Candyman (character)

Daniel Robitaille, colloquially known as Candyman, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Candyman'' film series. The character originated in Clive Barker's 1985 short story, " The Forbidden". In the film series, he is depicted as an African-American man who was brutally murdered for a forbidden 19th-century interracial love affair; he returns as an urban legend, and kills anyone who summons him by saying his name five times in front of a mirror. The character is played by Tony Todd in '' Candyman'' (1992), '' Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh'' (1995), and '' Candyman: Day of the Dead'' (1999); Todd reprises the role in '' Candyman'' (2021), a sequel of the original 1992 film, with additional formssouls brought into the Candyman "hive"Sherman Fields (played by Michael Hargrove), William Bell, Samuel Evans, George Stinney, James Byrd Jr., Gil Cartwright (played by Cedric Mays), and Anthony McCoy (played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).

Appearances

Literature

The character originated in Clive Barker's short story, " The Forbidden", published in volume five of Barker's six-volume ''Books of Blood'' anthology collection. Fantasy Tales artist John Stewart's own image in the book's illustration deviates from the author's words – giving us a beastly man in silhouette with wild hair and a far more elaborate hook hand than was shown in the later films; but in the pages, Candyman is described thus:

He was bright to the point of gaudiness: His flesh was a waxy yellow. His thin lips are pale blue. His wild eyes are glittering as if their irises are set with rubies. His jacket was patchwork and his trousers are the same. He looked, elenthought, almost ridiculous with his bloodstained motley and the hint of rouge on his jaundiced cheeks.

The Candyman's iconic hook and bees are introduced in the story with Helen and other characters. Although Candyman was described as a mysterious Caucasian male having long blonde hair with an unruly red beard, incredibly pale skin that is yellow, and a brightly multi-colored patchwork suit; his race, name, place of origin, and backstory are never mentioned; doubting his existence is enough to summon him.

Films

Candyman's first film appearance was in '' Candyman'' (1992). Set in the present, the film follows Helen Lyle, a graduate student in Chicago, who investigates him as the central figure of an urban legend connected to a series of murders at the Cabrini–Green Homes.

Helen writes a thesis about how Cabrini–Green's residents attribute their hardships to this apparently-mythical figure. When she discredits the legend, analyzing examples of his history and participating in the arrest of a criminal using the Candyman legend to intimidate the locals, Candyman appears and frames her for another series of murders to perpetuate the public's fear of him.

It is hinted that Helen is the reincarnation of Candyman's lover. He plots to have himself, Helen, and kidnapped baby Anthony McCoy immolated in a bonfire, but Helen escapes him and sacrifices herself to rescue Anthony. With Candyman apparently destroyed, Helen becomes a vengeful spirit and continues his behavior.

In '' Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh'', set three years after ''Candyman'' in 1995, he appears in New Orleans