Candyman is an American supernatural horror franchise originating from the 1985 short story "The Forbidden" from the collection Books of Blood by Clive Barker, about the legend of the "Candyman", the ghost of an artist and son of a slave who was murdered in the late 19th century. Its film adaptation, Candyman, directed by Bernard Rose in 1992, starred Tony Todd as the title character.
Although the film initially underperformed at the American box office, it became a cult classic. A novelization and a comic adaptation of the film were released in the same year. Two sequels, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Candyman 3: Day of the Dead (1999), were released. A direct sequel to the original Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele, was released in 2021.
Films Film U.S. release date Box office totals (domestic gross) Director Screenwriters Story by Producer(s) Candyman $25.8 million Bernard Rose Alan Poul, Steve Golin & Sigurjon Sighvatsson Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh $25 million Bill Condon Rand Ravich & Mark Kruger Clive Barker Gregg Fienberg & Sigurjón Sighvatsson Candyman 3: Day of the Dead $0.6 million (limited release) Turi Meyer Turi Meyer & Al Septien Al Septien & William Stuart Candyman $77.4 million Nia DaCosta Nia DaCosta, Jordan Peele & Win Rosenfeld Ian Cooper, Jordan Peele & Win Rosenfeld
Candyman (1992)
Candyman, the first film in the series, is a 1992 horror film, serving as a loose adaptation of Clive Barker's 1985 short story "The Forbidden" of the collection Books of Blood. The film follows a graduate student, Helen Lyle, who is studying urban legends along with her colleague Bernadette.
She takes a strong interest in learning about a mysterious hook-handed murderer coined as "The Candyman" in the Cabrini Green urban project dwelling which many of the residents feared lived behind the mirrors and the walls of the apartments randomly killing them 'gutting' them with his hook after chanting his name 5 times in a mirror. Helen becomes intrigued by the mythical story that she jokingly summons him in denial and disbelief, later to learn who was really behind the mirror, questioning her reality.
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
Farewell to the Flesh is the second film in the series. The film follows the story of a school teacher, Annie Tarrant, who comes to learn about her family's past after losing her father due to his obsession with the Candyman. She denies his existence after hearing her students talk about him and learning that one of her students was obsessed with him. She speaks his name to prove he does not exist, but later finds out who Candyman is.
Candyman 3: Day of the Dead (1999)
Day of the Dead is the third film in the series. The story continues with Annie Tarrant's daughter, Caroline Mckeever, who is now an adult. She denies Candyman's existence by protecting her family's bloodline as her business partner Miguel uses the story of her Great Great Grandfather Daniel Robitaille/Candyman in his art exhibit for profit. Caroline soon learns why her mother tried to destroy the myth of Candyman but is caught in his web of deceptive murders, framing her in order for her to submit to become immortal as a family with him in death.
Candyman (2021)
A fourth film in the series was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Monkeypaw Productions and was released on August 27, 2021. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars in the film, while Tony Todd returns to the eponymous role. It is a direct sequel to the first film, taking place twenty-seven years later, in Cabrini Green, Chicago. A young, over-confident visual artist named Anthony McCoy struggles to find inspiration to get him further exposure.
He learns about an old urban legend that took place in the project housing developments at Cabrini Green of a grad student named Helen Lyle who became mentally insane during her research and sacrificed herself to save a baby, which sparks his interest. He further researches the information which leads him to encounter a neighborhood laundromat owner who also reveals his version of the urban legend, which is learned to be of an amputated hook-handed man in the 1970s named Sherman Fields who was wrongfully murdered at the hands of Chicago police officers which Cabrini Green residents believed him to be "The Candyman" who harmed children with razor blades in candy.
Anthony becomes obsessed with these urban legend findings as he uses them for his artwork presentation and to influence the summoning of the spirit of 'The Candyman', but later realizes the consequences of his actions as he learns the real truth behind the legend by his hallucinations, which in turn becomes a deadly reality.
The 2021 film reinterprets the Candyman legend by highlighting generational trauma and racial violence, positioning the figure as a reflection of historical injustices against Black communities.Means Coleman, R. R. (2021). Candyman and the haunted legacy of racial violence. Journal of Horror and Film Studies, 12(3), 45–58.
Nia DaCosta's direction, and Jordan Peele's and Win Rosenfeld's co-writing, were a sequel as well as a spiritual prolongation of the first film. This project was praised for a variety of aspects such as visual style, social commentary, and the actors' performances, and it was also of historical significance as DaCosta became the first Black woman to direct a movie that ranked first in the U.S. box office. The success of the film made the franchise popular among a new generation and confirmed the status of Candyman as a culturally relevant horror property.
Unrealized projects According to Virginia Madsen, Bernard Rose originally wanted the first sequel Candyman 2 to be a prequel showing Candyman and Helen's "look-alike" falling in love, but the idea was turned down because the studio was worried about how a fully-fledged interracial romance would be received.
A possible fourth film was in development in 2004; according to Tony Todd, it was intended to be set in New England at a women's college, and focus on a professor who is a descendant of Candyman but has no idea who he is, with Todd describing "the initial image [being] of Candyman in a blizzard". The film was stuck in development hell.
The slasher crossover film Freddy vs. Jason (2003) also inspired Miramax to want to create a Candyman vs. Hellraiser crossover, but Clive Barker, originator of both franchises, had recommended against it. A crossover with the Leprechaun film series was also considered, but Tony Todd immediately flat out refused to participate in such a project, saying he had too much respect for his character to see him used for such a purpose.
