The Complete History of Candyman documentary set for later this year

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Last summer we were supposed to see the release of Nia DaCosta's Candyman, described as a "spiritual sequel" to the 1992 original film starring Tony Todd as the titular character. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans and after a couple of new release dates, we should finally get to see the film when it's released on August 27, 2021. Fans of Candyman have something else to look forward to because it appears that a definitive documentary about the history of the franchise is also on the way later this year. You can check out the documentary's trailer at the top of this story!

The Complete History of Candyman, written and directed by Bryn Hammond, will explore the movie franchise from how it was born out of Clive Barker's original story, "The Forbidden", to the Jordan Peele-produced reboot/spiritual sequel. You can check out the official press release for the documentary below:

"The Complete History of Candyman begins with a modest overview of the heyday of the horror genre and its sharp decline, solely down to the responsibility of the decay of the slasher sub-genre, when all of Hollywood, from the sleaziest independent backstreet butcher to the highest-paid studio executive, was greenlighting any film that featured a masked psychopath, scores of 30 + something teenagers with a half decent set of lungs, an ample array of ways to die and, in the best of both worlds, all three. It’s succinct view tours through Hollywood’s changing landscape and horror’s renaissance, during which the horror genre returned to producing critically and commercially successful horror films, much as it did during the era known as the Golden Age of slashers, which peaked between 1978 and 1984. Candyman History comes full circle by analyzing the symbiotic relationship between the horror genre and the African-American experience, and how Spike Lee’s masterpiece, Do the Right Thing, became the bracing model for how the studio system packaged contemporary racial issues in a manner that startlingly respects the ability of viewers to think for themselves, leading to the birth of Bernard Rose’s Candyman (the two are inextricably linked) and its sequels. The Complete History of Candyman delves into the original trilogy that ran from 1992 to 1999, based on the short story The Forbidden by Clive Barker, that by turns utilized the embodiment of fearmongering seen in Do the Right Thing, but by turning it into a literal bogeyman in the deprived Cabrini-Green area of Chicago. It uses elements of social criticism and the great rot of social housing, while posing the question “Does God exist?”, all through the eyes of the film’s protagonist, which allows the viewers a bizarre tour de force of the harsh reality that results when stereotypes applied to black people are believed en masse. The Complete History of Candyman presents an in-depth investigation into the series, the author and the up-and-coming Jordan Peele reboot from brand new and archival interviews from scholars and creators, from the voices who survived the genre’s past trends to those shaping its future.

Candyman was released in 1992 and was written and directed by Bernard Rose. The film is based on the short story "The Forbidden" by Clive Barker and follows a Chicago graduate student who is completing a thesis on urban legends and folklore which leads her to the legend of the "Candyman", the ghost of an artist and son of a slave who was murdered in the late 19th century for his relationship with the daughter of a wealthy white man. Arguably one of the few good horror films of the early '90s, Candyman was well-received by critics, scoring a 76% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it was a box office success in relation to its budget. Carrying an $8-9 million price tag, the film ultimately grossed $25.8 million by the end of its run. Candyman was followed by two sequels, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh in 1995 and Candyman: Day of the Dead in 1999. Farewell to the Flesh was the only sequel to see a theatrical release and wasn't as well-received as its predecessor.

The new Candyman takes the events of the original 1992 movie and brings the legend into the 2020s. The story takes audiences back to Chicago's Cabrini Green neighborhood where the legend of Candyman is still very much alive. Visual artist Anthony McCoy, played by Yahya Abdul-Maten II, moves into a condo in Cabrini and finds himself becoming entangled in the legend. It soon becomes clear that Candyman is more than just a spooky tale and a strange relationship begins between the supernatural killer and McCoy. Nia DaCosta directs from a script penned by herself, Jordan Peele, and Win Rosenfeld, and the film also stars Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Vanessa A. Williams, Rebecca Spence, Cassie Kramer, and Tony Todd.

I love retrospective documentaries like this so I will definitely be checking this one out. There is no solid release date as of now but the plan is to release the doc this coming spring/summer. Are YOU interested in The Complete History of Candyman?