This review is a submission to captaind's The Good Movies EpiGuide 2 write off: http://www.epinions.com/content_5245804676.

The supernatural, the sensual, the social, and even the sadomasochistic have come to characterize the appeal of Clive Barker to me, both on paper and celluloid. The stories deal in Faustian bargains driven by passionate and repressed feelings held by well-off but bored citizens. However, there are elements of the real world that are often more horrible than the stuff of the imagination. In Hellraiser, the adulteress sacrificed a family life via a trail of corpses in order to relive the thrill offered by a previous lover. Nightbreed pitted the monstrous but docile beings from Midian against outside forces more actively psychotic and hateful enough to suggest genocide. These two movies were the product of Barker's own foray into filmmaking, which became conflicted by the time he was adapting Cabal into Nightbreed for 20th Century Fox in the late 1980s.

CANDYMAN, however, was a simple short story known as "The Forbidden," published in the fifth volume (aka "In the Flesh") of Barker's anthology series Books of Blood. It's about a collegiate's belief system is tested when she investigates an urban legend whose calling card may be tied to a string of killings and mutilations. With Barker on as executive producer, the adaptation was done by Bernard Rose, previously acclaimed for the fantastic Paperhouse in 1988, itself based on a novel by Catherine Storr. A change of scenery and the invocation of interracial elements notwithstanding, there's as much text to derive from Rose's film as there is from Barker's story.

In CANDYMAN, the idea of an urban legend takes on a Gothic, divine power throughout the story proper. Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen), a University of Illinois grad student, is doing research for a thesis based around a particular mythological subject known as Candyman. The yarns spun seem sensational but are handed to Helen as true stories passed down by acquaintances. The opening anecdote, for instance, concerns the murder of a babysitter and her infant charge by summoning the tall, hook-handed ghost away from her rebel boyfriend. All she had to do was say the name five times in front of a mirror and then turn off the light. The teller assures Helen that a friend of hers has seen the traumatized man, and so there must be some merit.

Backed by colleague Bernadette (Kasi Lemmons), Helen scrambles for information from freshman students, although her husband Trevor's (Xander Berkeley) lectures on the very subject of "modern oral folklore" compromise their research. The launching point for real detective work comes from a custodian named Kitty, who heard about the killing of a woman named Ruthie Jean in the bathroom of her apartment in Cabrini Green, a housing development on the South Side. In the ghetto, Helen gets further answers from a single mother named Anne Marie (Vanessa Williams) and a boy named Jake (Dejuan Guy), both of whom live in fear of the Candyman, who promises "sweets to the sweet" in the form of Tootsie Rolls and razorblades.

The evidence Helen collects seems to debunk the myth, giving her a sense of satisfaction despite her continual social degradation. For instance, a competitive professor named Purcell (Michael Culkin) outright mocks Helen for her naiveté about a subject he's already familiar with, telling his origin story with both campfire relish and self-satisfaction. Candyman was once the son of a slave who amassed the wealth to give his son proper schooling and further his artistic talents. But after impregnating the virginal daughter of a wealthy landowner, the painter was dispatched at the hands of a hired mob, who took to sawing off his arm and irritating an apiary of bees so that he'd be stung to death. The moment is particularly a showcase for Madsen's reactions, thankfully relieving the viewer of a cheap flashback.

The spectral presence of the "real" Candyman (Tony Todd), however, is not too pleased by Helen's cavalier disbelief, which disrupts the symbiotic balance between the ghost and his believers. "I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom," he intones. "Without these things, I am nothing. So now, I must shed innocent blood. Come with me!" Helen becomes implicated in a series of crimes which further isolate her from the world she knows so that all she has left is Candyman, who beckons her to join him in infamy and immortality. Poor Helen's sanity is questioned, yet that voice is calling out to her: "Be my victim."

There is enough to be said about the arc of Helen, played solidly and with great nuance by Chicago native Madsen, and so I won't say no more. As for Todd, once again we have a man of astounding presence and admirable, Shakespearean acting chops elevating a bogeyman persona into something unique. Candyman cannot survive without the community's fear and belief of him, but he reaches out to the cynical Helen out of what may be longing and desire. The way Helen sees it, he's just a deity ordinary people attribute their despairing emotions to. The movie eventually comes full circle by the final moment, one which has been decreed as out-of-place by fellow critics but which proved more fitting upon further inspection. The main quibble I have in the end is the underdeveloped nature of Trevor's relationship to Helen, whose disintegration is a motivational factor in Helen's pursuit of the myth's weakness.

