Candyman (film series)
Candyman is an American supernatural horror film series originating from the 1985 short story "The Forbidden" of the collection Books of Blood by Clive Barker, about the legend of [the] "Candyman", the ghost of an artist and son of a slave who was murdered in the late 19th century. The film adaptation Candyman, directed by Bernard Rose in 1992, starred Tony Todd as the title character. Although the film initially underperformed at the American box office, it became a cult classic. A novelization and a comic adaptation of the film were released in the same year. In 1995 and 1999, sequels subtitled Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh and Candyman: Day of the Dead were released. A "spiritual sequel" to the original Candyman, produced by Jordan Peele, is to be released in August 2021.
Candyman | |
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Created by | Clive Barker |
Original work | "The Forbidden" (1985) |
Owned by | TriStar Pictures (first film) Gramercy Pictures (second film) Artisan Entertainment (third film) Universal Pictures Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (fourth film) |
Films and television | |
Film(s) |
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Films
Candyman (1992)
Candyman, the first film in the series, is a 1992 slasher film, serving as a loose adaptation of the Clive Barker's 1985 short story "The Forbidden" of the collection Books of Blood.
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
"Farewell to the flesh" is the second film in the series. The film follows the story of a School teacher Annie Tarrant, who comes to learn about her family's past after losing her father due to his obsession with the Candyman. She denies his existence after hearing her students talk about him and learning that one of her students was obsessed with him. She summoned his name to prove it was false, but later finds out who Candyman really is.
Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999)
"Day of the Dead" is the third film in the series. The story continues with Annie Tarrant's daughter, Caroline Mckeever, who is now an adult. She denies Candyman's existence by protecting her family's bloodline as her business partner Miguel uses the story of her Great Great Grandfather Daniel Robitaile/Candyman in his art exhibit for profit. Caroline soon learns why her mother tried to destroy the myth of Candyman but is caught between his web of deceptive murders, framing her in order for her to submit to become immortal as family with him in death.
Candyman (2021)
A fourth film in the series is set to be produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Monkeypaw Productions and is scheduled to be released on August 27, 2021.[1] Yahya Abdul-Mateen II would be in the film, while Tony Todd is set to return.[2] It is said to be a direct "spiritual" sequel to the first film, taking place 28 years later.
Unrealized projects
According to Virginia Madsen, Bernard Rose originally wanted the first sequel Candyman 2 to be a prequel showing Candyman and Helen's "look-alike" falling in love, but the idea was turned down because the studio was worried about how a fully-fledged interracial romance would be received.[3] A possible fourth film was in development in 2004; according to Tony Todd, it was intended to be set in New England at a women's college,[4] and focus on a professor who is a descendant of Candyman and yet have no idea who he is, with Todd describing "the initial image [being] of Candyman in a blizzard". As of 2007, the film was reported to be stuck in development hell. The slasher crossover film Freddy vs. Jason (2003) also inspired Miramax to want to create a Candyman vs. Hellraiser crossover, but Clive Barker, originator of both franchises, had recommended against it.[5] A crossover with the Leprechaun film series was also considered, but Tony Todd immediately flat out refused to participate in such a project, saying he had too much respect for his character to see him used for such a purpose.[6]
Cast and crew
Cast
List indicator(s)
- This table shows the characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise.
- A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's presence in the film has not yet been announced.
- A Y indicates an appearance as a younger version of a pre-existing character.
- A P indicates a photographic appearance.
- A V indicates a vocal appearance only.
