Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (R)
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This is the first sequel to Candyman. It was released in 1995, but I didn't see it until 2025. I watched it on Mardi Gras, because the movie takes place on the days leading up to that event. Throughout the film, we occasionally hear a voice on the radio or whatever, someone called Kingfish talking about Mardi Gras, or Carnival, which he says translates as "farewell to the flesh", hence the movie's title. He also talks a bit about Candyman, though I don't think he believes Candyman is real. Anyway, the movie did not do well with critics, and honestly, for much of the movie I was thinking I might rate it "meh" and some fraction, but ultimately I thought it was just barely okay enough to rate it with one smiley, or "kinda liked".

Three years after the events of the first movie, Professor Philip Purcell (who was in the first movie) is in New Orleans on a tour promoting his new book about Candyman, aka Daniel Robitaille. He says he doesn't believe in Candyman, and when an audience member challenges him, he looks at the mirror-like cover of his book and says "Candyman" five times, which is how one is supposed to summon him. Nothing happens right away, but later a man named Ethan Tarrant confronts him, accusing him of being responsible for his father's death. A little while after that, Candyman appears and kills Purcell, and Ethan is arrested for his murder. Ethan's sister, Annie, a teacher, believes Ethan is innocent, despite Ethan confessing to the crime. One day, her students are talking about Candyman, and she looks in a mirror and says his name five times, to reassure them that he's not real. Later, Candyman shows up and kills her husband. Annie also has a dream about Candyman killing her mother. Candyman repeatedly appears to Annie and says cryptic, disturbing things to her, and wants her to join him. Also, one of Annie's students goes missing, and she gets some help from his father. And throughout the film, we learn more about Candyman's past, when he was alive. Annie learns that it might be possible to stop him, by finding a mirror that belonged to Robitaille's lover, and smashing it. And... lots of other stuff happens that I don't want to go into. But I will say that after watching this movie, I don't see how Candyman could ever come back again. But there's a sequel I should watch some day, so maybe that will explain how he does.

Well... I'd say some parts of the movie were kind of interesting, if a bit contrived. Candyman himself appears a lot more in this movie than he did in the first one, and I guess he's scary enough. At least, it's one of those movies that may not necessarily scare me, but that make me believe in the fear of the characters. And I don't know what else to say.

Followed by "Candyman 3: Day of the Dead"