For decades, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green were terrorized by a ghost story about a supernatural, hook-handed killer. In present day, a visual artist (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; HBO’s “Watchmen,” Us, forthcoming Matrix Resurrections) begins to explore the macabre history of Candyman, not knowing it would unravel his sanity and unleash a terrifying wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.
For in-depth thoughts on Candyman, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Candyman offers an impressive uptick in quality over the already stunning accompanying Blu-Ray. The increased range of the color spectrum is a sight to behold. The HDR enriches the colors from already impressive to out of this world when it comes to vibrancy. The film is not bursting with vivid hues in every inch of the frame, but the command and nuance with which colors are reproduced is eye-popping. The highlights in the film are more defined with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. Elements in the various environments of the film are more vivid and finely delineated. The gore effects are appropriately nasty and detailed in the way that you want from a horror film. The black levels are especially strong in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail. There are many moments of low light where you might expect noise to pop up, but this disc handles it like a champ. Skin tones appear more natural with healthy doses of crisp detail apparent on faces such as pores and grime. This 4K UHD presentation really delivers on all fronts including strong gains in clarity and color. The Blu-Ray is great, but Universal has delivered another reference transfer on this latest 4K release.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with an outstanding Dolby Atmos audio mix that is completely enveloping and stands as one of the most dynamic tracks of the year. This is an incredibly active track that provides all manner of terrifying sound effects and an atmospheric score to keep you on edge. There is a substantial amount of activity in the low end that pulses through you in the most sinister of ways. Dialogue is clear and balanced well with the competing sounds. There is nearly always something going on in the surrounds, but there is never any difficulty hearing what everyone is saying. The height channels are used to dynamic effect in scenes such as that of pelting rain that transports you right to this setting. All of the sounds are coming from the appropriate directions, and there are absolutely no technical issues with the track. This one should put a smile on the face of anyone with the equipment to handle it.
Special Features
- Alternate Ending: A nearly three-minute unused ending is included here which does pale in comparison to what we go, but is welcome as a glimpse of other possibilities.
- Deleted and Extended Scenes: Three unused scenes totaling six minutes are provided here featuring a lengthy, intense discussion of racial dynamics and two unsettling thrills.
- Say My Name: A seven-minute exploration of the story and franchise lore and the tragedy that the themes are always relevant to modern social issues. There are some nice insights from the cast and creative team within this one.
- Body Horror: A six-minute featurette which hones in on the grisly makeup and prosthetics which are applied and created for this film and how it serves as a continuation of what originated in the original incarnation.
- The Filmmaker’s Eye – Nia DaCosta: A five-minute discussion in which DaCosta discusses her love of the original film and what it meant to her as a person of color. The discussion delves into her work as a filmmaker broadly and how they applied to this project specifically.
- Painting Chaos: A seven-minute look at art’s place in the film and how it influences, builds, and propels the narrative. The most interesting part is getting a look at the real art which is seen and artists who appear in the film.
- The Art of Robert Aiki Aubrey Low: A five-minute look at the film’s composer and the special presence his music brought to the film.
- Terror in the Shadows: A four-minute featurette which takes a look at the process of designing the shadow puppetry in the film and the impact it has on the narrative and the ways in which it connects this film to the original.
- Candyman – The Impact of Black Horror: A nearly 21-minute discussion with Colman Domingo, Tananarive Due, Wendy Ashley, Yolo Akili Robinson, and Lorenzo Lewis. Many of these participants are from mental health advocacy groups and bring a profound perspective to this larger important discussion about this character in Black culture.
Final Thoughts
Candyman is working with a lot of powerful and important themes that elevate it above many throwaway entries in the genre with nothing to say. Yet, the film does not completely execute these ideas to perfection due to some slight pacing issues that take away some of the bite it could have had. The film does so much right in establishing the sinister tone of this world that you wish it was just allowed a little more time to breathe at the end so everything could crystalize. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring an outstanding A/V presentation and a nice array of special features. Despite some minor flaws, this is an incredibly powerful and entertaining film that should satisfy most horror fans. Recommended
Candyman (2021) will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and DVD on November 16, 2021. The film is currently available to own on Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
