Tony Todd has played iconic horror villain Candyman in three films to date, with a spiritual sequel on the way in 2020, and here's how they stack up. While having a compelling villain can be important to just about any film, in horror, sometimes the villain themselves becomes the cornerstone on which a franchise is built. However, there's one thing most popular horror villains have in common: they're white. Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Dracula, Pinhead, and many more, are all of the Caucasian persuasion.
There really aren't too many prominent horror villains of color out there, and even fewer who managed to spawn a franchise. While the current trend toward more diversity and inclusion in Hollywood films hopefully bodes well for creating more horror boogeymen and women of color, arguably at the top of the current list is Candyman, played by the tall, deep-voiced Tony Todd. Candyman being black isn't just incidental to the character either, as racism and America's dark past with slavery play key parts in Candyman's origin story.
With director Nia DaCosta and producer Jordan Peele currently prepping a new Candyman movie for next year, it seems like a good time to look back at the character's prior outings. Without any further ado, here's all the Candyman movies to date, ranked from worst to best.
3. Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999)
While not all horror franchises get worse as they go along, in the case of Candyman, that premise holds true. Candyman: Day of the Dead is easily the worst movie in the series, and a lot of that can be laid at the feet of underwhelming protagonist Caroline McKeever (Donna D'Errico). A former Baywatch star and model, D'Errico isn't exactly Meryl Streep in the acting department, and is a far cry from Virginia Madsen's Helen Lyle. Then again, the script itself just isn't very interesting, and the production values are low rent. Todd is entertaining to watch as always, but even his efforts can't save the film.
2. Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
Thankfully, Candyman's first sequel was a much more worthy follow-up. Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh depicts the Candyman's origin story visually in harrowing fashion, and sees the living urban legend stalking his distant descendant Annie Tarrant (Kelly Rowan) in New Orleans. While not in the league of the classic original film, Farewell to the Flesh should still satisfy fans looking to see more of Todd's Candyman in action, and features lots of gory kills and tense scare sequences.
1. Candyman (1992)
Unsurprisingly, director Bernard Rose's original Candyman film tops this ranking, as any longtime franchise fan knew it would. Based on a short story by Clive Barker, Candyman introduced the movie world to the titular icon, played with a mix of imposing menace and mesmerizing charm by Tony Todd in what might be the signature performance of the actor's long career. Todd is capably backed up by Virginia Madsen as Helen Lyle, who becomes the object of Candyman's desire after she makes the mistake of not believing in his legend. Just as much a dark romance as a slasher film, Candyman remains an excellent watch today, nearly three decades after its release.
