one-liner(s): "I hear you're looking for Candyman, bitch. Well, you found him! " [Not said by Candyman. Candyman is a class act.]

Guess who's coming to dinner? Candyman. Even if the movie itself doesn't quite live up to its place in the pop culture canon, it's still a horror essential. Philip Glass delivers one of his greatest scores. Everyone should own a copy. It takes elements from his previous work and infuses them with massive choral elements and a frightening, dusty old church organ. In fact, I think Bernard Rose wants you to recall prior Glass movies through the imagery- helicopter shots of Cabrini Green mirror the Pruit Igoe segment in KOYAANISQATSI, and police procedural stuff reminds one of THE THIN BLUE LINE.

And then there's Tony Todd. As the eponymous Candyman, he's likable, charming, and Shakespearian.

Candyman is someone I could see inviting to a dinner party, and not having to worry whether he was going to cause a scene or not. Look at his competition. They're either totally crass (Freddy, Critters, Chucky, etc.) or have no personality whatsoever (Jason, Michael Myers). I have to give points for Candyman being the classiest horror villain since Vincent Price. I could see myself hanging out with Candyman.