Candyman 1992 vs  candyman 2021

Candy man will have you hooked.

With Jordan Peele dominating in the horror industry right now it’s only fair to shine a light on some of his work in the past few years. It’s clear that he’s been bringing a new viewpoint to the genre that was much needed. Especially when one of the most common tropes in horror is to kill off the first minority character you see.

Many claim Peele’s approach when taking on these movies has brought back a mainstream interest in political horror while also bringing in more representation and room for people of color to be heard.

Both the original Candyman (1992) and the new Candyman (2021) have very similar topics that they touch on, showing that this is nothing new for the genre. With focuses on gentrification, exploitation of black creators for monetary gain, mentions of police brutality and lynching all topics that affect people of color disproportionately more than white people.

Some other similarities between the two are that both main characters try getting to the bottom of the urban legend of candyman and how he came to be and how his story relates to the black experience.

However the biggest difference seen between these two movies is the way they approach the myth of candyman. The original focuses more on Helens views as a white woman studying mythology living in a building that was originally supposed to be the housing projects known as Cabrini-Green in Chicago.

Peele’s approach was from the point of view of candyman and his story spanning over generations with a focus on the different atrocities that have faced the black community. Seeing as now we can have a much more open conversation about these issues where there wasn’t as much of a reality when the first one was released.

This approach was obviously well received by many because not only did it aid in making the viewer take a second look on the demonization of people of color but it also added a fantastic new perspective into a classic horror film.

When it comes to remakes and sequels, many viewers go into it with a comparative view especially with such large gaps of time in between. By having a different point of view this somewhat eliminates expectation but also allows for the creator to have their own approach be seen and respected instead of held to a standard set by the original.

Advertisement