Candyman

Name: Candyman
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Released: August 27, 2021
Duration: 91 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Aaron Crippen, Avery Moss, Brian King, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Cassie Kramer

2021

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 54 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 255 Ratings

See All

5.0

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

5.0	Your Score
5.0	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 255 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Candyman (Trailer 2)

Now Playing: Candyman (Trailer 2)

Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: August 27, 2021 | R

Starring: Aaron Crippen, Avery Moss, Brian King, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Cassie Kramer, Colman Domingo, Dan Fierro, Kyle Kaminsky, Malic White, Miriam Moss, Nadia Simms, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Rebecca Spence, Teyonah Parris, Tony Todd, Vanessa Williams, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Summary: For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers wereFor as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris), move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials. With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer (Colman Domingo) exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifyingly viral wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny. … Expand

Director: Nia DaCosta

Genre(s): Thriller, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 91 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Okla Jones

Aug 25, 2021

Candyman pays homage to the original, while still maintaining its uniqueness with a fresh and provocative plot Read full review

Richard Roeper

Aug 25, 2021

From the opening moments of Nia DaCosta’s gory yet strikingly beautiful and socially relevant “Candyman,” it’s clear we’re in for an especially haunting and just plain entertaining thrill ride. Read full review

IndieWire Kate Erbland

Aug 25, 2021

While DaCosta ably toys with the usual genre trappings — jump scares, things that go bump in the night, eye-popping gore — the filmmaker, directing only her second feature, effectively adds unexpectedly artful touches. Read full review

Johnny Oleksinski

Aug 31, 2021

While the movie could be a notch scarier, the unsettling imagery and slow build to chaos make me want another movie by this director stat. Read full review

Dante James

Sep 9, 2021

I will say Candyman is worth watching. But I will advise not going in with preconceived ideas or comparisons to the original because that is where the disappointment will hit you like a brick to the head. Read full review

Leah Greenblatt

Aug 25, 2021

Who can take a reboot, sprinkle it with something new, cover it with blood and bumblebees and a pointed social commentary or two? Candyman can, at least for a little while, even if the movie doesn't really find its more-than-body-horror groove in the end. Read full review

Angelica Jade Bastien

Aug 25, 2021

In trying to reckon with the contradictions of the ’92 film, as well as carve out their own work, DaCosta and her collaborators have created a misfire that can’t make its tangle of politics — about gentrification, the Black body (horror), racism, white desire — feel either relevant or provocative. When Blackness is whittled down, this is the kind of poor cultural product we are sold. Read full review

SEE ALL 54 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

basketballman

Aug 27, 2021

This was an incredible film, and quite possible the best film I've ever seen in my life. I've never felt so speechless in a theater before. Those writing negative reviews are likely only doing so because they disagree with the "political" themes of the movie, which is absurd. Themes aside,This was an incredible film, and quite possible the best film I've ever seen in my life. I've never felt so speechless in a theater before. Those writing negative reviews are likely only doing so because they disagree with the "political" themes of the movie, which is absurd. Themes aside, this movie is incredibly well shot, incredibly well written, and simply a masterpiece of art. The way it masterfully ties in modern real world issues, just like how the original film did, was fantastic. I did not expect the movie to be this good. Hats off to everyone who was apart of making this movie. Bravo. Probably the most powerful film I've ever seen. The negative reviews are either missing the point completely and judging this as if it was supposed to be some kind of run-of-the-mill horror film and it wasn't "scary enough", or they are "blue lives matter" type people who were offended by it. I urge anyone who hasn't watched it to ignore reviews and watch it for themselves. How anyone could give such a masterfully crafted film a 0/10 is astonishing. It almost further drives home the movie's message. Again, bravo to the creators of this film.… Expand

32 of 48 users found this helpful3216

slurpuffx

Aug 27, 2021

Filme muito bom! Bem dirigido, roteiro competente com uma mensagem necessária, o elenco é ótimo em atuações, recomendo..

14 of 24 users found this helpful1410

Stream2BigScree

Aug 27, 2021

Long awaited and overdue, this week we have before you a name that must not be repeated more than 4 times. This weekend brought us the updated version and some could say sequel to, Candyman (2021). Disclaimer, I'm crazy but I'm not stupid. This name will not be uttered 5 times and nor am ILong awaited and overdue, this week we have before you a name that must not be repeated more than 4 times. This weekend brought us the updated version and some could say sequel to, Candyman (2021). Disclaimer, I'm crazy but I'm not stupid. This name will not be uttered 5 times and nor am I looking into any reflective surfaces or eating honey while writing this review. With that said, C-man is what the producers are calling a 'spiritual sequel' to the horror classic Candyman (1992) that returns to the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood where the legend began." Let's see what they caught in their hook this time.

