Audiences are in the middle of a legitimate horror renaissance. Original films of the genre are doing well (especially considering the pandemic) as are sequels like the recent The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
Where the genre is really shining, though, is its current handling of the long-delayed-sequel. From David Gordon Green's continuation of Michael Myers' story to producer Jordan Peele's Candyman reboot/sequel, it turns out lightning can be captured in a bottle more than once. However, just because Nia DaCosta's film is good on its own doesn't mean viewers shouldn't check out variously related works first.
Halloween (2018) – Stream On FUBO
David Gordon Green's Halloween is precisely how a long-delayed sequel should be done. Like Candyman, Halloween took what worked about the original and showed reverence as opposed to lazily copying story beats.
Instead, Halloween managed to meticulously recapture the orange-leafed, cloudy-skied look of John Carpenter's impeccable 1978 original. Candyman, too, went a ways towards replicating the look of the original film. Halloween's realistic expansion (and revision) of the character Laurie Strode is also something Candyman pulled off.
Us (2019) – Rent On Apple TV, Amazon, Vudu, & Google Play
Jordan Peele's second film, Get Out holds an 86%.
Peele's directorial followup to Get Out may fall (just) short in many viewers' eyes (not to mention how Get Out was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture), but it also showed the genius was incapable of having a sophomore slump. With a riveting performance by Lupita Nyong'o, Us also shares Candyman's level of impressive acting performance.
Night Of The Living Dead (1968) – Stream On Paramount+
If there's a cinematic pioneer of race relations horror, it's Romero's Night of the Living Dead. The poignancy of the film's ending is brought up in college courses to this day as there's ambiguity in the death of Ben.
Did the group of "hunters" know he wasn't zombified? Was it a mistake? The shooter's rifle has no added scope, so the theory has potential. However, having a definitive answer to the question would be defying the point. Candyman's script (especially the 2021 version) is a little less hesitant to make straightforward statements on the matter, but that's the difference 53 years and heightened social consciousness brings to the table.
Get Out (2017) – Rent On Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, & Vudu
Get Out's impact on horror cannot be understated. It's as if the film showed studios that, yes, horror films can be both important and lucrative.
Success breeds change, and there's a debate to be made that Get Out pushed Hollywood towards becoming a more inclusive culture. Black filmmakers and artists are stepping towards the center of the spotlight. Asian filmmakers and artists, the same and the list goes on. Perhaps Nia DaCosta's Candyman is something that could only exist because of producer Peele's directorial debut.
The Burning (1981) – Stream On Shudder
Released just one year after Friday the 13th, The Burning shares more than a few similarities to Sean S. Cunningham's grisly hit.
First off, both films share a legendary horror makeup artist: Tom Savini (who ed on doing the effects for Friday the 13th Part II in favor of this, according to IMDb trivia). Secondly, and also like Candyman, it's a tale of bloody revenge. Here, the vengeful villain is Cropsey, the camp caretaker burned by some teens' terrible prank.
Nightbreed (1990) – Stream On Tubi, Peacock, Amazon, & Vudu
Based on Clive Barker's novella Cabal, Nightbreed was one of three movies Barker himself directed. It's a sinister, twisted tale about society's outcasts and what defines them. Terrific and underseen, it makes the viewer wish Barker had directed more adaptations of his work.
To get into the mind of Clive Barker, this is probably the most direct route save for one particular film from just three years before. It is, however, very far from mainstream cinema territory. It also had a botched, truncated cut released into theatres. There is a substantial difference between the VHS copies of Nightbreed from years ago and the Director's Cut ScreamFactory Blu-Ray release available today.
Hellraiser (1987) – Stream on Shudder & Tubi
Filled with some of the most beautifully horrific imagery ever seen in cinema, the original Hellraiser is Clive Barker's masterpiece. What's in this film (and series) is a little less mainstream than what's in Candyman, but it's a wavelength worth meeting. Hellraiser is an author (and director) giving his audience a road map to what makes him tick.
If viewing Hellraiser before Candyman, try to take in its sequel as well. Hellraiser and Hellbound are basically two parts of one movie. Both focus on the characters of Julia and Kirsty Cotton (as well as the evil Frank) and Hellbound feels like a natural wrapup for both of their arcs.
The People Under The Stairs (1991) – Rent On Amazon, Youtube, Vudu, & Google Play
Wes Craven's bizarre haunted house picture, the creepiest killers in a Wes Craven film.
The People Under the Stairs is also ridiculously prescient (and in this lies its connection to Candyman). It's a horror movie about gentrification, and it came out in 1991 (a year before Candyman walked across similarly political terrain). The fact that it makes legitimate, empathetic points in regards to race relations helps make Jordan Peele's The People Under the Stairs remake incredibly enticing if only to see how he runs with the concept.
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) – Stream On HBO Max
Candyman (both the original and the 2021 sequel) hold a certain hazy, dreamlike tone throughout. This extends from the films' looks to their subject matter (with both narratives asking "Just who or what is the Candyman?"). Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street is almost certainly the best example of this dreamlike (no pun intended) quality.
Furthermore, both villains may appear human, but if closely analyzed they are far from possessing humanity in more ways than one. There's also the fact that both films feature a nursery rhyme-type score that provides a creepy light blanket to cover viewers before the carnage rips it off them.
Candyman (1992) – Rent On Apple TV
The viewer doesn't need to see Candyman (1992) to fully appreciate Candyman (2021), but it does help in of fleshing out the world.
Nia DaCosta's sequel fills the audience in on the narrative of Bernard Rose's original. However, seeing Helen Lyle's tale play out in full is beneficial to the viewer's understanding of the sequel's protagonist: Anthony McCoy. Not to mention, the original features Tony Todd in his best movie role as the titular killer.
