Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh

Some producer must have mentioned his name five times, because he's back... the big C., with a fresh layer of bees on his face and a newly-sharpened hook. But wipe away those doubts about horror movie sequels, Candyman 2 is an intelligent reinterpretation of Bernard Rose's 1992 movie, and it's just as scary to boot.

So many horror franchises become flabby and over-used by money-grabbing studio executives - I need only cite A Nightmare on Elm Street as an example - when what is really needed is a change of setting and a fresh perspective on the original material. Bill Condon's Candyman sequel is not a return to the squalid, crumbling tenement blocks of the original. Set in New Orleans, the story follows the troubled life of Annie Tarrant (Kelly Rowan), haunted by the Candyman and struggling to understand her alcoholic mother. Candyman - the first black horror anti-hero - is no longer a symbol of inner-city decay, he is a towering figure of evil, played to even more terrifying effect by Tony Todd.

To say anything of the plot twists and turns would be criminal, but I can assure you that the dream-like structure of the first film is not replayed here and, as a result, things are much easier to follow. Sure, there's no Virginia Madsen this time around, but Veronica Cartwright (of Alien) amply makes up with her riveting performance as the drunken mother with a terrible secret.... whatever you do, don't watch this one alone.

Mark Chambers