Jordan Peele ‘Hooks’ Audience With the Release of the New “Candyman”.
The original “Candyman” film was released in the year of 1992, directed by Bernard Rose based on a story written by Clive Barker. Now nearly, 30 years later, Jordan Peele and Nia DaCosta have just debuted a new version of the film. The film was released on August 27th and brought in an impressive $22 million dollars from theaters over the weekend.
If you are not familiar with the original film, here's a brief background on the story. However, I heavily encourage you to watch it yourself before watching the new version.
The story follows a graduate student studying semiotics and urban legends in Chicago. The student comes to learn of the Candyman’s story and some of his activity in the famous, Cabrini-Green projects in Chicago. According to the legend, if you say the name “Candyman” five times into the mirror, a spirit of a man with a hook for a hand appears and murders the summoner. However, when the student attempts to summon the spirit in her own apartment, nothing happens. The student becomes skeptical and discredits the legend of the Candyman. It’s not until one of her next visits to Cabrini Green, that she is attacked by the Candyman.
Jordan Peele’s version of the film is directed by Nia DaCosta. The film has a slight twist from the original but definitely pays homage to Bernard Rose’s version of the classic thriller. For example, in the new version, the story takes place in the now gentrified building where the Cabrini Green project used to be. Jordan Peele even goes as far as including Tony Todd, the actor who played the role of the Candyman in the original.
While the new version of the film did pay homage to the original, there were some major differences between the two. Without spoiling the movie for those who have not yet watched, it was a bit disappointing in some ways. In the Candyman from 1992, there was definitely some light being shined on racial injustice. This issue was displayed by the lack of attention to the victims of the Candyman, who were predominantly black. The police would report to the scene with the assumption that it had to do with gang violence. On the other hand, Jordan Peele also attempted to shed light on issues such as gentrification, police corruption, and racial injustice. Jordan Peele is known for including hints of symbolism in his movies, challenging viewers to find the deeper meaning within the film. Peele was particularly successful in using symbolism in his two breakout thrillers, “Get Out” and “Us”. Unfortunately, Jordan Peele fell short of establishing a clear message in his sequel to the Candyman for my own liking.
In contrast, there have been numerous positive reviews made by fans and movie critics. The new Candyman has scored a 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 4/5 stars on Common Sense Media, and a 72% on Metacritic. Additionally, some comments made by critics include the following: “The new Candyman proves to be a worthy follow-up to its namesake”, “The camera is always aware of threats in peripheral vision. Timing is spot-on throughout”, “Candyman is a work held together by thoughtful choices, and it has a lot to say”. With that in mind, there is a lot of both good and bad reviews but there is no doubt that the movie has hooked quite the audience. As mentioned previously, the film brought in $22 million dollars from roughly 3,600 different theaters over the weekend.
In closing, the original will always have a place in my heart and in my childhood nightmares, but I would definitely recommend giving the new version a watch. Let me know what you think about the film in the comment section below.
