Candyman 3: Day of the Dead

Last updated
Candyman 3: Day of the Dead
Candyman 3 Poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Directed byTuri Meyer
Written byAl Septien
Turi Meyer
Based onCharacters
by Clive Barker
Produced byAl Septien
William Stuart
Starring
CinematographyMichael G. Wojciechowski
Edited byFrederick Wardell
Music by Adam Gorgoni
Distributed by Artisan Entertainment
Release date
  • July 9, 1999 (1999-07-09)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million

Candyman 3: Day of the Dead (sometimes titled just Candyman: Day of the Dead) is a 1999 American supernatural horror film directed by Turi Meyer and starring Tony Todd and Donna D'Errico. It is the third installment in the Candyman series, [1] and a direct sequel to the 1995 film Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh . Its plot follows Caroline, the daughter of Annie Tarrant and a descendant of the Candyman, the powerful spirit of the murdered son of a slave who kills those who invoked him, who finds herself targeted by him on the eve of the Day of the Dead.

Contents

Unlike the first two installments, the film did not get a theatrical release and was instead released direct-to-video on July 9, 1999. It was followed by a fourth film in 2021, titled Candyman , a direct sequel to the original 1992 film set between the events of Farewell to the Flesh and Day of the Dead, which returns the storyline to Chicago, Illinois.

Plot

In 2020, twenty-five years after the events of the second film in 1995, a Candyman-themed gallery event hosted by artist Miguel Velasco in Los Angeles is attended by Caroline McKeever, daughter of Annie Tarrant and Paul McKeever from the second film and a direct descendant of the Candyman. Caroline summons the Candyman by saying his name five times in a mirror. Shortly afterwards, the Candyman kills Miguel and his lover Lena with his hooked hand.

Miguel's gallery is soon broken into by a local gang who steals the Candyman's paintings. Caroline talks with her roommate Tamara about the Candyman. It is revealed via flashback that the Candyman killed Caroline's dementia-ridden mother while she was taking a bath by slitting her throat with his hook. Annie summoned him and her death was believed to be suicide. A couple hours beforehand when last seeing her mother alive, Annie had told Caroline to 'destroy the myth'.

The murders are pinned on David de la Paz, a friend of Miguel's who soon gets acquainted with Caroline. After envisioning the Candyman and the ghost of her mother in a diner bathroom, she comes clean with David about her history. He takes her to see his grandmother, a psychic healer, who informs Caroline that she must destroy the good part of the Candyman in order to eliminate the evil. She shows Caroline visions that the good part of the Candyman lies within his paintings. Afterwards, the Candyman kidnaps David and keeps him stored in an unknown building swinging from hooks pierced into his back.

After the Candyman kills Caroline's roommate Tamara, Caroline is taken in for questioning. A seasoned police detective named L.V. Sacco is murdered by the Candyman while Caroline is in the car, which both brings her heat from the local authorities and earns her hate from Sacco's partner Lt. Det. Samuel Deacon Kraft, who had no intention of bringing her in alive. When Caroline goes to an abandoned building to retrieve the paintings from the gang who stole them from Miguel's gallery, she is captured by them and knocked out. She awakens tied to a chair and gagged. The gang summons the Candyman in the hopes of sacrificing Caroline but the Candyman kills the entire gang instead.

Caroline explores the building and finds David alive, but injured. The Candyman suddenly appears, and attempts to convince her to give her life to him. However, Caroline destroys a portrait of him with a hook, which causes a similar wound to appear on him. She slips and causes a candle to light the painting on fire, causing the Candyman to burst into flames. Caroline frees David, but is attacked by Det. Kraft, who tries to kill her with a hook. He is shot in the back of the head by Det. Jamal Matthews, who was following Kraft. Before he dies, Kraft gasps out "Candyman”. Caroline remembers her mother's advice to 'destroy the myth', and tells Matthews that Kraft was the Candyman this whole time.

After the news is released that Kraft was the Candyman, Caroline states, "There was no such thing as the Candyman" in front of a mirror to ensure he is dead. The Candyman's hook bursts through the mirror, but is then revealed to be just a nightmare. Caroline has a picnic with David and his daughter Cristina in front of Annie's grave as the Day of the Dead celebrations continue. She is finally happy, and is convinced the Candyman no longer exists.

Cast

Production

According to the audio commentary, filming took place in Boyle Heights, Eastside Los Angeles over a short period of 18 days, with an additional 2 to 3 days spent on second unit shots. This meant that the actors would only have a maximum of 2 takes before they had to move on to another scene. The budget was also closer to $1 million dollars instead of $3 million.

