For 2021, Universal Studios decided to do a spinoff of the horror phenomenon Candyman. The new Candyman movie, which debuted in August,  is rated R, but it’s not as gruesome as the older films. 

In this series of movies, the Candyman murders people who say his name five times in a mirror. The first Candyman originated in the book The Forbidden by Clive Barker, published in 1985. The first theatrical Candyman premiered in 1992.

In the story, the first Candyman was a slave who was murdered by his slave master for having an affair with the slave master’s daughter. Candyman was brutally lynched by the slave master and his boys cut Candy Man’s hand off and spread honeycomb on him and bees came and stung him to death. His ashes were spread in a neighborhood that is now called Cabrini-Green. Candyman haunted Cabrini-Green for years, but people in Chicago believed it was all make-believe. Helen, intrigued by this legend, said Candyman’s name 5 times in a mirror. Candyman ended up possessing her. 

The murders in the 1992 film are a sight to see. If you were to see the way Candyman murdered his victims you would have nightmares. It’s more of a horror movie, the plot does not overtake the killings in the movie.

Candyman 2021 focuses on Anthony, who was saved by Helen in the original film. As a painter, he needs inspiration for his next project. Anthony then decides to take the same approach as Helen, but soon after it becomes his greatest mistake. Anthony goes through many battles as an artist, he tells the story of candyman through his art but soon was taken as a joke. 

Throughout this movie, things aren’t as gruesome as the original Candyman movie, but it provides a great way of talking about racial inequality. I thought the movie was outstanding when it came to the storytelling. It had amazing actors who perfected their roles. Although it is not as horrifying as the original Candyman movie, it’s a great success.

Candyman is available for streaming on a number of platforms.