31 Days of Scares- #15 ‘Candyman’ You’re Mine Now
The 31 Days of Scares isn’t a countdown of the best horror movies. In fact, it’s not even about the best movies. It’s simply about some of my favorite “scares” or scenes from horror movies and they’re in no particular order. So there’s no need to debate countdown order. It’s pretty random. With that said: on to the countdown!
This is a serendipitous post because I was planning to include a scene from “Candyman” on this list (I’d be crazy not too) and yesterday was the 23rd anniversary of “Candyman” appearing in theaters. So why didn’t I post this yesterday? Well I had “Ghostwatch” already planned and didn’t realize it was Candyman’s day. The best laid plans of mice and men and all that.
The mythology of Candyman has always fascinated me. At a simple level he’s a great slasher villain like Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees. He’s a mythical figure that appears as easily as he disappears and he tears people up with his creepy hook hand. All important elements when making a good horror movie villain.
However, what sets Candyman apart from other horror villains of the 90’s is that he had a romantic gothic edge to him. He was a throwback to characters like Dracula and the Phantom of the Opera who were monsters, but monsters capable of intense passion.
And that sort of characterization seems to come through in the way he kills people. There’s a sexual edge to the way he goes. Sometimes it’s the circumstances in which people die or simply the manner in which he penetrates them with his hook hand. There’s an edge there that makes the killing a bit more uncomfortable than your standard slasher movie kill.
For today’s scare I picked a moment that highlights this sort of self-gratification that Candyman has. This is the scene where Helen is talking to her psychotherapist who believes that she’s responsible for killing her friend and not the mythical Candyman. So, in order to prove she’s not crazy, Helen does the only sane thing she can: say his name five times. Check out the scene below and let us know what you think.