Production rehired Norman Gary to handle the bees, as he did on the previous two films. It was originally believed that rehiring him would be too expensive, however Norman’s desire to remain with the franchise caused him to reduce his fee. The graffiti on the subway walls was done by real graffiti artists. Crew members caught a group of them tagging in the area near production and offered each of them $100 to do the same type of artwork on their subway set. Composer Adam Gorgoni had intended to use themes from the previous two films, but was forced to create an entirely new score when the production was not given permission to use any music from Philip Glass.

After filming was completed, there was no more money for an opening credits sequence and the production company told the director to just play the credits over the opening dream sequence. Wanting something more cinematic, the cinematographer and director worked together to find extra equipment and leftover film rolls from principal photography. They blacked out the windows of a garage and, using Candyman's hook prop, filmed an opening credits sequence at no extra cost.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 7% approval rating based on 14 reviews, with an average score of 3.40/10. [2]

In 2008, Tony Todd admitted he considers Day of the Dead a poor entry in the Candyman series during one of Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors conventions. [3]

Sequel

Cancelled fourth film

In the 2004 interview for Fangoria , Tony Todd said that a fourth Candyman film is being prepared and is supposed to have a $25 million budget. Todd and Clive Barker discussed storyboarding ideas during the crew's meetings. The sequel was meant to be Winter-set, with action taking place in a New England woman's college. It was cancelled most likely because of the problems with "determining who owns the Candyman franchise". [4] [5]

Deon Taylor was linked to the project at one point, according to Todd. In the interview with Bloody Disgusting Todd elaborated:

"(...) I had an idea that they liked, initially. It was going to take place in New England during a snow storm, because I just had this image of Candyman in a blizzard. Because I'm from New England, and I knew the power of having that mythic character in a snowstorm being undeterred by the elements. We had gone so far as to establish him as a professor at a girls' college." [4]

Candyman (2021)

In September 2018, it was announced that Jordan Peele was in talks to produce a sequel through his Monkeypaw Productions [6] which Todd stated in a 2018 interview with Nightmare on Film Street, "I would rather have him do it with someone with intelligence who was going to be thoughtful and dig into the whole racial makeup of who the Candyman was and why he existed in the first place." [7] In November 2018, it was confirmed that Peele would produce the film with Universal and MGM and would partner with Win Rosenfeld to co-produce the film while Nia DaCosta signed on as director. [8] The film would take place back in the new gentrified Cabrini Green where the old housing projects development stood in Chicago once. The filming was due to commence in the spring of 2019. [9]

In January 2019, it was reported that Lakeith Stanfield would possibly star in the film as an older version of Anthony McCoy who took an interest on by seeking the legend of the Candyman which was similar to Helen Lyle's character that was played by Virginia Madsen. [10] [11] In February 2019, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was in talks to play McCoy. He was initially misreported as being in talks to portray the titular character. [12] In response to the news, Todd offered his blessings over Twitter by stating: "Cheers to the Candyman who was a wonderful character that I lived with for 25 years. He brought grace and glory and a beautiful boatload of friends and family. I am honored that the spirit of Daniel Robitaille and Cabrini Green rose again. Truth to power! Blessings to the cast and the crew". [13] However, it was ultimately announced that Todd would reprise his role. [14] The film was released on August 27, 2021, and set in 2019, one year before the events of Day of the Dead. [15] [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Todd</span> American actor (1954–2024)

Anthony TiranTodd was an American actor. He was best known for playing the titular character in the Candyman film series (1992–2021) and William Bludworth in the Final Destination franchise (2000–2025). For the former, he was nominated at the Critics' Choice and Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.

<i>Candyman</i> (1992 film) Film by Bernard Rose

Candyman is a 1992 American gothic supernatural black horror film, written and directed by Bernard Rose and starring Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Kasi Lemmons, and Vanessa E. Williams. Based on Clive Barker's short story "The Forbidden", the film follows a Chicago graduate student completing a thesis on urban legends and folklore, which leads her to the legend of the "Candyman", the ghost of an African-American 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.