Cast and crew Cast This table shows the characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise. A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's presence in the film has not yet been announced. A indicates an appearance as a younger version of a pre-existing character. A indicates a photographic appearance. A indicates a vocal appearance only. Characters Films Candyman Farewell to the Flesh Day of the Dead Candyman Daniel Robitaille Tony Todd colspan="3" Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Anthony McCoy Latesha & Lanesha Martin colspan="2" Helen Lyle Virginia Madsen Anne-Marie McCoy Vanessa A. Williams Vanessa A. Williams Phillip Purcell Michael Culkin Trevor Lyle Xander Berkeley Bernadette "Bernie" Walsh Kasi Lemmons Jake DeJuan Guy Detective Frank Valento Gilbert Lewis Stacey Carolyn Lowery Dr. Burke Stanley DeSantis Billy Ted Raimi Archie Walsh Bernard Rose Harold Eric Edwards Policewoman Rusty Schwimmer Heyward Sullivan Randy Oglesby Caroline Sullivan Caroline Barclay Laura Mazur Cassie Kramer Annie Tarrant Kelly Rowan Elizabeth Hayes Caroline McKeever Brianna Blanchard Donna D'Errico Paul McKeever Timothy Carhart Reverend Ellis Bill Nunn Ethan Tarrant William O'Leary Octavia Tarrant Veronica Cartwright Honore Thibideaux Matt Clark Matthew Ellis Joshua Gibran Mayweather Detective Ray Levesque David Gianopoulos Coleman Tarrant Michael Bergeron Pam Carver Fay Hauser Heyward Sullivan Randy Oglesby The Kingfish Glen GomezRussell Buchanan Liz Clotiel Bordeltier Drew George Lemore Mr. Jeffries Ralph Joseph Clara Margaret Howell David de La Paz Nick Corri Det. Jamal Matthews Ernie Hudson Jr. Lt. Det. Samuel Deacon Kraft Wade Williams L.V. Sacco Robert O'Reilly Enrique Lombardo Boyar Abuela Lupe Ontiveros Flower Seller Lillian Hurst Det. Jamie Gold Elizabeth Guber Miguel Velasco Mark Adair-Rios Lena Rena Riffel Tino Mike Moroff Ornte Chris Van Dahl Tamara Alexia Robinson Fritz Jud Meyers Little Boy Leonardo Guerra Cristina de La Paz Nicole Contreras Ringleader Nadia Simms Brianna "Bri" Cartwright Teyonah Parris Finley Stephens Rebecca Spence Clive Privler Brian King Grady Smith Kyle Kaminsky Troy Cartwright Nathan Stewart-Jarrett William "Billy" Burke Colman Domingo Danielle Harrington Christiana Clark Jameson Carl Clemons-Hopkins Gil Cartwright Cedric Mays Sherman FieldsCandyman's Hive / Spirit Michael Hargrove
Crew Role Film Candyman Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh Candyman 3: Day of the Dead Candyman 1992 1995 1999 2021 Director(s) Bernard Rose Bill Condon Turi Meyer Nia DaCosta Screenwriter(s) Rand Ravich & Mark Kruger Al Septien & Turi Meyer Nia DaCosta, Jordan Peele & Win Rosenfeld Producer(s) Alan Poul, Steve Golin & Sigurjón Sighvatsson Gregg Fienberg & Sigurjón Sighvatsson Al Septien & William Stuart Ian Cooper, Jordan Peele & Win Rosenfeld Composer(s) Philip Glass Adam Gorgoni Robert A. A. Lowe Cinematography Anthony B. Richmond Tobias A. Schliessler Michael G. Wojciechowski John Guleserian Editor(s) Dan Rae Virginia Katz Frederick Wardell Chris Armstrong Production companies Propaganda FilmsPolyGram Filmed Entertainment Lava Productions Artisan Entertainment Bron CreativeMetro-Goldwyn-MayerMonkeypaw Productions Distributor TriStar Pictures Gramercy Pictures Universal Pictures U.S. release date October 16, 1992 March 17, 1995 July 9, 1999 August 27, 2021 Duration 99 minutes 95 minutes 93 minutes 91 minutes
Reception Box office performance Film Release date Box office gross Budget Reference North America Other territories Worldwide Candyman (1992) October 16, 1992 $25,792,310 $8–9 million Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh March 17, 1995 $13,940,383 $6 million Candyman 3: Day of the Dead July 9, 1999 colspan="5" Candyman (2021) August 27, 2021 $50,668,490 $13,524,000 $64,192,490 $25 million Total $ $5,229,000 $ $39 million
Critical and public response Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore Candyman (1992) 79% (82 reviews) 61 (15 reviews) C+ Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh22% (32 reviews) Candyman 3: Day of the Dead7% (14 reviews) Candyman (2021) 84% (335 reviews) 72 (46 reviews) B
Music Candyman (1992) and Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh soundtracks were composed by Philip Glass. According to Glass, "it has become a classic, so I still make money from that score, get checks every year". Tony Todd confirmed in an interview with IGN that a limited edition featuring 7500 copies of the film's soundtrack was released in February 2015. The composition "Candyman's Suite: Helen's Theme" became a widely popular theme song for Halloween and was often featured in a few television commercials and series including in one episode of American Horror Story: Asylum.
Candyman: Day of the Dead original score soundtrack was composed by Adam Gorgoni.