It's a rare thing these days to see a horror movie that isn't a remake or a soft reboot. So when I heard about the Candyman "remake," I was mostly disinterested, but also a little bit curious. I saw the original film in the theater back in 1992, and it stuck with me ever since. It's terrific. It's its own thing. I can't think of another horror film like it. It definitely isn't traditional horror.
Though, oddly, I never re-watched it (until after seeing the new one). I think, for me, it was a one-time's-enough event. Maybe due to the weight of it. Or the way our protagonist is just beaten down over and over again. And the ending isn't really uplifting in any way to speak of. Kinda like watching someone else's nightmare.
So I start seeing articles on the horror sites about the new Candyman. And I'm still thinking it's just another reboot. But then I saw the trailer, and heard some of the cues from the soundtrack (I think it was a very cool move to release the music before the film). And I was officially intrigued.
I don't go to the movies all that much. I can't think of a more uncomfortable way to spend my time. Sitting on cloth seats most likely covered in lice eggs and bed bugs. Then sitting elbow to elbow with a complete stranger. Probably some crazy horror fan in a Candyman fan shirt. Maybe holding a plastic hand hook prop that will accidentally knock over the soda that I never bought (so I didn't have to run to the restroom since I can't pause a movie in a movie theater).
Meanwhile, I only go to the theater after a movie has been out for two weeks, and early on a Saturday. I don't know if it's my taste in movies or my choice of movie times, but I'm usually one of four or five people in a theater. When I saw Candyman, it was just me and some other guy. And we sat as far away as possible from each other.
The movie starts, and the score grabs me. The opening titles grab me. It's taking its time. It's stylish. It's interesting. It's neat. I'm intrigued, and I'm digging the characters. And then I realize the most important part of ALL of this: this isn't a reboot. This isn't a remake. It's a SEQUEL to the original film. It did something that those recent Halloween films couldn't do (didn't have the stones to do). It respected the source material, and asked itself this question: How do we write the next chapter, while leaving everything from the first film intact? As a side note, this is why I respect and love Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers so much. They had a tough act to follow. Loomis and Myers blew up and melted in a fire, literally, in Halloween II. Meanwhile, Halloween 2018 took the easy way out and erased all of the films past the 1978 film. I'm still confused about that. It's like watching someone manually create the Mandela Effect. It's dumb, and lazy.
So there I was, walking out of the theater, and wishing that other guy had sat closer, so I could've spoken to him about what we just watched. I felt a little rejuvenated. I felt excited. Some of my first thoughts were "Thank God I didn't read any spoilers!" and "I bet the horror sites are LOVING this thing!" I couldn't believe I had just watched a classy and smart sequel to a film made in 1992. Like I bet most young people who saw this thing never saw one second of the first film. And I'd imagine that came up during the production. These people took a HUGE risk choosing to make a sequel and not a lazy reboot/remake.
I get home and check some horror sites. And reviews. And I see toxic venom from horror fans who are spitting mad for some reason and proclaiming that the movie stunk. The same people who never EVER speak ill of the cash-grab crap films of late. The same fans who ran to see Halloween Kills because of the supposed "brutal kills." Yeah, because that's what the Halloween franchise is all about. Brutal kills. The more blood the better, apparently. Dumb.
So I'm sitting there wondering where it all went wrong. And why I walked out of that theater thinking Candyman would result in a renaissance of the modern horror film (for real, I legit thought that). The movie wasn't out to grab my money first. It wanted to entertain me, and to creep me out. And it wanted to tell me what happened after the first film back in 1992. And THEN it grabbed my money. And I gave it willingly. I also rented that thing when it streamed. They respected ME...I respected THEM.
I'm going to say those angry horror fans felt uncomfortable in those theaters across the country. Felt uncomfortable, and they didn't like that feeling. The movie touched upon some sensitive topics. But not in a woke way. Or an obvious forced way. It was just part of the story. It was part of the characters. Hell, the first film dealt with the same exact topics and subject matter. And nobody spit like a camel.
Well, the good news is that the film cost $25M to make and made $77M worldwide. Not sure if that's enough profit to jumpstart the horror movie renaissance I was expecting, but I'm a very patient man. I'm willing to wait. I'm inhumanly patient (like Michael Myers).
I'm also very dramatic.
Click below for the trailer...
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