Who can take a sunrise and scatter it with … fear?
Everything looks good in the opening moments of “Candyman,” the current remake of the 1992 horror classic, which opens with the sweet sounds of Sammy Davis Jr.’s classic. “The Candy Man”.
But then the song – and the film itself – slowly becomes a spooky nightmare.
“We love doing things like that,” Candyman producer and co-writer Win Rosenfeld told The Post. Twisting an otherwise innocent pop song has become a signature of his producer, Monkeypaw, who directs with Jordan Peele. The team did the same kind of creepy remix of Luniz’s “I Got 5 On It” in the company’s hugely successful “Get Out” trailer.
The team’s new “Candyman” is a decidedly contemporary tale. Referred to by filmmakers as a “spiritual sequel” to the original – actor Tony Todd reprises the eponymous killer character – it features a diverse cast (including black protagonists and a gay couple) and addresses issues of class and gentrification in the Cabrini-Green real-life neighborhood of Chicago.
After the franchise’s most recent 1999 film, “Candyman: Day of the Dead,” bombed at the box office (it has a 10% new rating on Rotten Tomatoes), Peele revived the series, backed by its track record. of proven horror, including the box office hits “Get Out” and “Us.”
“We like to play with mythical and magical stories, but in a grounded way,” Rosenfeld said, noting that “Candyman” themes were ripe for him and Peele for mine.
Although the 1992 original was loosely based around the idea of gentrification around the Cabrini-Green area, Chicago’s most notorious housing project, since it was demolished, the new version (directed by Nia DaCosta, a native of New York) intimately explores the idea of transforming a Chicago neighborhood through the eyes of her troubled main character, Anthony McCoy, a visual artist who was previously a resident at the projects.
McCoy, played by Yahmy Abdul-Mateen II, star of the Emmy-winning “Watchmen” scene, is a soul in conflict. Now, living in an elegant loft built where Cabrini-Green’s projects were located, he unfortunately summons the killer Candyman while looking for artistic inspiration.
“Artists and culture creators are always the first wave of a changing neighborhood, as they can afford the less expensive rent, and then developers move in,” said McCoy-inspired Rosenfeld. “Our film embodies the idea of a black man from a low-income neighborhood who now lives with a rich woman with family money. Therefore, there can be a lot of complexity.
Rosenfeld, among his credits is also the production of the remake of Peele’s “Twilight Zone”, as well as the 2018 Oscar favorite “BlacKkKlansman”, noting that since 1992 only issues of gentrification have worsened in Chicago and other places. New York residents Rosenfeld, Peele, and fellow producer Ian Cooper met while studying at Manhattan’s Calhoun School and saw first-hand how a neighborhood can change.
“I think most movies oversimplify the idea of gentrification,” he told The Post Cooper, who grew up in SoHo and Red Hook.
Adding layers to complexity is the explosion of social justice movements over the past two years, a previous theme, as the film originally premiered in what would have been in the midst of George Floyd’s protests in June 2020, to the COVID. 19 pandemics delayed its release for more than a year.
“It simply came to our notice then [director] The performance of Nia DaCosta, which talks about the endless cycle of violence in the United States against black bodies, was reflected in reality, ”said Cooper. “I am just relieved that it is not published at a time of national inflammation. At least there has been a beat since then. “
This is how the modern “Candyman” compares to the 1992 original.
A change of perspective
1992: The protagonists are a white woman (Virginia Madsen) and her husband (Xander Berkeley).
2021: The film is told from the perspective of a black couple, played by Yahya Abdul Mateen II and Teyonah Parris.
Fear soundtrack
1992: The original film was rated exclusively by Philip Glass. “It was a really amazing, repetitive and circular soundtrack,” noted producer Ian Cooper.
2021: To match Glass’s uniqueness, the filmmakers recruited New York-based composer and sound artist Robert AA Lowe (aka Lichens) to create an equally inventive score. “It’s not that different from Glass, because filming is not the most important thing it does.”
Callback sharing
1992: Veteran actress Vanessa Williams co-stars in her second film role.
2021: 29 years later, Williams returns after a career that has seen him recently in recurring roles in “Days of Our Lives” and “The Word L: Generation Q.”
Local Windy City
1992: While the original film took place in Chicago, most of the production took place in Los Angeles.
2021: The film is as authentic of Chicago as a deep dish pizza. “We shot our whole movie there,” Cooper said.