Rose delivers plenty of boo scares and bloodletting, but they more often than not reach the necessary intent to legitimately shock. But like many a favorite horror movie, it's the details in the style and story which prove rewarding and refreshing. Candyman differs from many of his slasher peers in that he is more like a tragic hero rooted in a troubling aspect of American history. Todd as Candyman looks positively urbane for an urban legend, with his fur-trimmed coat and cool body language in moments of unspoken communication (the parking garage scene still arrests me). Rose makes fine use of overhead exterior shots, gauzy lighting and dolly shots in generating atmosphere and characterization. The cinematography by Anthony B. Richmond is particularly effective whenever characters go beyond the bathroom mirror. And the enveloping score by Philip Glass works in the most complementary manner, both operatic and ominous, as alluring as Tony Todd's rumbling bass voice.

CANDYMAN has come a long way for me ever since I first got freaked out by the movie at the Scottsdale 6 Drive-In at the ripe old age of eight (I was even scared of toilets for a couple days). As a modern-day fable about fables, it remains one of the most beloved cult films of the 1990s and has even been championed as the best Clive Barker adaptation of them all. Maybe it's a particular virtue of timing, especially in regards to race relations and injustice at the time, but CANDYMAN has the virtuoso touch and a concrete thematic thread which places it above Barker's own Hellraiser in the realm of adult-friendly horror. And you can definitely rest assured that Urban Legend ain't got nothing on Rose's unexpectedly smart splatter-piece.

The 2004 special edition release of CANDYMAN preserves this independently-produced film in a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. Because of a combination of the film's small budget and a source print that is hardly spotless, the image is confusingly like a foggy diamond. I say this because the movie looks considerably washed out despite eye-catching colors and an overall sharp picture quality. Grain and grime levels feel more abundant than necessary, and artifacting can be detected in background shots. However, the scenery contrasts between the Cabrini Green projects and the spooky interiors where Candyman dwells look positive in terms of darkness levels and texture. This seems a significant improvement over the widescreen transfer from the previous bare bones flipper edition, but we're looking at something indefinite.

The same can be said of the Dolby Digital 2.0 mix, another byproduct of source limitations. The opportunity for a solid 5.1 track that could really submerge you in the depths of the Candyman's cavernous universe has been passed. Philip Glass' score works better than most of the ambiance in regards to surround effects, but Tony Todd's distinctly deep propositions could've benefited from greater support from the rear channels and subwoofer. Dialogue sounded clear although certain sound effects and screams felt cracked and distorted. The mix is nearly up to par with the way I remember hearing it at the drive-in, oddly enough. Alternate audio tracks and subtitles in French and Portuguese are provided.

Although not particularly scene-specific, the audio essay/commentary track justifies the need for a "special edition" label. Bernard Rose, Clive Barker, Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Kasi Lemmons, and producer Alan Poul are all accounted for albeit separately recorded. Aside from recounting specifics about the making of the film, the commentary works as a discussion piece that pays justice to the movie's allegorical nature. Rose is the most upfront and unfiltered in his observations, commenting on the phallic nature of Candyman's right hand and comparing horror movies to action films, a genre he loathes considerably. Both Madsen and Lemmons also frame the movie in a contextual light and give credit to black American moviegoers for engaging in debates about the film. Film buffs hankering for production anecdotes will also adore this track, which has particularly interesting trivia related to casting and Philip Glass' reaction after viewing the film in Times Square.

"Sweets to the Sweet: The Candyman Mythos" and "Clive Barker: Raising Hell" are the requisite featurettes. The former, with on-camera discussion from the commentary participants, lasts roughly 24 minutes whereas the latter covers an additional 11. The topics discussed in the commentary are similar to the commentary although pared down considerably from the extended observations heard prior. Regardless, the participants here offer just as much thoughtfulness as before, and the anecdotes regarding the on-location shoot in Cabrini Green, Madsen's hypnosis and the bee wrangling aspects certainly feel a lot more fresh. Rose's discussion of the historical context of the film is a bracingly specific detail lost from the commentary.

The Barker featurette is a one-man show wherein the horror icon, his distinctly English voice having reached Tom Waits levels of hoarseness, provides biographical information pertaining to his career and inspirations. His childhood in Liverpool and forays into student filmmaking are touched upon, one of which was called "The Forbidden" and was made before Barker made the leap from independent theatre to literature. His transition to filmmaking is also discussed with candid insight.

A five-minute montage of Bernard Rose's storyboards is provided, inked in watercolor markers and outlining both the opening bees over Chicago exterior and the bonfire-based finale. Although set to Philip Glass' music, I would've appreciated a still gallery option more. The theatrical trailer is skipped over for bonus previews of Darkness Falls, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (the one with Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger) and assorted "Creature Features."

Movie: 4/5
Video: 3.5/5.
Audio: 3/5.
Extras: 4/5.
Final: 4/5.

CANDYMAN is a Tri-Star Pictures/Polygram Filmed Entertainment presentation. The run time is approximately 99 minutes and the movie is rated R for violence, gore, some language, and brief nudity. The wide release date for this movie was October 16, 1992.