Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh

Director - Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I)

Starring - Tony Todd (Candyman, Night of the Living Dead), Kelly Rowan (The Gate, Hook), and Caroline Barclay (Species, American Gothic)

Release Date - 1995

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Evil comes when you call his name"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) 

Rating (out of 5):

     I spent a great deal of my time in Dewey's Video.  It was my local video store and it was my mecca.  I was there every couple of days and always on Friday to rent a few Sega Genesis games and a stack of VHS.  I fucking loved walking up and down the aisles searching for the movies that I would be taking home for the night or weekend.  When you entered his shop and took a hard right you walked passed his bead covered doorway to his adult films and into a room full of sci-fi and horror films.  I spent a lot of time in that corner of the store and remember how amazing the artwork was for most of the horror titles.  One that stuck out to me was the bee comb artwork for Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh.  It was so simple yet pulled me in.  I had watched the first film several times but never the second so I rented it that weekend with a few other genre titles.  I remember really loving the film and when I was in college I finally snagged my first copy of the film on DVD.  Honestly, I haven't watched it since college and while I was preparing for my review of Candyman: Day of the Dead I decided to revisit the trilogy.  I immediately spun Farewell to the Flesh after the first film.

     The film follows a teacher in New Orleans who is given word that her brother was arrested for murder.  Their father was murdered several years before and it has went unsolved.  Her brother is obsessed with the lore of Candyman and when his sister discovers that her brother suspects Candyman she uncovers the truth about her family heritage and their ties to the Candyman.  

     Farewell to the Flesh is not as good as the original film but it's still a fantastic follow up.  I love the cast, the location, the expansion of the backstory, and the deaths.  It's one of the few sequels that are almost as good as the original source and leaves a lot on the table for future installments.  I like the acting in this one more than the first installment.  Todd once again knocks it out of the park as Candyman but this time the female lead, Kelly Rowan, is a better female protagonist than Madsen was in the first film.  Her emotions are genuine and she is able to carry the film better as well.  I really enjoyed the character she portrayed.  The supporting cast is just as great with just as many memorable performances as the first.  The story for this one takes the move from Chicago to New Orleans to further explore the back story to Daniel Robitaille and how he was cursed to become Candyman.  It's a much bigger look into it and tying it to the characters in the film makes it have an even bigger impact.  Slavery and how the white slave owners treated freed blacks is still a major point of the story but it's not as weighted as it was in the previous film.  Finally, the film turns it up a notch with the deaths.  We get some deaths with a little more imagination and creative effects.  I really enjoyed them this go around and they do stand out while fitting in with the theme of Candyman.  The effects are great which really solidifies the character as a 90s slasher icon.  Overall, Farewell to the Flesh is a great follow up to an amazing film.  It's a prime example that not all 90s horror was bad.  I highly recommend this one especially if you plan on revisiting the first film.