Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh Bluray Review

Back in the fall of 1992, the world was introduced to a new horror movie by the name of Candyman. Based upon the wonderful Clive Barker short story “The Forbidden”, Candyman has become a true classic among the horror elite thanks to Bernard Rose’s inspired directing, great performances from its main leads, the atmospheric score by composer Philip Glass, and most importantly it created one of the greatest screen villains of our time. The film went on to become a critical and financial success and it was obvious that fans wanted more.

After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to get a sequel off the ground (one in which the first film’s director wrote a script for) Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh began filming this time under the direction of new comer Bill Condon in the late summer of 1994 with a script written by screenwriters Mark Kruger and Rand Ravich who moved the story from the mean streets of Chicago’s Cabrini Green apartment projects to the more colorful and festive city of New Orleans during the Mardi Gras weekend. Filming wrapped sometime in the fall the same year. It was shot mostly on location in and around New Orleans but reshoots were shot in a studio in Los Angeles.

The film was finally released the following year on March 17, 1995 to mixed reviews and so-so box office totals. In fact a lot of people didn’t really care for the Candyman after watching the new film. But I happily disagree with these people. I think Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is a damn good sequel and I’m proud to say it. Luckily, the good people at Scream Factory felt the same way and have recently released the sequel onto the bluray format with some cool new special features.

!SPOILERS!

Just to get this out of the way Farewell to the Flesh is nowhere near the classic the first film is, but that’s doesn’t mean it’s not an enjoyable movie in its own right. There’s a lot to like here especially the performances from the main leads. Kelly Rowan creates a believable heroine with her portrayal as Anne Tarrant. She gives the character a haunted quality that made me click with the character on a emotional level. Veronica Cartwright dove into her role as Octavia Tarrant with a over the top glee that created some of the more funnier parts in the movie. And Tony Todd once again proved that he was meant to play the Candyman delivering a performance that was both ferrous and tragic. We get to see a softer side to the monster which was something I really enjoyed. He’s more Frankenstein in this film rather than urban nightmare from the original. You really sympathized with the character this time around and I didn’t mind that at all.

Another reason I think Farewell to the Flesh works so well is because it adds to the mythology of the Candyman and I really loved the scenes where the audience is taken back to see what happened to him in the past. Seeing what happened to Daniel Robitaille and how he was turned into the Candyman was quite moving. In fact (and I’m not ashamed)I actually shed some tears during these scenes.

These moments were brought out even more powerfully by returning composer Philip Glass’s score. Most of the score is recycled cues from the first film but he did create a wonderful new piece for Anne that was really effective. The movie had a more somber tone than the first film and the music, even though most of it was the same, somehow felt new being that it was set in a different city. But I really would’ve liked a totally new score for the film. But the music did its job just fine and I still think it’s one of the best scores ever.

I also dug the new costume they gave him in the sequel. I never was much of a fan of the coat from the first film, but costume designer Brcue Finlayson really nailed it with a more Gothic look that made the character fit into the New Orleans surroundings perfectly. It made him more ghostly this time around than he was in the first film.

But there were some things that really annoyed me about the film and it mostly had to do with the film not being scary enough. In fact I don’t think there was one genuine scare to be had through the entire film. Even when I saw it in the theater I never felt on the edge of my seat. I think the main reason for this was because we get to see Candyman way to much, but there was really no avoiding this because I’m sure this is what the audience wanted.

The bluray presentation of Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is pretty solid. The image looked very nice on my big screen tv. The flashback scenes at the end looked very good. Overall I was happy with the video transfer Scream Factory provided.

The audio which is presented in both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track as well as a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. I had to watch it on the 2.0 track but it sounded nice and loud coming from all my speakers. The ending at the Slave Quarters really had my room thumping.

As far as the extra features go Scream Factory has provided fans with a nice and lengthy interview with Candyman himself Tony Todd. He goes into great detail about how he got the role and that it was the only role where he didn’t have to audition for it. One funny story he shared was about how the bees used in the films had their own trailer! And some of the bees even had names. Great stuff.

There’s also another interview with actress Veronica Cartwright which is also very entertaining. She talked about how really enjoyed working with Kelly Rowan and director Bill Condon, which is why she took the job. There’s some other cool bits of info as well but I don’t want to give everything away.

The disc also offers the original Theatrical Trailer.

Like I said before the film isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination but for a sequel its stands up next to the original just fine. Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh scores a thumbs up from me.

You can purchase the Bluray of Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh through Scream Factory’s official site:

https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-horror/candyman-farewell-to-the-flesh