Beyond that, though, the reason this film has endured as long as it has is because of Tony Todd. Black men have rarely had the best run in terms of being taken seriously in horror, but Tony Todd turned both this and his iconic turns in the Final Destination franchise into a full-blown (and brilliant) career. And, as I’ve written before, when it comes to horror villainy, Candyman is a cut above the rest: he doesn’t hide in dreams or in shadows, he doesn’t try to blend in. He is subversive, attractive, confident and proud – Tony Todd brings just an astounding about of charisma and presence to this role, and, to this day, it’s probably one of the stone-cold best performances across the genre as a whole. He doesn’t even physically really turn up on camera until about halfway through the movie, but when you think of this film, you’re thinking of him.
From No But Listen: The Original Candyman is The Best Horror movie Of The Nineties
