Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh

Directed by Bill Condon, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh follows Kelly Rowan’s Annie Tarrant as she’s pursued by Tony Todd’s fearsome title figure after saying his name five times into a mirror – with complications ensuing after it’s eventually revealed that Annie has an unexpected connection to her deadly pursuer. Filmmaker Condon, working from a script by Rand Ravich and Mark Kruger, does a fantastic job of initially luring the viewer into the progressively erratic proceedings, as Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh kicks off with a striking opening sequence detailing the appreciatively grisly demise of Michael Culkin’s pompous Phillip Purcell. From there, however, the picture segues into an exceedingly hit-and-miss midsection that’s compounded by its emphasis on an often hopelessly bland protagonist – with the less-than-engrossing atmosphere perpetuated by a baffling decision to predominantly favor tedious, ineffective chatter over horror-specific elements (and it’s clear, as well, that the mythology behind Candyman’s existence isn’t even remotely as compelling or intriguing as Condon so obviously believes it to be). And although it boasts stylish visuals and has been punctuated with a few decent kills, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, despite closing with an admittedly strong climax, is ultimately undone by its relentless emphasis on its central character’s mostly confusing psychic link with Todd’s ominous villain – which does, as a result, ensure that the movie fares just about as poorly as its less-than-captivating predecessor.

** out of ****