In the world of film, there’s one term that can always drudge up a hefty set of groans and sighs. Remake. And there’s no genre more commonly remade than horror. Which is why the apparent “remake” of Candyman from 2021 was met with both curiosity and caution.
Little did we know, it wasn’t actually a remake at all. In my opinion, the original Candyman should’ve remained a one off, rather than falling victim to the sequel trap. The story was interesting and smart, and told a standalone story that shouldn’t have been expanded upon. Those sequels were all but forgotten with the inception of this legacy installment, however, and while it’s not perfect or completely necessary, it’s still a fun time.
Framed through the lens of Nia DaCosta, having a woman of color behind the camera really offered a different take on the story, instead of retreading the same waters already put to the silver screen. Bringing her own unique viewpoint to the project and using some really clever techniques to insight terror, particularly revolving around the use of mirrors and shadows, this legacy sequel managed to make its very own impact without betraying fans of the original.
While some of the social commentary feels a little heavy handed at times, and a few of the performances can come across as half baked from some of the supporting cast, the film as a whole has enough newness and nuance to warrant a watch. By continuing the storyline of the original film and picking up on unanswered questions and loose ends that were never fully realized, Candyman is a fresh take on a tired story that feels somehow both emboldened and held back by its connective tissue. Where it excels in some places, it falls short in others, and by trying to be too many things at once, it falls a bit flat overall.
By trying too hard to make a statement, the film falls short of what it could’ve had to say. Had DaCosta gone more down the route paved by Get Out only a few years beforehand, or had Jordan Peele left his overall vibe out of the screenplay and production and allowed the movie to thrive a bit more on its own, the impact may have been stronger. Still, it has plenty to say and does so well enough, it just feels as though it was robbed of the opportunity to say more.
Sadly, while Candyman tries very hard, it winds up being rather forgettable, failing to withstand the brutal test of time and winding up lost in the noise of horror films as yet another drop in the bucket of remakes and legacy sequels. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II gives a solid lead performance, and the effects team pulled off some really unsettling imagery, it never transcends the source material by enough originality to be memorable, which is a shame, because I would’ve loved to have seen where DaCosta decided to take a sequel. It still earned its place high above the previous sequels, though the bar was admittedly rather low to begin with, and it’s a solid entry in the franchise. I only wish it could’ve shed the shackles and really flown free as its own bee-ing.
