Candyman: Collector's Edition - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Candyman: Collector's Edition



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
The 90s was a veritable drought of GOOD horror films (although the landscape was littered with plenty of poor ones), but there were a few shining gems among all the rubble and drek that stand out as bonafide classics in the horror genre. After the days of Freddy, Jason, Michael Meyers and Leatherface the studios were looking at another big “killer” to take up the bloody weapon and start hacking and slashing their way to pure profits. We had some fun attempts such as the Wishmaster series, and horrible attempt with Brainscan, but in 1992 they cinematic gold with the release of Candyman, based off of one of Clive Barker’s novels. While it didn’t exactly light up the studio fires as much as one would hope (it got a mediocre/bad sequel 3 years later), the film has garnered quite the cult following on home video, and after spending several years with only the crummy sequel being released on Blu-ray by Scream Factory, they got around to pumping out a really incredible collector’s edition jam packed with goodies to enjoy. BUUUUT, they've also been on a kick lately with pulling out a lot of their collector's editions that they've released and upgrading them to 4K (Candyman, The Craft, Happy Death Day etc) and I've got to admit that they're killing it with some of these releases. This collector's edition includes both Blu-ray discs from the 2018 edition, but here's the kicker. They come from a brand new 4K encode, and instead of just replicating the older 2018 Blu-rays, they re-encoded the Blu-rays with the new 4K master as well, and they have also tweaked the audio mix to Atmos as well on both the Blu-ray and the 4K special edition.

I’m not so sure WHY people have this tendency to go into danger in horror movies. It’s kind of a joke in reality. Why would you go INTO the dark and scary room where the light switch doesn’t work instead of getting out of Dodge lickety split? The same thing goes for curses and recited spells that supposedly bring up a spirit being who will attempt to kill you. I guess it’s because people “don’t” believe that makes it so easy to do, but so harmful in the end if you’re watching a slasher. Much like the old fable of Bloody Mary (where you say her name three times into a mirror), Candyman revolves around reciting the name “Candyman” 5 times into a mirror, wherein the fabled Candyman will appear with a hook for a hand, and gut the reciter from stem to stern. Pleasant isn’t it?

Well, skeptical grad student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) isn’t exactly one to believe myths and fairy tales, but she and her student partner Bernadette (Kasi Lemmons) are basing their thesis off of folklore and legend, so their pursuits of the local legend “The Candyman” leads them to the south side projects to track down a lead. There they find evidence that the locals believe that this Candyman myth is responsible for several recent murders. Thinking at first that it’s a joke, Helen placates the frightened folks down there in the ghetto until she starts seeing visions of this Candyman (Tony Todd) visiting her.

To make matters worse, The Candyman whispers to her that she is his ultimate prize and his murders leave no trace to anyone but HER after they’re done. Locked up for being a potentially insane mass murderer, Helen is still plagued by the visions of the elusive Candyman, beckoning her back to his “shrine” in the building that started it all over 100 years ago.

Candyman works where others have failed due to the simple buildup of the story (and the actors themselves). It starts out innocently enough, with Helen being on the outside looking in, but as the story progresses Helen’s involvement becomes more and more rooted in the mythology that she’s researching. A hardcore skeptic is slowly won over as her entire world is turned upside down by the sinister Candyman and his nightmaric promises of hell on earth. With the entire world believing that she’s a serial killer (an insane one at that), she has little choice but to give herself entirely to the notion that maybe this really IS happening before her eyes.

Tony Todd has always been excellent as a villain, with his rasping voice and commanding features, but he outdoes himself here. Not with a hammy, over the top performance, but with one that is steady and metered. He isn’t prone to fits of rage, but rather methodical whispering with that unnerving smirk that just exudes his twisted confidence as he reels Helen in bit by bit. Virginia Madsen (I have no idea how someone as beautiful as her is related to mr. “chiseled in stone” Michael Madsen, but I digress) was a rising star at that point, and she does a commendable job playing the frightened and confused Helen. I won’t say that either performance is truly Oscar winning, but combined with Bernard Rose’s unique direction to the film, they both create a cult classic that was a fantastic piece of my childhood (making me stay up WAY too late at night hearing his voice in my bed).




Rating:

Rated R for violence and gore (Theatrical) / Not Rated by the MPAA (Unrated)




Video:

With a new 4K transfer I was really curious just how much of a benefit we would see from the uptick from a 2K master in the Blu-ray edition. Luckily for us, the upgrade is quite palpable and noticeable. The film is stil heavily grainy with a warm amber and green tones to it, but the fine detailing is exquisite. This remaster was supposedly taken from the original negative and supervised by Director Bernard Rose and his photographer, Anthony B. Richmond. The 4K UHD disc sports both cuts of the film via seamless branching (unlike the Blu-rays which each have their own disc), and this is quite lovely. The dark look balances nicely with the outdoor shots, and the black leves are just deep and inky as could be. Especially considering how much time is spent in the ramshackle old housing development with wood walls and dim lighting. Colors are never going to be super bright and punchy, it's not how the film was shot, but it most certainly showcases brilliant whites in outdoor scenes, and the white shirt of Maden's Helen pops nicely. The overall image still has those flecks and print speckles from the original film (so I'm guessing no restoring, simply a new 4K master), and it is slightly more tamed in the brightness department and looks a bit warmer in general. Overall, great looking 4K UHD upgrade and additional benefit of the 2 Blu-rays getting the same treatment is an added bonus









Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track from the old special edition has been replaced by a new Dolby Atmos track (found on both the Blu-ray and the 4K UHD discs, although the Blu-ray discs retain the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track as a legacy track) and they actually sound remarkably similar. These were near perfect mixes on the 2018 disc, with fantastic surround usage, great vocals, and some resounding bass. The real changes stem from some of the directional cues, which feel more agile and sounds seem to move around the stage a little lighter. However, there are some nice overhead usages with Tony Todd's booming voice, as well as some discrete effects with boards creaking overhead. This is largely the same mix in MANY ways, but the addition of the Atmos mixing allows for some nice fine tuning that has me giving it a full half star better than the old 5.1 mix. Dialog is crisp and clear, and the overall this is a KILLER (pun intended) audio mix and a royal treat considering how many older catalog titles just port over the older mixes and only pat attention to the video.







