CANDYMAN (1992)
Collector's Edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: Region-Free, A
Rating: R (Theatrical) & Unrated (Unrated)
Duration: 99 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround & 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p UHD Widescreen (1.85:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Bernard Rose
Cast: Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Kasi Lemmons
Scream Factory have upgraded their excellent 2-disc Collector's Edition of 90's horror classic Candyman (1992) with an even more excellent 3-disc Collector's Edition that offers both cuts with a new 4K transfer from the original negative, supervised and approve by writer/director Bernard Rose and director of photography Anthony B. Richmond with a fresh Dolby Vision HDR10 color-grading, plus all the archival extras from their 2-disc release and a new interview exclusive to this 4K UHD.
Candyman, based on a short story by Clive Barker, was a film that came in the early part of the 90s, a time when I was in my teens and when I foolishly thought I'd seen it all back in the 80's. I thought nothing could ever legit frighten me again, or so I though - but I was very wrong. I saw this in the cinema and was a little embarrassed that it got under my skin the way it did, I seriously had hook-hand nightmares for days afterward of Todd's Candyman eviscerating me from the groin up with that damn hook. I'd played Bloody Mary when I was younger, but the thought of standing in front of a mirror and saying Candyman in a dark room was not something I would not have done anytime soon after seeing this one, no siree. In it we have a skeptical graduate student named Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen, Sideways) who while while researching superstitions in the Cabrini-Green housing project on Chicago’s Near North Side learns of the urban legend of The Candyman; a malevolent slave-spirit with a hooked-hand that is said to haunt the area. Tony Todd (Night of the Living Dead '90) stars as the Candyman, who is absolutely commanding as the hook-handed urban legend, with his hypnotic, velvety, and otherworldly baritone voice with an undeniable presence that draw you in. As Helen is pulled into the realm of the Candyman her world is turned upside down, and she is blamed for a series of gruesome killings in the area. Even now the film is a powerful watch, Bernard Rose's movie is quite well-c rafted, and the score from Philip Glass is still both deeply moving and skin-crawlingly eerie. This is a stone cold horror classic any which way you look at it, an done of the finest horrors of not just the 90's. but of all-time.
Audio/Video: Candyman arrives on 4K UHD from Scream Factory with a new 4K scan of the theatrical cut, the unrated cut features the same scan with HD inserts the extra material, which look quite nice, but it pales in comparison to the UHD material. This looks terrific with lush grain levels, deep blacks and nicely saturated colors that offer a bit more warmth over the Blu-ray thanks to the HDR infusion of color. It's a dark movie color wise, there is not a ton of color highlights in the gritty urban landscape, but there are some color-pop highlights like that of Helen's blue sweater, the graffiti covered walls and deep-red blood look fantastic, as does fine detail in facial close-ups and clothing. Contrast, depth and clarity are improved as well with the more nuanced HDR color-grading and layering. This is a very pleasing UHD upgrade from start to finish, zero complaints.
Audio comes by way of a brand new Dolby Atmos mix, not just on the UHD but on the Blu-ray discs as well, which I appreciated. We also get the English DTS-HD MA 5.1 & 20 with Optional English Subtitles that accompanied Scream Factory's previous 2-disc Blu-ray. The Atmos is deeper and more robust, with the sublime Phillip Glass score benefitting the most, but the eerie sound design and Tony Todd's otherworldly velvet-voiced intonation sounding phenomenal - it gave me goosebumps.
Onto the bountiful extras, we get all the extras from the previous 2-disc edition, plus a brand new 15-min Looking Back in the Mirror – an interview with actress Vanessa Williams. A lot of these UHD upgrades offer nothing new outside of improved A/V, which is great, but to see Scream Factory give us a new interview is really appreciated. It it Williams discusses her early career leading up to Candyman, and her thoughts on the latest Candyman entry,
Archival extras include three audio commentaries on the Theatrical cut, first up is writer/director Bernard Rose and actor Tony Todd; a second Audio commentary with authors/film historians Stephen Jones and Kim Newman, a third with Bernard Rose, author Clive Barker, producer Alan Poul and actors Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen and Kasi Lemmons, and a fourth with Bernard Rose, from The Movie Crypt Podcast hosted by filmmakers Adam Green and Joe Lynch. Additionally we get over 2-hours of archival interviews with director, Bernard Rose, producer Alan Poul, executive producer Clive Barker, actors Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd , Kasi Lemmons, DeJuan Guy, production designer Jane Ann Stewart, special makeup effects artists Bob Keen, Gary J. Tunnicliffe and Mark Coulier, writer Douglas E. Winter, and writers Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes. Archival extras are buttoned up with Bernard Rose's Storyboards, Theatrical Trailer, TV Spots, Still Gallery and a BD-Rom Screenplay.
