Candyman (M) PRESENTED IN 35MM FILM
Candyman (M, 1992) Presented in 35mm Film by The Revival House Perth
Graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) is researching urban legends for her thesis when she becomes fascinated by the myth of Candyman, a vengeful spirit said to appear when his name is spoken five times into a mirror, haunting the residents of Chicago's crime-ridden Cabrini-Green housing project. As Helen's investigation into the legend's origins draws her deeper into Cabrini-Green's troubled community, she uncovers the tragic history behind Candyman's creation—a story rooted in racial violence and injustice—only to find herself directly targeted by the supernatural killer (Tony Todd) himself. As the boundary between urban myth and genuine terror collapses, Helen becomes entangled in a horrifying conspiracy that threatens both her sanity and her life, forced to confront a vengeful spirit whose power draws directly from collective belief and historical trauma.
Director Bernard Rose crafts an intelligent, socially conscious horror film that uses supernatural terror to examine race, class, and urban decay in America. Tony Todd delivers a genuinely commanding, hypnotic performance as Candyman, his imposing physical presence and resonant voice creating one of horror cinema's most distinctive and tragic antagonists. Virginia Madsen brings intellectual curiosity and escalating vulnerability to Helen's investigation, grounding the film's supernatural elements in genuine psychological horror. Rose's unflinching depiction of Cabrini-Green's real social conditions, combined with Philip Glass's haunting, elegiac score, elevates the film beyond conventional slasher horror into something more thematically ambitious, examining how urban legends emerge from genuine historical injustice and collective trauma, resulting in a horror classic widely regarded as one of the genre's most intellectually substantial achievements.
Original format and audio experience of this film faithfully reproduced by The Revival House. Presented in 35mm film unless noted otherwise.
When: Saturday, October 31st at 3:45PM
Where: The Revival House at the Como Theatre
Rating: M (Medium level violence)
Rose's intelligent horror classic examines race and urban trauma through supernatural terror—experience Todd's commanding performance on 35mm film.