Crew
Role | Film | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Candyman | Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh | Candyman: Day of the Dead | Candyman | |
1992 | 1995 | 1999 | 2021 | |
Director(s) | Bernard Rose | Bill Condon | Turi Meyer | Nia DaCosta |
Screenwriter(s) | Bernard Rose | Rand Ravich Mark Kruger |
Al Septien Turi Meyer |
Jordan Peele Win Rosenfeld Nia DaCosta |
Producer(s) | Steve Golin Alan Poul Sigurjón Sighvatsson |
Gregg Fienberg Sigurjón Sighvatsson |
Al Septien William Stuart |
Jordan Peele Win Rosenfeld Ian Cooper |
Composer(s) | Philip Glass | Adam Gorgoni | Robert A. A. Lowe | |
Cinematography | Anthony B. Richmond | Tobias A. Schliessler | Michael G. Wojciechowski | John Guleserian |
Editor(s) | Dan Rae | Virginia Katz | Frederick Wardell | Chris Armstrong |
Production companies |
Propaganda Films PolyGram Filmed Entertainment |
Lava Productions | Artisan Entertainment | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Bron Creative Monkeypaw Productions |
Distributor | TriStar Pictures | Gramercy Pictures | Universal Pictures | |
U.S. release date | October 16, 1992 | March 17, 1995 | July 9, 1999 | August 27, 2021 |
Duration | 101 minutes | 95 minutes | 93 minutes | TBA |
Reception
Box office performance
Film | Release date | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Budget | Reference | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North America | Other territories | Worldwide | All time US and Canada | All time worldwide | ||||
Candyman (1992) | October 16, 1992 | $25,792,310 | N/A | N/A | 2,991 | N/A | $8–9 million | [8] |
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh | March 17, 1995 | $13,940,383 | N/A | N/A | 4,199 | N/A | $13.9 million | [9] |
Candyman: Day of the Dead | July 9, 1999 | N/A | ||||||
Candyman (2021) | August 27, 2021 | TBA | [10] | |||||
Total | N/A |
Critical and public response
Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
---|---|---|---|
Candyman (1992) | 76% (70 reviews)[11] | N/A | C+[12] |
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh | 27% (26 reviews)[13] | N/A | N/A |
Candyman: Day of the Dead | 10% (10 reviews)[14] | N/A | N/A |
Candyman (2021) | TBA | ||
Music
The Candyman soundtrack was composed by Philip Glass. According to Glass, "It has become a classic, so I still make money from that score, get checks every year."[15] Tony Todd confirmed in an interview with IGN that a limited edition featuring 7500 copies of the film's soundtrack was released in February 2015.[16]
Other media
Board game
A board game based on Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh was released during the mid 1990s as a promotional item for the film of the same name.[17][18] The game features a board, 1 die and cards (Hook, Candyman, Voodoo, Manion Key) that will impact the player or others. The game's premise is stated as “To win, player must proceed clockwise along the streets of New Orleans and get to the mansion with the key card in order to unlock the secret to Candyman's power.”[17]
References
- Rubin, Rebecca (September 11, 2020). "Nia DaCosta's 'Candyman' Release Delayed to 2021". Variety. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- Trumbore, Dave (2019-03-25). "'Candyman' Director Confirms Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Is Not Replacing Tony Todd". Collider. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
- Caprilozzi, Christine (December 14, 2012). "Twenty Year Retrospective of Candyman with Virginia Madsen". Horror News Network. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- "M500 INTERVIEW WITH TONY TODD AKA CANDYMAN". Milenko500.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2004.
- "Candyman 4". Upcoming Horror Movies. Archived from the original on March 2, 2010.
- Josh Millican (January 21, 2019). "Why Tony Todd Stopped 'Candyman vs. Leprechaun' Movie From Happening". Dread Central.
- "CANDYMAN Teaser (2020) Nia DaCosta Puppet Video". YouTube.
- "Candyman (1992)". Box Office Mojo.
- "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)". Box Office Mojo.
- "Candyman (2020)". Box Office Mojo.
- "Candyman". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- "Cinemascore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020.
- "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- "Candyman: Day of the Dead". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- Asp, Jon (January 31, 2014). "Philip Glass: 'Without terror, there's no learning' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
- IGN (24 February 2015). "Tony Todd On His Career – From Candyman to VANish" – via YouTube.
- Squires, John (2017-08-21). "Did You Know There Was a 'Candyman' Board Game?!". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
- "Candyman game". The Official Clive Barker Website - Revelations. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Candyman (film series) |
- Candyman franchise on IMDb
- Candyman franchise box office on The Numbers