Throwback Film: Candyman!

Did you see they’re doing a new Candyman? I like Jordan Peele a whole lot but I was getting hot over a millennial re-making a Gen X classic without Tony Todd. I was getting an attitude about it.

I couldn’t have been more wrong!

First, born in 1979, Jordan Peele IS Gen X. A wee, baby Gen X but Gen X all the same, and that’s all the matters. And then I read that Tony Todd is reprising his role! Oh, joy, joy!

It’s always a special thing to see a black horror film. Kids today don’t know there was a time when we did not get horror films or novels. We only showed up in mainstream horror movies long enough to be gruesomely murdered. But today we’re murderers and murder-ees … progress, creatively speaking!

Back when Candyman came out in 1992, there were no black people in films like these with significant story arcs. There may be some aspects of the original film I didn’t understand. [1992 SPOILER ALERT –like why a black man who was lynched and murdered would come back to terrorize his own people. He had to come north to a black neighborhood that already had it rough? He couldn’t have stayed down south to haunt the klan–just sayin’.] But, overall, it incorporated a socially relevant backstory that was both compelling and heartbreaking.

Tony Todd played it brilliantly then and, thus, holds a special, warm place in my heart (*hugs*). Take a look!

Ah, brings back memories.

Candyman’s place in pop culture history is set. I even referenced him in my inspirational, time-traveling romance comedy novel. If you want to know how I managed to do that you’ll have to buy the book. No, really, BUY THE BOOK :-).

Some of you hate horror. Even though I’m romantic-al in nature I cut my teeth on horror as a kid (the pops was a horror film lover). Still, I know many of you don’t know why black people care about horror films. I will explain it this way: You may not think you like butter pecan ice cream, but if everybody around you gets to eat butter pecan ice cream and the ice cream man on the ice cream truck keeps swiping it from you just when you get a whiff of buttery goodness or holding it way over your head where you can’t reach, you’re going to be pretty darned pissed you can’t have that butter pecan. Right? We want horror because we want all the flavors of entertainment experience. We’re not a monolith.

And before you ask why all my analogies seem to veer towards food, I’ll ask you … do you even know me at all?

I’m curious as to how they’ll link the old and new story but to be honest, the older I get the more sensitive I am to horror. I could take it when I was twelve, but these days I have to watch early in the day with plenty of time for me to shake off the terror before bedtime. And I can’t do horror on a glass of wine. I have to go home and watch cartoons. But I’m glad it’s available for the young’uns and if I know Jordan, he’s going to make it the kind of sticky sweet scary that doesn’t shake off, easily.

Here’s the trailer for the new film opening August 2021:

So to wrap it up,

1. Candyman

2. Candyman

3. Candyman

4. Candyman

5. Candym — Syyyyke! I’m not crazy.

I’ma be visiting the theatre to get re-acquainted with cutie Tony Todd one fine morning as early as I can. See you there!

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