Hellraiser is a British-American horror media franchise that consists of eleven films, as well as various comic books, and additional merchandise and media. Based on the novella The Hellbound Heart by English author Clive Barker, the franchise centers around the Cenobites which includes the primary antagonist named Pinhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Peele</span> American actor, comedian and filmmaker (born 1979)

Jordan Haworth Peele is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is known for his film and television work in the comedy and horror genres. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. Peele started his career in sketch comedy before transitioning to writing and directing psychological horror with comedic elements. In 2017, Peele was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

<i>Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh</i> 1995 film by Bill Condon

Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is a 1995 American supernatural horror film directed by Bill Condon and starring Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan, William O'Leary, Bill Nunn, Matt Clark and Veronica Cartwright. Written by Rand Ravich and Mark Kruger, it is a sequel to the 1992 film Candyman, which was an adaptation of Clive Barker's short story, "The Forbidden". Its plot follows a New Orleans schoolteacher who finds herself targeted by the Candyman, the powerful spirit of the murdered son of a slave who kills those who invoked him.

<i>Leprechaun</i> (film series) American horror comedy film series

Leprechaun is an American horror comedy film series consisting of eight films. Beginning with Leprechaun (1993), the series centers on a malevolent and murderous leprechaun who resorts to any means necessary to protect and reclaim his gold. Warwick Davis plays the title role in every film except for the 2014 film Leprechaun: Origins, and the 2018 film Leprechaun Returns, in which the character is respectively portrayed by Dylan Postl and Linden Porco.

<i>Final Destination 5</i> 2011 American supernatural horror film

Final Destination 5 is a 2011 American 3D supernatural horror film directed by Steven Quale and written by Eric Heisserer. It is the fifth installment in the Final Destination film series and a direct prequel to Final Destination (2000). Final Destination 5 stars Nicholas D'Agosto, Emma Bell, Miles Fisher, Arlen Escarpeta, David Koechner, and Tony Todd, and follows a young man who has a premonition and saves a group of people from death when a suspension bridge begins to collapse. However, they soon learn that they cannot escape Death's plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yahya Abdul-Mateen II</span> American actor

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Black Manta in the superhero films Aquaman (2018) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Bobby Seale in the Netflix historical legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), and Morpheus / Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections (2021). For his portrayal of Cal Abar / Doctor Manhattan in the HBO limited series Watchmen (2019), he won a Primetime Emmy Award. He also starred in episodes of The Handmaid's Tale (2018) and Black Mirror (2019).

<i>Halloween</i> (2018 film) Film by David Gordon Green

Halloween is a 2018 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green, and co-written by Green, Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride. It is the eleventh installment in the Halloween film series and a sequel to the 1978 film of the same name, while disregarding all previous sequels. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis who reprises her role as Laurie Strode. James Jude Courtney portrays Michael Myers, with Nick Castle returning to the role for a cameo. Halloween also stars Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Haluk Bilginer, and Virginia Gardner. Its plot follows a post-traumatic Laurie Strode who prepares to face an escaped Michael Myers in a final showdown on Halloween night, forty years after she survived his killing spree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monkeypaw Productions</span> American production company

Monkeypaw Productions is an American independent film and television production company founded by Jordan Peele in 2012. It is known for producing horror films, such as Get Out, Us, Candyman, Nope, and Wendell & Wild, as well as other films, such as Keanu and Monkey Man.

I Know What You Did Last Summer is an American horror media franchise owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and consisting of three slasher films and one television series based on the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan. The first installment was written by Kevin Williamson, directed by Jim Gillespie, and released in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candyman (character)</span> Fictional character in the Candyman film series

Daniel Robitaille, colloquially known as Candyman, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Candyman film series. The character originated in Clive Barker's 1985 short story "The Forbidden". In the film series, he is depicted as an African-American man who was brutally murdered for a forbidden 19th-century interracial love affair; he returns as an urban legend, and kills anyone who summons him by saying his name five times in front of a mirror. The character is played by Tony Todd in Candyman (1992), Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995), and Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999); Todd reprises the role in Candyman (2021), a sequel of the original 1992 film, with additional forms – souls brought into the Candyman "hive" – Sherman Fields, William Bell, Samuel Evans, George Stinney, James Byrd Jr., Gil Cartwright, and Anthony McCoy.

<i>Candyman</i> (film series) American horror film series

Candyman is an American supernatural horror film series originating from the 1985 short story "The Forbidden" from the collection Books of Blood by Clive Barker, about the legend of the "Candyman", the ghost of an artist and son of a slave who was murdered in the late 19th century. Its film adaptation, Candyman, directed by Bernard Rose in 1992, starred Tony Todd as the title character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nia DaCosta</span> American filmmaker (born 1989)

Nia DaCosta is an American filmmaker. She rose to prominence when she made her feature-length debut as a writer and director with the crime thriller film Little Woods (2018), winning the Nora Ephron Prize for Female Filmmakers at the Tribeca Film Festival.

