Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

MaximumMadness If ever there was an underrated horror classic of the 90's that is unfairly looked over or even often looked down upon, it's the beautiful and haunting film "Candyman", inspired by the stories of famed author Clive Barker. The 1992 original is one of the few true classics to emerge from the genre in its decade of release, boasting moody visuals, clever writing, fantastic characters and a unique point-of-view with its leaning towards being a sort-of dark "urban" fable. It cleverly used African American culture, commentary on racism and social unease to its benefit, crafting a thoughtful and heinous story revolving around the urban legend of a devious figure that emerges should you call his name into a mirror five times. A figure with a hook for a hand that was birthed from the dreadful murder of the son of a slave... a man who had fallen in love with a white woman and was hunted down and tortured to death as a twisted form of retribution from the racist townsfolk that surrounded him.It was in many ways a perfect horror film. It was filled to the brim with tragedy and heartbreak. Demented scares and horrific visuals. But also well-developed and well-rounded characters and strong visual storytelling. Even to this day, there are people who are too frightened to say the name "Candyman" into a mirror because of the fears that the film has left with them.It should come with no surprise then, that a sequel was soon commissioned and delivered just three short years later. "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh" is very much a highly entertaining and enjoyable sequel, building the lead villain into much more of a classic "boogeyman" figure and piling on the scares (and bodies) to new heights. With some good direction and the continued grand performance of the devilish Tony Todd as our antagonistic vengeful spirit, the film has a lot going for it. However, as is all too often the case with sequels, bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. And despite the fun that is certainly to be had with the concept and execution, it does unfortunately come at the cost of a developed story and thought-out characters. The original "Candyman" was horror as art. "Farewell to the Flesh" is horror as junk-food. Just satisfying enough to be worth a go now and then... but not as fulfilling or as high-quality as you'd probably prefer.Set in New Orleans just before the city explodes with Mardi Gras fever, we follow schoolteacher Annie Tarrant (Kelly Rowan), a young woman whose life has been shattered by the myth of the "Candyman"- her father murdered in the fashion of the mythical killer and her brother accused of murdering academic Philip Purcell (Michael Culkin in a fun-but-short-lived reprisal of his character from the original), who had written a book based on the myth and the events of the first film. Trying to prove to herself that the urban legend of the Candyman cannot possibly be true, Annie inadvertently summons him forth, setting off a chain of events that will not only reveal his dreadful origins in shocking detail, but threaten to tear Annie's life apart, piece by piece.The thing that really throws me for a loop with this particular follow-up is just how often it seems to both hit and miss the mark in each and every scene. Director Bill Condon is certainly adept when it comes to moody, stylish visuals, and he seems to be having a grand bit of fun behind the camera. And he often does help elevate sequences beyond the shaky writing, giving us plenty of scares and jumps that will keep the audience entertained throughout the proceedings. But it never quite amounts to much outside of being general movie "fluff." It's not substantial, it's just shallow entertainment. This is mostly because of the script courtesy Rand Ravich and Mark Kruger, which is so focused on bringing us blood by the bucketful that all sense of story and character is often lost in the rush to get to the next horror set-piece. And while I am perfectly fine with horror as entertainment and "fluff" (it'd be hypocritical for me to say otherwise, as I do like mindless entertainment quite a bit), the issue is that this is a sequel to a highly artistic and deliberate original. It feels like too much of a step backward.Still, I can't say its not a fun ride to take. Those stylish visuals and constant attempts at scares make it a breezy watch. Tony Todd once again delivers the goods with his continued chilling presence and phenomenal performance as a tragic villain with a dark history. There's a lot of interesting things to explore with its setting in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. And it even occasionally does some really cool things with the concept. At its core, there's just enough going on here to make it well worth checking out. It may be a bit of a shallow retread of the much better original. But you'll have a blast watching it, and you won't regret giving it a shot.I'm giving "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh" a slightly above average 6 out of 10.

