Eventually, it all came to Bill Condon to direct. It was written by Rand Ravich and Mark Kruger. Honestly, this wasn't a loss to the film but a strength.
Farewell to the Flesh relocates the story of the Candyman to New Orleans. This allowed the film to differentiate itself from the first film and not just rehash it. It also brought a very different take as we leave Chicago for southern gothic territory. That is definitely one of the things that I love so much. It's steeped deeply in southern gothic atmosphere. Which makes this such a perfect film for that Halloween time watch.
We are taken on a journey of Annie (Kelly Rowan) as she finds herself pulled into the story of the Candyman by her brother (William O'Leary), Ethan. Ethan had been out the night before and what a wild night it was. He drank and then accosted Phillip Purcell (Michael Culkin), who returns from the first film - the dinner scene with Helen and Trevor. Then Ethan found himself arrested after Phillip was found murdered.
However, this family is far deeper down the rabbit hole than they realize. It's safe to say that eventually it's uncovered that this family are related to Daniel Robitaille (Tony Todd) and his love, Caroline. This dark secret ended up costing their father his life.
This film is a bit of a rollercoaster. It follows somewhat of a slasher pattern, moreso than the first film. The gore in this film has been amped up compared to the first. However, some may see this as a bad film. I can understand why that is so. For me, this is kind of a comfort movie for me. Growing up, I got to watch horror films at early age. Well, out of all the Candyman films - this was the one I watched so much.
Upon revisiting the film this time, I found myself still enraptured by the story. It's solid. And a very large part of that is the cast.Tony Todd delivers another great performance. This time, he definitely had more to work with. We are able to dive deeper into Robitaille's tragic story. Even so far as witnessing those events. Kelly Rowan is great as Annie. She is very likeable in this role. Especially as the layers peel back and she finally discovers who her family is.
There are some people that have said that this feels like a rehash of the first film. I will have to disagree on that. Yes, Annie's circumstances and luck in this film lead her to follow a parallel trajectory as Helen did in the first film. The fact that there is that family connection to Candyman. That helps a lot to set it a apart. And honestly it doesn't feel as awkward as the daughter reveal did in Freddy's Dead. The change in location also helps reflect what kind of film this is. Old southern gothic tale compared to the first film's urban legend feel.
In the end, I do recommend this film. It adds another layer to the lore of this franchise. It respects the Candyman character itself. A quick cash grab this is not. If you want a good followup to the first film, you honestly can't go wrong with this one. However, stay away from the third film.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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