Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999)

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Posted By: brian@brianschell.com April 12, 2023

Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone

This one was a step down from the previous two. It had a lower budget and was straight to DVD. There are some interesting things with the new setting and theme and more with Candyman’s paintings. But it seemed long. And we missed the music.

Synopsis

Adult Caroline wakes up and finds “Sweets to the Sweet” written in blood on her bathroom wall. She spots Candyman, who slashes her. Credits roll.

Caroline wakes up, obviously not dead, and looks at her drawings of Daniel Robitaille. She summarizes what we saw in the previous film for her friend Tamara. Tamara takes her over to the mirror and proves that the story isn’t true, but Caroline agrees that he isn’t real before Tamara can finish the ritual.

We cut to scenes of Los Angeles. Caroline buys some candy for the Day of the Dead, which is coming soon. She goes to an art gallery showing the complete works of Daniel Robitaille. Miguel AKA Mickey is doing a show highlighting him as a monster, but Caroline doesn’t approve. They are her property, after all. She gives in and lets him proceed. A couple of racist cops come in and harass Mickey.

Mickey tells the story to the assembled crowd, and we get another flashback, but this time with more nudity. He introduces Caroline as Daniel’s great-great-granddaughter. He challenges her to say his name five times in front of a mirror. Sigh. She does it, and a crazy man gives us a jump scare.

David comes in later, he was an actor who played crazy earlier at Mickey’s prompting. Caroline is not amused. She goes home through the skankiest subway station ever and hears the Candyman’s voice. Then the bees come, and she sees him. “You doubted me, and yet you called my name. I came for you. Believe in me.”

She then wakes up outside on a park bench outside Mickey’s house. We get another flashback with more nudity where we see what happened to Mickey and his date. Caroline finds the bodies, and “Believe” is painted on the wall.

The racist cops return to question Caroline about the death. It’s clear that they want to go after David, but she explains the act. He explains that the gallery has been broken into and all the paintings are gone.

She goes home and flips out; we get another flashback, this time of her mother’s suicide. She tells Tamara that Candyman killed Miguel and the others.

David complains that the cops are after him for murder, and Detective Kraft is out to get him. He says word on the street is that a gang broke in and stole the paintings; they may be the ones that killed Mickey. She says if they find the gang, that may clear David of the accusation.

The pair goes to see Tino, the guy who runs all the gangs, and she encounters Candyman in the restroom. They next go to see David’s daughter and grandmother, a spiritual healer. The old lady has Caroline say “Candyman” into an egg and then breaks the egg. She watches as the egg bleeds and a bee climbs out.

Caroline and David go home, and he tells them all about the Day of the Dead. She says that she’s the last of her family; “I’m all alone,” to which he replies, “No, you’re not.” Cue the Latin lover music… Until Candyman takes his place. “Accept your destiny. Be my victim!”

Caroline wakes up and tells Tamara everything, but Candyman makes short work of her. Detective Kraft eventually shows up and arrests Caroline for Tamara’s murder. Kraft’s partner laughs about the Candyman in the squad car, but he doesn’t laugh long, because you know who shows up.

Caroline runs back to David’s abuela’s place to wash the cop’s blood off. “Evil cannot exist without good. You must destroy the good, and evil will die. You must find the good. What is his good?” Caroline remembers the missing paintings. Tino calls her there about the missing paintings, so she goes right over there.

The guy who stole the paintings is terrified and eager to return them to her. He drops her off at another abandoned building, and she finds the paintings inside. It turns out there’s some kind of goth cult there who capture and tie her up. They call for the Candyman, and the bees show up, followed by him. The cultists are all soon dead, but he also takes the paintings away with him.

Meanwhile, Detective Kraft is suspended and throws a temper tantrum. Caroline goes to a place she knows where Candyman is said to have once killed someone, and the paintings are there. She also finds David hanging from a chain. “Your life for his,” offers the Candyman.

Caroline gives in and goes over to him. He kisses her, and the bees come out. She runs up the hill of skulls and, covered in bees, slashes his paintings. He screams and burns.

Caroline goes to David, who is going to be OK. Then Detective Kraft drunkenly staggers in. He threatens her, but the good cop shoots him in the back. She says that Kraft was the Candyman. They pin all the murders on him, destroying the myth.

Commentary

So apparently, Candyman was painting “Believe” on walls twenty years before Ted Lasso was even a thing.

Candyman is haunting Caroline. Other than that, there’s just no real story here, nothing that we haven’t already seen before.

Tony Todd has admitted he wasn’t pleased with the film. This straight-to-DVD movie was low-budget, rushed, and doesn’t even have the music that helped so much with the first two films.

It’s long and feels like a very wasted opportunity.