Candyman

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1:59

Candyman

R

Released Oct 16, 1992

1h 38m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

81 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Skeptical graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) befriends Anne-Marie McCoy (Vanessa Williams) while researching superstitions in a housing project on Chicago's Near North Side. From Anne-Marie, Helen learns about the Candyman (Tony Todd), a knife-wielding figure of urban legend that some of her neighbors believe to be responsible for a recent murder. After a mysterious man matching the Candyman's description begins stalking her, Helen comes to fear that the legend may be all too real.

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Critics Consensus

Though it ultimately sacrifices some mystery in the name of gory thrills, Candyman is a nuanced, effectively chilling tale that benefits from an interesting premise and some fine performances.

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Budd Wilkins

Slant Magazine

Candyman explicitly becomes a horror story about the power and fascination of horror stories.

Jun 7, 2022

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Monica Castillo

Bitch Media

Wonderfully playing against expectation, Candyman leaves you wondering where the story will go next, something missing in most horror movies.

Jan 13, 2021

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

If Candyman doesn't live up to its potential, it does fulfill most of the Saturday night requirements. The action is swift, if excessively graphic, and Madsen proves a strong-willed, sympathetic lead.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 4, 2020

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

Todd does not appear until forty-four minutes into the ninety-nine-minute film, he dominates the film and becomes an icon, our twentieth century Dracula. The special effects may not hold up, and the green screen is discernible, but Todd is timeless.

Jun 12, 2024

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Tony Todd's performance and the Philip Glass score set the film apart from similar slashers, but it serves more as an effective compilation of scenes as opposed to an entirely satisfying full-length narrative.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 24, 2023

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Eve Tushnet

Patheos

Candyman is perfectly shot, and its central characters are iconic.

Aug 21, 2023

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Edward B

Essential horror movie absolutely fantastic this is on another level!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/10/25

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Jonathon J

This is an excellent adaptation of Clive Barker's story. In particular, the Candyman painting around the "door" is quite effective, the bonfire / rescue is full of tension, and the degradation of the the main character's sanity is an interesting addition. One major difference is that, in the story, my impression is that the community she is entering is poor, but white; the racial dimension here adds even more to her as an outsider. It makes more sense in the story why she is taking so many pictures of the graffiti (since she's specifically interested in that), whereas studying urban legends it's less obvious. I found the sound to be inconsistent (sometimes the voices seemed less-well recorded or something). I probably would prefer the supernatural side of this to be revealed only later, so that we don't know whether she is in fact doing the killing / going crazy. I don't think the idea that her disbelief was bringing him to life quite worked. But overall, this framing works, the scares are good, the tension builds well, I would definitely recommend this!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/01/25

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Dwayne W

Scary and inspired by real life murder

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/17/25

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Nick O

This Clive Barker penned urban legend ghost story is so sophisticated and well crafted, it absolutely transformed Tony Todd into a slasher hero!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/11/25

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babarizam D

Story is very good but lead character is poorly written

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/16/25

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Olivia J

Candyman is perfectly shot, and its central characters are iconic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/02/25

Full Review

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Bernard Rose

Director

Virginia Madsen

Helen Lyle

Tony Todd

Candyman

Xander Berkeley

Trevor Lyle

Kasi Lemmons

Bernadette 'Bernie' Walsh

Vanessa Williams

Anne-Marie McCoy

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Candyman: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Skeptical graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) befriends Anne-Marie McCoy (Vanessa Williams) while researching superstitions in a housing project on Chicago's Near North Side. From Anne-Marie, Helen learns about the Candyman (Tony Todd), a knife-wielding figure of urban legend that some of her neighbors believe to be responsible for a recent murder. After a mysterious man matching the Candyman's description begins stalking her, Helen comes to fear that the legend may be all too real.

Director: Bernard Rose
Producer: Steve Golin, Alan Poul, Sigurjon Sighvatsson
Screenwriter: Clive Barker, Bernard Rose
Distributor: Columbia Tristar, TriStar Pictures
Production Co: Propaganda Films, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 16, 1992, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 27, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $23.5M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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