Though 1980s films like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street launched successful franchises that went on to many entries, 1992’s Candyman couldn’t follow suit. The first film did well enough to spawn two sequels – 1995’s Farewell to the Flesh and 1999’s Day of the Dead - but both received weak reviews and poor audience reactions.

That put the series on ice until 2021’s Candyman. Though its title suggests it remakes the 1992 film, instead it acts as a direct sequel to that one.

Set in 2019, artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) struggles to find inspiration until he hears the violent story of the “Candyman”. After police killed an innocent man named Sherman Fields (Michael Hargrove) in 1977, the legend goes that one can revive his restless spirit if one stares into a mirror and says “Candyman” five times. This brings back Fields/Candyman to exact bloody shenanigans.

As Anthony delves into the tale, he finds himself more and more consumed. Reality and fantasy start to blur, as it seems unclear if Anthony enters a mental breakdown or if Candyman really exists.

Okay, reality/fantasy only truly blur for the movie characters, as Candyman doesn’t toy with the film’s audience too much. Perhaps some might see the Candyman’s slayings as a figment of an imagination, but that seems unlikely, as the flick feels like it presents these events in a literal manner.

Director Nia DaCosta manages to stage events in clever ways. While at times the film can wear some influences too heavily on its sleeve – especially 1980’s The Shining and 1986’s The Fly - DaCosta’s approach to the murders seems provocative.

Rather than depict the carnage head-on like most movies, DaCosta usually shows the violence in a detached, voyeuristic manner. We see one death through an apartment window from a distance, and another comes depicted only through the perspective of a person stuck in a bathroom stall.

I’m sure these techniques helped with the MPAA, as they kept the more graphic elements off-screen. Nonetheless, this approach works really well, as we get an unusual, daring spin on the usual bloodshed and gore.

I also appreciate that Candyman stays true to the events of the first film and expands on them. I expected a pretty standard reboot, and to some degree, the 2021 movie does follow that path, as it presents us with a new Candyman for another generation.

However, the film links pretty neatly to the 1992 tale. It straddles the lines between sequel and reboot to create its own take on matters that feels beholden to the past but not obligated to recreate those events.

Candyman also clearly understands it exists in a Black Lives Matters landscape, and it nods in that direction. I don’t think the film overdoes these reflections, so if you fear a 90-minute lecture, you won’t get it.

However, Candyman does recognize those themes and utilizes them to add charge to the proceedings. This never feels heavy-handed to me and the view of how little Black lives do seem to matter to too many people comes across in a subdued manner.

The 2021 Candyman does lose some points in terms of narrative, as the story can turn into a mess at times. While it doesn’t need to take a straight A to B path, the tale can zigzag too much and lose direction/characters for too long. Though it never becomes incoherent, the plot feels less focused than it should.

Still, I regard that as a minor quibble. Like the 1992 film, I wouldn’t call the 2021 Candyman a great horror flick, but it manages to create its own distinctive identity, and given the copycat nature of the genre, that makes it above average.

Candyman appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. Apparently a true 4K product, the movie presented strong visuals.

Overall definition seemed excellent. Virtually no softness manifested, so the film appeared accurate and concise.

Jagged edges and moiré effects didn’t mar the presentation, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws also failed to appear.

In terms of palette, Candyman went with a standard amber/orange and blue/teal orientation, though it occasionally tossed out other elements like some heavy reds. Within stylistic choices, the hues seemed well-depicted. HDR added impact and punch to the tones.

Blacks were dark and dense, and low-light shots gave us good clarity. HDR contributed range and power to whites and contrast. I felt pleased with this transfer.

Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the film’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack tended toward a pretty standard horror soundscape, one that tended to favor atmosphere above all else. This meant a mix with a creepy vibe that added to the material.

Occasional action scenes brought more life to the soundfield, though, and those made the track engaging. Don’t expect these to crop up on a frequent basis, but they occurred often enough to give a boost to the mix and make it involving and impactful.

