Candyman

Bernard Rose followed his moody fantasy-thriller Paperhouse (1988) with this modern horror tale, based on Clive Barker's short story "-The Forbidden". Compiling a thesis on urban legends, University of Illinois in Chicago graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) becomes aware of the prevalent ...more

Haunting, intelligent and poetic, Candyman's strength lies in its ability to deliver a powerful social message primarily through imagery (Helen's realization that each room in her ritzy high-rise is the "mirror image" of its counterpart in Cabrini Green is a telling example), while managing to deliver the horror goods with hair-raising suspense, graphic shocks, and a chillingly seductive yet painfully human monster -- all qualities which affirm Candyman as the finest Barker adaptation ever ...more