On 25 March 2019, 88 Films released Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh in the UK on Blu-ray with the following special features:
- Limited edition o-card slipcase [first print run only]
- Limited edition collectors’ booklet by film journalists Dave Wain and Matty Budrewicz [first print run only]
- High definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
- Uncompressed LPCM stereo audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Audio Commentary by Director Bill Condon‘The Candyman Legacy’ – interview with actor Tony Todd‘
- Down Memory Lane’ – interview with actress Veronica Cartwright
- Original Theatrical Trailer
Here is our coverage of the movie itself:
‘Evil comes when you call his name’
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is a 1995 American supernatural horror film directed by Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 and 2; Gods and Monsters; Sister, Sister) from a screenplay written by Rand Ravich and Mark Kruger.
The movie is a sequel to the 1992 horror classic Candyman, an adaptation of the Clive Barker short story “The Forbidden”. The Propaganda Films production stars Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan, William O’Leary, Bill Nunn, Matt Clark and Veronica Cartwright.
Plot:
The father of New Orleans schoolteacher Annie Tarrant (Kelly Rowan) was murdered in a Candyman-like fashion some years prior.
When Professor Philip Purcell is murdered in a bathroom by Candyman after presenting the legend at a book signing and calling him forth, Annie’s brother is accused of the murder (since his furious public confrontation of Purcell over the subject) and one of her students starts to see the Candyman.
In order to disprove to herself that the Candyman exists, she says his name five times in front of a mirror, summoning him to New Orleans on the eve of Mardi Gras, where the killings begin in earnest…
Reviews:
“The deliberate pacing of the first movie is tossed out the window this second time around for a whole lot of jump scares and unnecessary (and sometimes remarkably ineffective) red herrings, and that’s a shame, but despite this Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is entertaining enough if more often than not fairly superficial. ” DVD Talk
“With lots of pointless (get it?) gore-strewn impaling capped by an unaffecting climax/flashback to Candyman’s tragic demise, everything feels a little thin this time around. Philip Glass’ haunting musical themes make a welcome return to the fold, but it’s hard to get too worked up about what amounts to a repeat performance. ” Horror 101 with Doctor AC
“Director Bill Condon has a sense of style but a heavy hand with actors–you can all but hear them telling themselves to hit their marks and punch out their lines. Still, Rowan is game, Todd again a figure of sinister dignity–this time the Candyman is allowed more pathos–and veteran Matt Clark shines in supporting role as a dabbler in the occult.” Los Angeles Times
” …it is constantly trying to create mood and atmosphere but does so at the expense of basic plausibility. Director Bill Condon throws in false shock jumps at every conceivable opportunity – birds landing, derelicts jumping out at the heroine, Mardi Gras dancers slamming against the window, people unexpectedly touching others on the shoulder or entering the room reflected in a mirror.” Moria
“Anyone noteworthy simply isn’t around long enough to make much of an impact, which allows Candyman 2 to follow the recipe of the slasher follow-up: a sprinkle of added mythology, a lot of familiarity, even more bloodshed, and a tease for another sequel. To this end, it’s a decent success, especially with Condon on board to infuse the proceedings with some style…” Oh, the Horror!
“The script is constructed too much like a novel, which slows the pace of the early, establishing sections. Director Bill Condon works too hard to tie all the plot strands into a neat bow. So, for much of the picture, the audience is way ahead of the screen characters in guessing what comes next.” Leonard Klardy, Variety
“Todd is still menacing and scary, the grue doesn’t hold much back, and New Orleans always makes for an appealing filmic backdrop. Rowan’s role is limited by its through-the-motions writing, and she doesn’t seem that traumatised by the pretty f*cking gory murder of her husband right in front of her.” Vegan Voorhees
“This flick is just a straight up mess. Like the Freddy and Michael Myers sequels, this installment gives way too much background on the Candyman and ruins the mystique of the character. All it does if further jumble up an already incoherent plot line. The worst part of the movie though is the constant false scares.” The Video Vacuum
Choice dialogue:
Octavia Tarrant: “He’ll make a great father. Of course, I’ll be fuel for the worms by then.”
The Candyman: “Come with me and sing my song of misery.”
Cast and characters:
- Tony Todd … The Candyman / Daniel Robitaille
- Kelly Rowan … Annie Tarrant
- Bill Nunn … Reverend Ellis
- William O’Leary … Ethan Tarrant
- Veronica Cartwright … Octavia Tarrant
- Matt Clark … Honore Thibideaux
- Randy Oglesby … Heyward Sullivan
- Joshua Gibran Mayweather … Matthew Ellis
- David Gianopoulos … Detective Ray Levesque
- Timothy Carhart … Paul McKeever
- Michael Bergeron … Coleman Tarrant
- Fay Hauser … Pam Carver
- Caroline Barclay … Caroline Sullivan
- Clotiel Bordeltier … Liz
- Michael Culkin … Phillip Purcell
- George Lemore … Drew
- Ralph Joseph … Mr Jeffries
- Margaret Howell … Clara
Technical credits:
93 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Audio: Dolby SR
Filming locations:
Principal filming took place from 16 August 1994 to 19 October 1994 in Los Angeles and New Orleans
