Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

"Farewell to the Flesh" leaves the impression of a remake more than a sequel. Though technically well-written and filmed, it lacks most of the qualities that make the first film a masterpiece of the genre. It lacks originality, it lacks tension, it lacks all-pervading eeriness with which the first film so masterly ruled. Although the story is good, the film leaves a pale impression and is more of a mediocre thriller than a horror movie. The only things that are really worth in this movie are the flashbacks on Candyman's origins and performance of Tony Todd, for which I need to raise my rating from objective (I think) six out of ten to7/10

Pretty standard sequel, with the story being originated by Clive Barker. The urban myth of the "Candyman" is re-awakened when descendants from the tortured slaves bloodline attempt to find out the truth and ultimately destroy the legend forever. Some pretty nifty effects are all that are really here, as the weak succession of false shocks and the slow beginning only detract from the picture. The script too is weak, with its complexities of Candymans origins not solidly explained. It tries to achieve the epic and urban mythic qualities of the original but ends up as a formula horror pic, although Tony Todd has prescence as Candyman, and Kelly Rowan is a likable protagonist.The special effects are ghastily realistic, the production design and production values flawless, vivid characterization, and the acting again award-caliber, with special mention going to Kelly Rowan and Timothy Carhight as the main 'protagonist' couple, the little girl who brilliantly plays their lovable young daughter, and of course the always excellent Tony Todd, who turns in great performances even in weak movies and absolutely shines in something like this. "Farewell To The Flesh" also features some of the most memorable visual imagery around, including the unsettlingly surreal sight of the Candyman in the middle of a vast Mardi Gras celebration, slowly stalking down center street amongst the costumed festivities unnoticed (or possibly Unseen?)Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Candyman is legendary nowadays, a nineties horror film that not only featured a terrifying killer, but also brought attention to life in the Projects, a very real ordeal outside the silver screen.What's wrong with its sequel? Well, I will give it some credit; it has the same classic look and style of the first film, decent actors and even features some of the originals viewers have come to love. However, Candyman 2 is stripped of nearly everything that made the first one memorable.Professor Purcell, formerly a pretentious blowhard who belittles everyone in sight, is now a depressed wreck who gives people cheap thrills for a living and visits the bar frequently. I ended up feeling sorry for the guy, honestly. Why? I wanted to punch him in the face while watching the first film! He was very effective, one of those characters you love to hate, and in the sequel, he's just a victim to be knocked off right away. Where's Helen Lyle, the woman who went for the truth until it took away her soul? Where's Chicago's infamous Cabrini-Green, the eerie housing project with a dark history? Why did they shift the story away from a perfectly good setting, only to drop it in New Orleans for no apparent reason? The first Candyman was daring, innovative for its time, a cult classic and an almost poetic slasher film. The sequel is mostly jump scares, excessive gore, unmemorable characters and a plot that doesn't entirely make sense.Candyman 2 isn't terrible, it's just hollow, dull.

Candyman sets his sight on New Orleans and goes after a school teacher (Kelly Rowan) It turns out that Annie's father was murdered by The Candyman, but nobody believed it. This sequel P*************ed me off! I love the original and consider it to be one of the scariest horror movies of all time. They took a giant dump all over Candyman's legacy just to make more money. There is some OK suspense at times, but I didn't give a damn about any of it. New direction was needed and once again, they didn't have the balls to go in a creative direction. There were two things they could have done with this sequel. They could have done a complete prequel, showing Candyman's origins. We get snippets of it in this movie and the first, but a full prequel could have been really interesting. They show Candyman's death as a human in flashbacks and it had no effect on me. It was emotionless and boring. To be even more audacious, Helen could have taken over Candyman's role and supplanted Tony Todd, leaving Candyman as a side character. The first movie was in a similar place as Halloween IV. They took the safe route in Halloween V, and they did the same with this movie. I wanted to see Virginia Madsen return and unleash hell. Her and Candyman could even reluctantly team up! They obviously saw dollar signs and gave us this predictable BS. The New Orleans setting had major potential and it's not fulfilled. Even the deaths are boring. If you like very bloody stabbings with a hook, this movie's for you. I get so tired of the "incompetent cops" storyline and it's become one of the most annoying horror clichés. The evidence is clearly there that something unusual is happening!!! The acting is OK. Tony Todd is fine, but he's on-screen way too much. He was so effective in the first, because his screen time is limited. He was a creepy person, but here he's on way too much. He also had way too much dialog. It isn't Tony's fault though. Kelly Rowan gives an inconsistent performance to say the least. Sometimes she's on, others she's off. She wasn't convincing enough for my liking. Bill Nunn looks like he doesn't wanna be there. He phones it in and collects that check. There is a clever tease in the ending, but the ending was horrible for the most part. When Tony Todd says he dislikes the sequels, you know there is something wrong. This is a boring sequel that should have never been made. I have yet to see Candyman III, but I'm dreading it. This one had so much potential, but it's nothing more than mediocre. 4/10