One of the more interesting horror monster icons is the villain from the 1992 fright movie, CANDYMAN.  The film is based off the short story “The Forbidden” written by Clive Barker.  And the story is from his well received short story collection BOOKS OF BLOOD from 1984.  The movie’s growing success led to a number of sequels as well as an upcoming remake. 

The movie is a bit different than the story; the tale has moved from England to the U.S. city of Chicago.  Helen (Virginia Madsen), a graduate student, is writing a paper on urban legends.  Though curious with many tales, the inner city legend of Candy Man interests her most.  As a result her paper can be expanded to include such topics as gentrification, class, and hardship of the poor.  While navigating through areas of the city that aren’t safe for a young, attractive woman as herself, her discoveries may lead to a greater danger than people.

Tony Todd stars as the iconic titled villain and brings a menace that tops some of the best monster icons in horror cinema.  Though not as well known of his contemporaries, director/screenwriter Bernard Rose turns an interesting topic to a cult classic.  Also of note is that Philip Glass scored the film.  A Patreon pick from our listeners, Dark Discussions takes a look at this cult classic and give their thoughts.