Michael_Elliott Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)** (out of 4) Annie Tarrant (Kelly Rowan) arrives in New Orleans to investigate why her brother (William O'Leary) has been thrown into job suspected of murder. It seems the brother believes that their father was killed by Candyman (Tony Todd) but the sister doesn't believe this until she uncovers a family secret.CANDYMAN was released and was a surprise hit with fans and critics. It remains one of the best movies of its type and is quite scary in its own right. CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH isn't a bad movie but at the same time you can't help but be highly disappointed with it. Once again a very good horror movie has a sequel that seems to be more money driven than anything else.I say that because there's a lot missing from this picture. The biggest issue that I had with it is the fact that there really aren't any scares here. The first film managed to have an atmosphere of its own and the scares were there. That's certainly not the case here as there's just no tension to be found anywhere and I'd argue that there's not even an atmosphere, which is too bad since the New Orleans settings could have had more done with them.I do think the film tried to be something more than your typical slasher but there just wasn't enough done with it. The entire story dealing with the slave and killing of Daniel Robitaille was very good and the film could have used more scenes like these. Todd, as you'd expect, is excellent in his role as are Rowan and O'Leary. Director Bill Condon certainly made a professional looking movie and there's no doubt that it's well-made. Still, CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH is mildly entertaining but a letdown.

ersinkdotcom Although its roots lie in the legend of Bloody Mary, the "Candyman" franchise built a mythos all its own in the span of three movies. Actor Tony Todd would argue that the entire series revolves around a tragic story of unrequited love and the vengeance rained down upon those who dare disturb the tortured soul of the title character. I would absolutely agree with him, especially after "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh" expands on the backstory of our antagonist.Candyman moves on to New Orleans and starts his horrific murders once more. This time, his intended victim is a school teacher. Her father was killed by Candyman, and brother wrongly accused of the murders.Instead of the usual horror film retread we get when it comes to sequels, "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh" actually expands on the history of the character by visually telling his tale on screen. It pounds home the tragedy surrounding Candyman and brings more of a sense of humanity to the "villain" of the story. Tony Todd brings Candyman to life and makes you both feel sorry for and fear his character. He brings an air of refinement to what could have been just another slasher icon. Veronica Cartwright plays a widowed southern belle who has a secret of her own to keep. Even in 1995, she was already a veteran of the horror genre because of roles in "Alien," "The Birds," "The Witches of Eastwick," "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," and more.I'm fascinated by writer and atheist Clive Barker's attraction to Christian religion and Catholic imagery as showcased once again in "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh." This time it's exemplified through the events of Mardis Gras in New Orleans and the religious meanings behind the celebration. I also found it interesting that one of the main focuses of the lynch mob was a middle-aged lady carrying her Bible and encouraging the torture of Candyman. "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh" is rated R for violence and gore, and for some sexuality and language. There's the expected amount of blood and on screen butchering you would expect from a horror movie. A couple are shown having sex in public on two occasions. They're nude and shown from the side, but no actual privates are shown. "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh" rises above what could have been just another pedestrian follow-up to a slasher flick. Instead of simply lining up new faceless victims for the killer to take out with his hook hand for no reason, our dreadful anti-hero is given substance and motivation for his actions. An air of mystery and a dark family secret add another level of elegance to the movie.

GL84 After her brother's involvement in a savage death, a woman's search for the truth leads to a family curse involving the local legend of the Candyman and tries to stop his reign of terror in New Orleans.This turned out to have a lot of good things going for it. One of the better examples here is the continuing nature of the film's expanding story of how the Candyman came into being, furthering the connection even more than it already did. Bolstering the legend quite well with the flashbacks to his torture and paring that against his legend between the family really makes for an entertaining horror effort. The main attack here concerns the appearance at the curio shop which turns into a thrilling chase through a carnival parade as he continually appears among the patrons, though other attacks are bound throughout here. The penthouse attack where he first appears to her, his attack on the detective in the holding cell and the cemetery attack that leads into the final confrontation are all filled with incredibly chilling and fun action. Likewise, the finale gets a lot right here by managing to come full-circle and fully discloses the back-story from earlier but also mixes in some action and spectacle along the way by using the raging thunderstorm to wash away not only the characters but also the landscape in the water torrent and also forcing into it the escape from the collapsing monument. It's a really fun finish and helps to stave off the few flaws in here. One of the biggest issues here is the irritating and useless voice-over narration from the radio show host that permeates this one as none of what's said is in any way, shape or form original, imperative to the story or gets to the point of the scene by just being utterly irritating quite quickly. This also manages to continue the series long flaw of having no real point for his actions against her since he spends so much of the film time simply appearing behind her without actively making threats. That comes off here as a tired act of something that was utilized in the first one and continues in this one. These here drop this down but not enough to really hurt it.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language and Brief Nudity.