Now, if you know then you really know, C-man has been haunting us for nearly 30 years. There are people today that won't say the name, watch the movies, or be in the dark with a mirror because of the original film, followed by some other scary-but-not-as-great sequels. Here, the most major knock to the film is a lack of originality in the scares. They gave us the classic slasher, thriller, suspense but it lacked pizazz. Maybe because I'm an adult and I may no longer be completely traumatized by the franchise's namesake, but I wasn't shook. Now, there will be some kids and pre-teens, and teens even, who may see this flick and get the goosebumps like we did back in the day, but I doubt it. Fortunately, and unfortunately, scary films over the last decade or more have moved on from fear to gore. We are in a trend now - thanks to Jordan Peele - of getting horror films that are overtly social commentary and this movie falls straight into that category. We get some of the gore and blood. We get some of the tension of who's lurking and chasing me. Even more so, we get that gentrification is coming/here visual horrors. While it's not bad, it's a bit too preachy in this movie to be scary. I think the film could've benefitted from more of the Get Out commentary through its visuals in order to add to the creepiness. This issue is also just present in the story of C-man itself. It's not necessarily a problem but it just seems that the writers just got too heavily focused on connecting the movie to a message rather than scaring the audience. A slight miss but not off-putting.

Other than that, Candyman has a very good cast lead by Alpha man, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, and Colman Domingo. Each actor has scenes that stand out and show their range. I look forward to more films with them in it. Lastly, the movie set and scenery is just great. There are contrast and contradictions that show the idea of gentrification. The beauty of art and the meticulous placement of set design. Give me these apartments in Cabrini Green any day... without the haunting.

Nevertheless, Candyman while a bit underwhelming in the fright category still delivers a solid performance. Will we talk about it like some have since 1992? Doubtful but this does keep a trend of solid productions by Jordan Peele, MonkeyPaw and Bron Studios. I look forward to more work from Nia DaCosta but Can….. Not happening. The flick gets a bowl of popcorn. Go see this movie in the daylight for a matinee price and make sure you check it out when it comes to streaming services in the comfort of your own dark home!… Expand

15 of 21 users found this helpful156

TheQuietGamer

Aug 28, 2021

For 29 years Candyman fans have been waiting for the 1992 classic to get the sequel it deserves. It looked that was finally about to happen after all these years thanks to Nia DaCosta and, to a lesser extent, Jordan Peele. The social commentary that was largely absent in Farewell to theFor 29 years Candyman fans have been waiting for the 1992 classic to get the sequel it deserves. It looked that was finally about to happen after all these years thanks to Nia DaCosta and, to a lesser extent, Jordan Peele. The social commentary that was largely absent in Farewell to the Flesh and Day of the Dead would be returning to add some much needed depth back into the mix without the white influence that, while well-meaning back then, would not have been met so warmly today, and maybe with the same kind of creative chills that made Get Out and Us so exciting. Unfortunately the wait goes on as despite the appearance of some incredible ideas this 2021 continuation fall short of its own lofty ambitions by backing itself into a self-defeating corner.

The issue is that it's actively trying to be a sequel. It's clear that DaCosta and crew want to transform the titular character from the ghost of one African-American's suffering into an instrument of black vengeance. He's no longer just Daniel Robitaille. He's Eric Garner. He's Tamir Rice. He's George Floyd. At least until he's not anymore and becomes Daniel Robitaille again in an ending that contradicts everything the film had spent so long trying to set up and completely wastes Tony Todd anyways.

This problem arises because in an effort to correct the perspective of its predecessor that came from it being a product of its time, they incorrectly wrote themselves into a position where he basically HAD to come back. A large portion of the running-time is dedicated to establishing connections and ties to the original, so we're constantly reminded of who the Candyman was there and eagerly await his return. Something that makes the appearance of this "Sherman" dude in his place rather irritating. It makes sense from a thematic standpoint, but man is it unfilling. Worse is that they could have gotten away with it had they not kept referencing what Bernard Rose had created prior. They made it so the past hangs over everything like an oppressive cloud that kills any enthusiasm for what's actually here when they should have gone the full reboot route and given their own ideas room to breathe.

