As a fan of the first Candyman film, you know you have to at least give the second movie a shot, right? Well according to most fans the second entry into the Candyman series is not as good. Well, according to Tony Todd, it is because those who don’t like it, don’t understand what the movie is about. I get that, it is almost a Dracula type love story.
Candyman is all about seduction, in the first film with Helen and in the second for sure. It kinda seems random, but not really, especially in the second film. The second film adds to the mythos of the Candyman and it is wonderful. Farewell to the Flesh is underrated.
Synopsis:
As her brother stands trial for the killing of an outspoken New Orleans professor, inner-city schoolteacher Annie Tarrant (Kelly Rowan) begins hearing rumors of the Candyman (Tony Todd), a murderous, knife-handed figure of urban legend. Skeptical of the Candyman’s existence, Annie follows the procedure for summoning him and suddenly finds herself celebrating the most horrifying Mardi Gras of her life. Meanwhile, Annie’s mother (Veronica Cartwright) harbors a dark family secret.
I absolutely think this one is a little over looked. I am not sure the response Candyman gets from fans of horror or even Clive Barker. I know the second gets responses like, “eh or it’s not as good as the first”. That may be, but I think it is a great way to add to the series and a great complement to the first film. They touch on the events of the first film and mention Hele Lyle, and we see the author she wanted to bury at the beginning of the film.
What I like about this one, we get to see more of Candyman’s origin story, we knew some of what he was and what happened in the first film. Now in the second film goes deeper and we learn more. We learn of his love and the ties of family within the story. I also love the story takes us to New Orleans, for some reason this feels right for the story and a Candyman movie.
Tony Todd was wonderful as in the first. This stings a bit as he may have been better in the second movie than first. He got to know the character better while making the second film, this could be why his performance was so good. Tony Todd has the mezormzing voice when he plays Candyman and it works very well to seduce and tempt his victims. The rest of the cast is ok, not too great, but overall pretty good.
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is very good and I think it deserves a second look. Maybe watch it after the original to get the feel of why it is so good. It is a love story. I am curious to know what Bernard Rose has in store for a sequel. Bernard Rose directed the first movie of course and turned in a script for a second, but it was rejected.
Give Farewell to the Flesh another shot. It is not great, but it is good and deserves more respect. A great sequel to the first film.
IMDB.com has a rating of 5.2
I give Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh a 6.5
Here is the trailer provided by Scream Factory:
