All Rise...

Judge Patrick Naugle can make a sunrise, and sprinkle it with dew.

The Charge

Evil comes when you call his name.

The Case

The bee infested, hook-handed Candyman (Tony Todd, Final Destination) is back with a vengeance. This time around Candyman is threatening the southern gothic of New Orleans, the slasher's home turf and birthplace of his malevolent evil. School teacher Annie Tennant (Kelly Rowan, The O.C.) finds her life entangled in Candyman's madness when a discovery is made that links her past to Candyman's unimaginable final moments. Even as her mother (Veronica Cartwright, The Witches of Eastwick) tries to hide the secret connection to Candyman's family, Annie finds herself drawn into a dark web of death, lies, and forbidden love.

Writer/director Bernard Rose's Candyman was one of the better horror movies of the 1990s. Based on a story by writer Clive Barker (Hellraiser), Candyman dealt with a boogeyman who had taken up residence in the terrifyingly real projects of downtown Chicago's crime infested Cabrini-Green. Filled with an atmosphere of dread and a creepy music score by composer Philip Glass (Kundun), Candyman went on to become a cult classic. Three years after its initial success Candyman spawned a sequel. Written and directed by Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1) and featuring Tony Todd reprising his role as the mysterious title character, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh was not as critically or commercially successful as its predecessor. A third film followed (1999's Candyman: Day of the Dead) that all but put a final nail into the coffin of this horror franchise.

I was a big fan of the original Candyman. While I'm a fan in general of horror movies, even I'll admit that the genre thrives on repetition; originality is not something that filmmakers seem to strive for in the Friday the 13th or Halloween series. So when a movie like Candyman comes along, it's hard not to sit up and take notice. Bernard Rose and Clive Barker created a wholly original and often terrifying movie that dripped with dread and even a bit of Shakespearean tragedy. Of course, in any time a movie is successful the rule is a sequel will follow, even if a follow-up isn't really required (or justified). Candyman had a firm beginning, an engaging middle, and a solid ending. As usual, Hollywood just couldn't leave well enough alone.

Bill Condon's Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh takes the same ideas presented in the first film and basically copies them, only to much lesser effect. Gone is the urban setting, replaced by New Orleans during Mardi Gras, which is quite possible the least scary of locations. While Rose's film kept Candyman shrouded in mystery and shadows, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh wallows in typical slasher cliches. Are you looking to see characters being sliced from stern to gullet? Or cheap jump scares every ten minutes? Then this one will be right up your alley.

Once again, Tony Todd is a formidable presence as the tragically evil Candyman. This time around we get a bit more history on the character—whose real name is Daniel Robitaille—and witness his final moments as a human (bees! dismembered hands! metal hooks! Oh my!) before he became a supernatural boogeyman. Todd's deeply resonant bass voice and imposing stature makes for a memorable villain (even if the movie surrounding his character fails him). Other actors in Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh) include genre vet Veronica Cartwright (Alien), Bill Nunn (New Jack City) as a sensitive clergyman, and William O'Leary (Home Improvement) as the wrongly incarcerated Ethan.

Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is by no means the worst horror sequel ever made. As a slasher movie it certainly gets a lot of things right, even if they're all pretty standard and rote. There's a lot of scenes where lightening strikes, bellies are sliced open, blood gurgles from people's mouths, and abandoned old houses are explored to the detriment of everyone involved. There's hardly any surprises to be found here, which is both comforting and disappointing. Genre fans will want to check it out because, well, we're horror fans and what else are we going to watch? Everyone else will probably have little interest in this sequel that firmly adheres to the law of diminishing returns.

Scream Factory's Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (Blu-ray) is presented in 1.85:1/1080p HD widescreen, which is better than the film probably deserves. The image looks pretty good for a low budget horror movie with solid black levels and bright colors. There are some instances of grain and dirt in the transfer (especially during the brighter scenes), but it's not overtly distracting. The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track is often front heavy with sporadic surround sounds and directional effects. While this isn't a very aggressive track, it works in conjunction with the film. Also included is a DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo mix in English, as well as English subtitles.

Bonus features include an informative commentary track with writer/director Bill Condon, a couple of interviews with actors Tony Todd and Veronica Cartwright ("The Candyman Legacy with Tony Todd", "Down Memory Lane with Veronica Cartwright"), and a theatrical trailer for the film.

Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is the very definition of "more of the same". Nothing in this sequel feels unique or original. Some horror fans may find that comforting and pleasant but the more discerning among you will burn through an hour and a half and wonder how you can get your time back. While Scream Factory's work on this disc is a lot better than it deserves, you'll be best served by checking out the original Candyman and stopping there.

The Verdict

Comes close to being a franchise killer.

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