Dir. Nia DaCosta | Now Streaming On: Prime Video | Rating: 5/5

Candyman was my top release of 2021. If you’ve been following my reviews for any amount of time, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Candyman franchise is based on the short story “The Forbidden” by Clive Barker, who is a master of socially poignant horror and one of my favorite horror creators. Admittedly, this version does stray from Barker’s trademark sexual undertones and instead hones in the conversation that was born of the 1992 original. ⁠
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This franchise seeks to address one of the most important conversations in contemporary media – the intersections of race, intergenerational trauma, and belief. The 2021 addition to the franchise hits the mark and hits it hard in the era of Black Lives Matter. It solidifies and reclaims the image of Candyman as generational suffering. ⁠
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Nia DaCosta set an amazing stage for her talent with this film. Candyman is visually stunning and incredibly well paced. Jordan Peele’s writing and influence on this project is apparent from the first few minutes. The mirroring of the title credits, the aerial view of Chicago to resemble honeycomb, the nod to Barker with Billy’s book – Peele is the caretaker of horror detail and never misses. Though not as hauntingly scary as the original, the new Candyman does bring gore to the party with a slew of body horror. ⁠
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Criticism of the film claims that it’s preachy and trying to take on too many topics. I disagree with the idea of this being preachy – but I can see where the idea of biting off too much can come from. Peele’s writing is known for showing, not telling, so for a less casual fan of the source material this may seem overly artsy and vague. Overall, I’m surprised by how split the community seems to be on this film. It’s one of my top films that I’ve seen in years and my favorite project Peele has worked on so far. ⁠
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Know Before You Watch: Features blood, death, police and racial violence, bugs, flashing lights, imagery of small holes. ⁠