4 out of 5

Director: Bernard Rose

While it touches on some aspects of other horror classics, and probably isnt as frightening as you remember, Candyman retains a very grounded, insane feel to it, brought to life by the fantastic origins of its main baddy as well as the atypical unraveling of the main character during the course of the movie. The gorgeous Viginia Madsen plays Helen Lyle, who, with friend Bernadette, is researching urban legends. Finding that the roots of one particular legend – Candyman – lead to a dangerous part of Chicago to which she has access, Helen decides to one-up the researchers that came before her and get knee-deep in the locale. From here on out Helen starts to get wrapped up in some dastardly business – friends are dying around her and she swears that Candyman has come to life to do the killings – but how come no one will believe her? The acting really brings this above the rest. As the lead, Madsen is more than just a pretty girl. Director Bernard Rose gave her and husband Xander Berkeley plenty to work with, While Xander is more of a caricature, giving their relationship room to breath is part of what grounds the movie, and makes Madsens unwinding all the more palpable. That aspect of the story is also the Barker twist – that Madsen gets mixed up in these murders… well, see it to see how it plays out, but its horrifying, and leaves you wondering what youd do in a similar scenario. How could you explain it? This movie solidified Tony Todds status as a horror legend, but besides his great costume, his spoken parts actually fall flat. So Candymans creepiness has to rely on environment, of which the film has plenty. Theres some skipping over plot holes, and some silliness, but overall, this is a very effective horror movie, with a great story and great acting.