| | | From the chilling imagination of Clive Barker.
Features: DVD, Pan and Scan (TV Format), Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Surround Sound, French Dubbed & Subtitled
A children's ghost story comes to terrifying life in this gut-wrenching thriller about a graduate student whose research into modern folklore summons the evil spirit of the dead. Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) laughs when she interviews college students about their superstitions. But when she hears about Candyman, a slave spirit with a hook hand who is said to haunt Chicago's notorious Cabrini-Green housing project, she thinks she has a new twist for this thesis. Braving the gang-ridden territory to visit the site of a brutal murder, Helen arrogantly assumes that the Candyman can't really exist... until he appears, igniting a string of terrifying, tragic slayings. But the police don't believe in monsters, and they charge Helen with the grisly crimes. And only one person can set her free. Candyman.
"Effectively eerie...filled with clever and unusual touches..." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"The scariest film since The Silence Of The Lambs." Tony Timpone, Fangoria
Editor's Note
Folklorics graduate student Helen Lyle's (Virginia Madsen) thesis research leads her into the urban underworld of Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing projects, whose residents are genuinely terrified of "Candyman" (Tony Todd), a legendary figure with a hook for a hand. Skeptical, she "summons" him in front of a mirror and discovers with horror that he's real and wants her to join him in his "mythic" world; when she refuses, he murders those in her wake, leaving her to be charged with the crimes. She tries to explain who the real culprit is, but her efforts fail, and authorities commit her to a mental hospital. This taut horror thriller is based on "The Forbidden," by Clive Barker, who also executive-produced.
Plot Summary
Helen Lyle is writing a thesis on Candyman, a supposedly mythical killer who attacks his victims with a hooked hand when they say his name in front of a mirror. During her research, she meets up with the killer, who wants her to join him in his "mythic" world; when she refuses, he murders those in her wake, leaving her to be charged with the crimes. She tries to explain who the real culprit is, but her efforts fail, and authorities commit her to a mental hospital. Desperate to prove her sanity, she summons Candyman, who comes and helps her escape. But he has more murderous impulses to quell, and still wants her to join him in his parallel life.
| Features | French Subtitles | | Theatrical Trailer | | English Audio | | French Audio | | English Subtitles | | Scene Selection | | Widescreen Version | | Interactive Menus |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 8/7/2001 |
| Running Time: 99 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1992 | | Catalog ID: 94639 | | UPC: 00043396946392 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...The imagination of Clive Barker is authentically strange....[Madsen is] enterprising..." 10/16/1992 p.C10USA Today
"...The Candyman cometh, and terror fans rejoice. Finally, a modern-day bogeyman who pierces the psyche..." 10/16/1992 p.7D Chicago Sun-Times
"...Madsen and Lemmons, courageous and plucky, make sympathetic heroines..." 10/16/1992 p.41 Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
Elements of the plot may not hold up in the clear light of day, but that didn't bother me much. What I liked was a horror movie that was scaring me with ideas and gore, instead of simply with gore. - Roger Ebert
Washington Post 6 of 10
(Director Bernard) Rose invests the film with plenty of frightful atmosphere (aided by a Philip Glass score), allowing Madsen to descend into madness at a pace that drags the viewer along, somewhat unwillingly. As Candyman, the towering Tony Todd is an elegant horror... - Richard Harrington
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