Extras:

Disc One 4K UHD

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE THEATRICAL CUT OF THE FILM, supervised and approved by Writer/Director Bernard Rose and Director of Photography Anthony B. Richmond by Arrow Video
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATIONS OF THE UNRATED AND THEATRICAL CUTS OF THE FILM, presented via seamless branching
• NEW DOLBY ATMOS TRACK
• NEW Interview With Actress Vanessa Williams
• Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Bernard Rose And Actor Tony Todd (Theatrical Cut)
• Audio Commentary With Authors/Film Historians Stephen Jones And Kim Newman (Theatrical Cut)
• Audio Commentary With Bernard Rose, Author Clive Barker, Producer Alan Poul And Actors Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen And Kasi Lemmons (Theatrical Cut)
• Audio Commentary With Bernard Rose, From The Movie Crypt Podcast Hosted By Filmmakers Adam Green And Joe Lynch (Theatrical Cut)
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature


Disc Two Blu-ray: Theatrical

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE THEATRICAL CUT OF THE FILM, supervised and approved by Writer/Director Bernard Rose and Director of Photography Anthony B. Richmond by Arrow Video
• NEW DOLBY ATMOS TRACK
• NEW Interview With Actress Vanessa Williams
• Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Bernard Rose And Actor Tony Todd
• Audio Commentary With Authors/Film Historians Stephen Jones And Kim Newman
• Audio Commentary With Bernard Rose, Author Clive Barker, Producer Alan Poul And Actors Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen And Kasi Lemmons
• Audio Commentary With Bernard Rose, From The Movie Crypt Podcast Hosted By Filmmakers Adam Green And Joe Lynch
• Sweets To The Sweet: The Candyman Mythos – Featuring Interviews With Bernard Rose, Producer Alan Poul, Executive Producer Clive Barker, Actors Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd And Kasi Lemmons
• Clive Barker: Raising Hell – An Interview With Author/Artist/Filmmaker Clive Barker
• The Heart Of Candyman – An Interview With Actor Tony Todd
• Bernard Rose's Storyboards
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Still Gallery
• Screenplay (BD-ROM)
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature


Disc Three Blu-ray: Unrated

• NEW 4K MASTER with HD inserts for the uncut footage from an archival print by Arrow Video
• NEW DOLBY ATMOS TRACK
• Be My Victim – An Interview With Tony Todd
• It Was Always You, Helen – An Interview With Actress Virginia Madsen
• Reflection In The Mirror – An Interview With Actress Kasi Lemmons
• A Kid In Candyman – An Interview With Actor DeJuan Guy
• The Writing On The Wall: The Production Design Of Candyman – An Interview With Production Designer Jane Ann Stewart
• Forbidden Flesh: The Makeup FX Of Candyman – Including Interviews With Special Makeup Effects Artists Bob Keen, Gary J. Tunnicliffe And Mark Coulier
• A Story To Tell: Clive Barker's The Forbidden – Writer Douglas E. Winter On Clive Barker's Seminal Books Of Blood And Candyman's Source Story, The Forbidden
• Urban Legend: Unwrapping Candyman – A Critical Analysis Of The Film With Writers Tananarive Due And Steven Barnes
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

Final Score: ​

This is actually a really impressive treat. Scream Factory has gone back and gotten a new approved 4K master for this 90s classic, put in a new Atmos mix, THEN re-encoded the Blu-rays as well, and put them them together with the same incredible extras as before plus a couple of minor additions. This is a true treat and well done 30th anniversary collector's edition. Honestly, even though I own the 2018 collector's edition, this one really does edge it out qutie nicely. Everything in 4K, great new audio and the only thing I can really complain about is the lack of chapter menus on the 4K disc. Great disc, must own for fans of the movie.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkley, Ted Raimi, Vanessa Wiliams, Kasi Lemmons
Directed by: Bernard Rose
Written by: Bernard Rose (Screenplay), Clive Barker (Based on the Novel "The Forbidden")
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dobly TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Scream Factory
Rated: R/NR
Runtime: 109 Minutes (theatrical) / 109 Minutes (unrated)
Blu-ray Release Date: May 24th 2022

Recommendation: Must Own for Horror Fans

 

[Todd Anderson]

Literally, the second I see the name "Tony Todd" I think "The Rock" and his sweat-filled anger as he says "We became mercenaries, and mercenaries GET PAID!"

So Mike, which is a better movie experience, this Candyman or the more recent version?

 

[Michael Scott]

I actually like the new Candyman. It's not as good as the original by a decent origin. But it's a solid remake. The Tony Todd went full forever remain king

 

[Todd Anderson]

Ok. I just checked and I don't own/haven't seen the recent Candyman. So, ordered it! If it flies right, I'll pick up this Scream Factory release (another one I haven't seen!)