The original “Candyman,” directed by Bernard Rose, was a subversive and fascinating horror film with a lot of original ideas. It was also one of the few horror movies of its day that featured sympathetic portrayals of both a female protagonist and the African American community, resulting in a new perspective while still maintaining an air of mystery and fear. It was visually engaging, narratively bizarre and overall a noteworthy experience any horror buff would be happy to add to their repertoire. Recently, a trailer for a new “Candyman” dropped, and the internet is abuzz with excitement. Mainly, this is thanks to the attached producer, Jordan Peele (“Hunters”), who brought audiences “Get Out” and “Us.” With these two films under his belt, Peele has been marked as a new flagship figure in horror, giving a voice to African American audiences that was so sorely lacking.
Considering “Candyman’s” history, combined with the success of Peele’s films, it makes sense to have him involved in the project as a guiding hand for the creative process. It seems that his success has paved the way for a new wave of black horror cinema, something which many would agree is long overdue. For example, the trailer for the horror film “Antebellum,” a film being produced by Sean McKittrick (“Get Out”), promises another foray into the terrifying with a focus on the black American experience.
It is interesting to note that the original “Candyman,” “Get Out,” “Candyman” (2020) and “Antebellum” all draw on themes of historical horrors that have truly preyed upon African Americans over the centuries, including racial prejudices, slavery and economic inequality. This mirrors the tendency of other horror landmarks such as “Halloween,” “Poltergeist” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” to dwell on social anxieties affecting middle-class Americans.
The new films tap into a similar wellspring of the audience’s anxieties which has been left untouched by a primarily white audience, creating a new avenue with decades of filmmaking potential. Even if this new “Candyman” doesn’t turn out to be the best, let us not forget that it still is a modern horror film, prone to all the relevant pitfalls which have become so commonplace. It marks a transition point in modern horror media that will likely continue to resound with today’s audiences and generate challenging cinematic perspectives.
Image from IGN via YouTube