Onto the bountiful extras, we get all the extras from the previous 2-disc edition, plus a brand new 15-min Looking Back in the Mirror – an interview with actress Vanessa Williams. A lot of these UHD upgrades offer nothing new outside of improved A/V, which is great, but to see Scream Factory give us a new interview is really appreciated. It it Williams discusses her early career leading up to Candyman, and her thoughts on the latest Candyman entry,
Archival extras include three audio commentaries on the Theatrical cut, first up is writer/director Bernard Rose and actor Tony Todd; a second Audio commentary with authors/film historians Stephen Jones and Kim Newman, a third with Bernard Rose, author Clive Barker, producer Alan Poul and actors Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen and Kasi Lemmons, and a fourth with Bernard Rose, from The Movie Crypt Podcast hosted by filmmakers Adam Green and Joe Lynch. Additionally we get over 2-hours of archival interviews with director, Bernard Rose, producer Alan Poul, executive producer Clive Barker, actors Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd , Kasi Lemmons, DeJuan Guy, production designer Jane Ann Stewart, special makeup effects artists Bob Keen, Gary J. Tunnicliffe and Mark Coulier, writer Douglas E. Winter, and writers Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes. Archival extras are buttoned up with Bernard Rose's Storyboards, Theatrical Trailer, TV Spots, Still Gallery and a BD-Rom Screenplay.
The three disc set arrives in a black dual-hubbed keepcase with the Blu-ray disc stacked atop each other on one side and the UHD on the other. We get a one-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the theatrical artwork, which is replicated on the slipcover.
Special Features
DISC 1 – UHD - Both Theatrical & Unrated Cuts:
- NEW 4K transfer from the original negative, supervised and approve by writer/director Bernard Rose and director of photography Anthony B. Richmond (Theatrical Cut) by Arrow Video
- NEW 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both cuts of the film, the US R-rated version and the unrated version featuring alternate, more graphic footage, presented via seamless branching
- NEW Dolby Atmos track
- Audio commentary with writer/director Bernard Rose and actor Tony Todd (Theatrical Cut)
- Audio commentary with authors/film historians Stephen Jones and Kim Newman (Theatrical Cut)
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
DISC 2 – Blu-ray - Theatrical Cut (99 min):
- NEW Dolby Atmos track
- Audio commentary with writer/director Bernard Rose and actor Tony Todd
- Audio commentary with authors/film historians Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
- Audio Commentary with Bernard Rose, author Clive Barker, producer Alan Poul and actors Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen and Kasi Lemmons
- Audio Commentary with Bernard Rose, from The Movie Crypt Podcast hosted by filmmakers Adam Green and Joe Lynch
- Sweets to the Sweet: The Candyman Mythos featuring interviews with Bernard Rose, producer Alan Poul, executive producer Clive Barker, actors Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd and Kasi Lemmons (24 min)
- Clive Barker: Raising Hell – an interview with author/artist/filmmaker Clive Barker (7 min)
- The Heart of CANDYMAN - an interview with actor Tony Todd (7 min)
- Bernard Rose’s Storyboards (5 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- TV Spots (2 min)
- Still Gallery (5 min)
- Screenplay (BD-Rom)
DISC 3 – Blu-ray - Unrated Cut (99 min):
- NEW Looking Back in the Mirror – an interview with actress Vanessa Williams (15 min)
- Be My Victim – an interview with Tony Todd (10 min)
- It Was Always You, Helen – an interview with actress Virginia Madsen (13 min)
- Reflection in the Mirror – an interview with actress Kasi Lemmons (10 min)
- A Kid in Candyman – an interview with actor DeJuan Guy (14 min)
- The Writing on the Wall: The Production Design of Candyman – an interview with production designer Jane Ann Stewart (6 min)
- Forbidden Flesh: The Makeup FX of Candyman – including interviews with special makeup effects artists Bob Keen, Gary J. Tunnicliffe and Mark Coulier (8 min)
- A Story to Tell: Clive Barker’s “The Forbidden” – writer Douglas E. Winter on Clive Barker’s seminal Books of Blood and Candyman’s source story, “The Forbidden” (19 min)
- Urban Legend: Unwrapping Candyman – a critical analysis of the film with writers Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes (21 min)