<i>Candyman</i> (2021 film) Film by Nia DaCosta

Candyman is a 2021 supernatural horror film directed by Nia DaCosta, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. It is a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name and the fourth film in the Candyman film series, based on the short story "The Forbidden" by English author Clive Barker and set between the films Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Candyman 3: Day of the Dead (1999). The film stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and Colman Domingo. Vanessa Williams, Virginia Madsen, and Tony Todd reprise their roles from the original film.

<i>Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror</i> 2019 American documentary film

Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Xavier Burgin and based on the 2011 non-fiction book Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present by Robin R. Means Coleman. The film examines the evolution of the genre of black horror. It features interviews with Coleman, along with such figures as actors Keith David, Tony Todd, and Rachel True, director Jordan Peele, and author Tananarive Due.

Win Rosenfeld is an American screenwriter and producer, best known for his collaborations with Jordan Peele.

<i>Hellraiser</i> (2022 film) Film directed by David Bruckner

Hellraiser is a 2022 supernatural horror film directed by David Bruckner, with a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, from a screen story co-written with David S. Goyer. A reboot of the Hellraiser franchise, the eleventh installment overall, and the second adaptation of the 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker following the 1987 film, the film stars Odessa A'zion as a young woman recovering from addiction who ends up with a mechanical puzzle box that can summon the Cenobites, humanoid beings who thrive on pain being pleasure. Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Selina Lo, Zachary Hing, Kit Clarke, Goran Višnjić, and Hiam Abbass appear in supporting roles.

<i>Stream</i> (film) 2024 film by Michael Leavy

Stream is a 2024 American slasher film co-produced, co-written and directed by Michael Leavy, and starring Jeffrey Combs, Charles Edwin Powell, Tim Reid, Dee Wallace, Wesley Holloway, Sydney Malakeh, Jason Leavy, David Howard Thornton, Liana Pirraglia, Mark Haynes, Daniel Roebuck, Mark Holton, Felissa Rose, Danielle Harris, Tim Curry, and Tony Todd in his final film during his lifetime. It tells the story of a family vacationing at a small hotel as its apparent owner unleashes four masked killers on them while live-streaming the activities.

<i>Bitch Ass</i> 2022 American film

Bitch Ass is a 2022 American crime horror film directed by Bill Posley and starring Tony Todd. It is Posley’s feature directorial debut.

References

  1. ↑ Thompson 2012, p. 164.
  2. ↑ "Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Candyman 3: Day of the Dead (1999)". ScaryMinds. October 30, 2010. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Jenkins, Jason (June 24, 2021). "'Candyman IV': Tony Todd Revisits the Winter-Set Sequel That Was Never Made (Phantom Limbs)". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  5. ↑ Hodge, Mike (October 12, 2004). "AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ACCLAIMED ACTOR TONY TODD AKA CANDYMAN". Milenko 500. Archived from the original on 2004-10-26. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Jordan Peele in Talks to Remake Clive Barker's 'Candyman' [Exclusive] - Bloody Disgusting". bloody-disgusting.com. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  7. ↑ "[Exclusive Interview] Horror Icon Tony Todd Talks HELL FEST and Gives His Blessing To CANDYMAN Remake | Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews". Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews. 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  8. ↑ "Jordan Peele-Produced 'Candyman' Reboot Taps Director Nia DaCosta". Variety. 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  9. ↑ "Jordan Peele to co-write sequel to horror film 'Candyman'". EW.com. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  10. ↑ "Lakeith Stanfield Is Reportedly Being Eyed To Star In 'Candyman' Reboot From Jordan Peele And Nia DaCosta". shadowandact.com. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  11. ↑ Miss2Bees (2019-01-29). "Lakeith Stanfield May be Casted for 'Candyman' Reboot". The Source. Retrieved 2019-01-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Kroll, Justin. "Jordan Peele's 'Candyman' Finds Its Star (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  13. ↑ Squires, John (2019-02-27). "Tony Todd Gracefully Offers His Blessings to the New 'Candyman'". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  14. ↑ "Candyman: Tony Todd Reportedly Cast in the Reboot's Title Role". CBR. 2019-09-30. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  15. ↑ Hughes, William (12 September 2020). "Nia DaCosta's Candyman delayed until August 27, 2021". A.V. Club. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  16. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (September 11, 2020). "Nia DaCosta's 'Candyman' Release Delayed to 2021". Variety. Retrieved September 11, 2020.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.