Speaking of room to breathe, this is one of those rare cases where a longer runtime would have been a good thing. A core component of the plot is the main character's gradual physical and mental descent into becoming someone (or something) in a way he doesn't seem fully aware of. Only it's not so gradual at all. He just seems to go insane from the moment he says the summoning words into a reflective surface, which feels unnatural and rushed. It's a cool body horror element that also never really comes into fruition.

In fact, the horror side as a whole fails to deliver. DaCosta relies on cheap gore rather than truly effective frights to get the job done, kind of missing the point when it comes to what made the first Candyman scary. Most of the time though it's too caught up in its own dull plotting, unresolved threads, and hollow characters making the whole thing a bit of a bore. All of which might have been acceptable had there have been a satisfying payoff, but for the aforementioned reasons it shoots itself in the foot preventing that from being a possibility.

While this may be a movie with a lot of ideas that don't come together, it only crumbles under the weight of one. It should have unshackled itself from the past entirely. Never mentioned Helen Lyle or brought back Todd for the few brief seconds he's in here. As by placing itself in the shadow of that earlier work, it has put certain expectations on itself that it feels the need to fulfill just as much as the audience needs to see them be fulfilled. This is not only a shame, but frustrating as well as it keeps the film's own bold and compelling reinvention of the property from ever taking hold when you can totally see how it could have succeeded if they hadn't of attempted the fruitless balancing act of fidelity and emendation. If there's one thing its flawed conclusion is good for though it's that it leaves the door still open for the possibility of this franchise not just being a one hit wonder at some point in the future, how ever delusional that hope may be. As of right now though, many will be left wanting for a while longer yet. This 2021 version, promising though it was and brilliant in brief instances, is (accidentally) counterproductive in the worst way.

4.9/10… Expand

5 of 18 users found this helpful513

sevenPillars

Aug 27, 2021

I was excited for this movie, but it was terrible, and I was thoroughly disappointed. It was not the least bit exciting or horrifying, which sucks because the Candyman is a cool character that deserved a better movie than this. Not really sure what they were trying to accomplish. There areI was excited for this movie, but it was terrible, and I was thoroughly disappointed. It was not the least bit exciting or horrifying, which sucks because the Candyman is a cool character that deserved a better movie than this. Not really sure what they were trying to accomplish. There are a few cool shots and some decent acting, but that's about it. The plot goes nowhere and the dialog is terrible. Don't waste your time/money… Expand

15 of 27 users found this helpful1512

mrfutbol107

Sep 2, 2021

Waste of an hour and a half. If you are going to watch a scary movie with a dumb story the entertainment comes from the scares. This movie is not scary, the jump scares boil down to the movie getting quiet for a second and then a loud unnatural sound effect. For an example, in the beginningWaste of an hour and a half. If you are going to watch a scary movie with a dumb story the entertainment comes from the scares. This movie is not scary, the jump scares boil down to the movie getting quiet for a second and then a loud unnatural sound effect. For an example, in the beginning they transition a scene with a loud unnatural snapping noise because the main character steps on a stick in the next scene. In scenes where there could be scares and the candyman is killing people they decide not to show it. This movie felt more like an excuse to tell people “gentrification is bad, white people are racist, cops are bad.” I would give it a zero but I did like some of the cinematography in a couple scenes.… Expand

9 of 14 users found this helpful95

samcharlot123

Feb 19, 2023

I hate giving films 0 rating, but it's hard to not do it with all this woke bulls*** in the film. It's like Peele, Rosenfeld, and DaCosta were so angry and trying so hard to address sociopolitical issues that they forgot to write a story. It's like they had a story at first(not a veryI hate giving films 0 rating, but it's hard to not do it with all this woke bulls*** in the film. It's like Peele, Rosenfeld, and DaCosta were so angry and trying so hard to address sociopolitical issues that they forgot to write a story. It's like they had a story at first(not a very interesting story, but a story nonetheless) and then completely threw a bunch of random woke bs in there to appease minority groups. The original addressed sociopolitical issues far better because it wasn't too heavy-handed. Ruined a great original film by interjecting woke nonsense in because you're angry with the current state of America. Get out of Hollywood, DaCosta and Rosenfeld. At least Peele has some good films under his belt. Although him co-signing this, I don't know how much longer I can tolerate him.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 113 REVIEWS