Audio quality worked fine, with speech that appeared natural and concise. Music came across as bold and dynamic as well.

Effects showed nice clarity and reproduction. Those elements felt accurate and bold, and they contributed deep low-end when necessary. All in all, the soundtrack worked well for the film.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? Both came with the same Atmos audio.

As noted, the movie was finished at 4K, so the UHD disc brought superior delineation when contrasted with the Blu-ray. It also boasted better colors and blacks. Though the Blu-ray looked very good, the 4K UHD topped it.

As we shift to extras, we get an Alternate Ending. It runs two minutes, 38 seconds and finishes with a bit of a tease.

I can’t say much in the interest of spoiler avoidance, but I will note it seems unclear where the “Alternate Ending” would’ve come in the film. I can’t tell if it would’ve followed the actual conclusion or if it would’ve replaced the existing finale. Whatever the case, I think the movie’s present finish works well and the “Alternate” would’ve damaged its impact.

Deleted and Extended Scenes follow. We find “Who Do You Think Makes the Hood?” (2:56), “Wanna See Me Fly?” (1:44) and “Fooked Oop” (1:09).

“Hood” expands on Anthony’s chats with the art critic, whereas “Wanna” gives us a longer flashback between Brianna and her father. “Oop” extends the scenes with the high school girls. None of these seem valuable, so I can’t claim any needed to show up in the final film.

Seven featurettes ensue, and Say My Name goes for six minutes, 45 seconds and offers notes from writer/director Nia DaCosta, producers/writers Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld and actors Tony Todd, Teyonah Parris, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

“Name” looks at themes and characters as well as reflections of society. We get some decent insights.

Body Horror spans six minutes, 22 seconds and involves Peele, DaCosta, Rosenfeld, Abdul-Mateen, Todd, producer Ian Cooper, movement consultant Madeline Hollander and special effects makeup department head J. Anthony Kosar.

“Horror” looks at the physical deterioration of the Anthony character and the makeup effects used to achieve this and other elements. We find a few useful notes.

Next comes The Filmmaker’s Eye, a four-minute, 48-second reel with DaCosta, Peele, Rosenfeld, Parris, Abdul-Matee, Cooper and production designer Cara Brower. We get a mix of reasonably interesting thoughts about DaCosta’s approach to the material here, though plenty of praise comes along for the ride.

Painting Chaos lasts seven minutes, 17 seconds and includes material from Abdul-Mateen, DaCosta, Cooper, Peele, Parris, Rosenfeld, art consultant Hamza Walker and artists Sherwin Ovid, Arnold Kemp and Cameron Spratley. As implied, we get thoughts about the artwork attributed to the Anthony character in this sporadically compelling reel.

With The Art of Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, we get a four-minute, 54-second piece that features DaCosta, and composer Lowe. The show offers some worthwhile notes about the movie’s score.

Terror in the Shadows fills four minutes, nine seconds with comments from DaCosta, Peele, Cooper, and line producer/lead puppeteer Julia Miller.

“Terror” covers the shadow puppet work featured in the film. It becomes another decent featurette.

Finally, The Impact of Black Horror occupies 20 minutes, 24 seconds with notes from UCLA Professor of Black Horror and Afrofuturism Tanana Rive Due, trauma psychotherapist Wendy Ashley, BEAM founder Yolo Akili Robinson, Confess Project founder Lorenzo Lewis and actor Colman Domingo.

All sit together for a panel that examines the movie’s themes as well as other aspects of the genre. It becomes a fairly insightful discussion.

A second disc provides a Blu-ray copy of the film, one that brings the same extras as the 4K. The Blu-ray opens with ads for Old, The Forever Purge, Stillwater.

Nearly 30 years after the original movie, the 2021 Candyman offers both a reboot and a sequel. The film finds clever ways to connect to the original while it also stands as a fairly creepy and memorable horror experience in its own right. The 4K UHD comes with very good picture and audio as well as a mix of bonus materials. Candyman turns into a mostly compelling horror tale.

To rate this film, visit the prior review of CANDYMAN