Say His Name: Deconstructing the Original Candyman
Description:
Never say it five times. Never look in the mirror. This week, we plunge the hook deep into the haunting, visceral, and socio-politically charged horror of the 1992 classic, Candyman.
Graduate student Helen Lyle travels to the notorious Cabrini-Green housing projects to research the urban legend of a hook-handed killer. But when her skepticism leads her to dismiss the legend—and the real-world suffering that fuels it—she awakens the vengeful spirit of Daniel Robitaille (Tony Todd), the tragic victim of a brutal, racist lynching in the 19th century.
Join us as we explore the film’s complex layers:
The Legend and the Legacy: Unpacking the tragic origin of Daniel Robitaille, a Black artist murdered for a forbidden interracial love affair, and his transformation into a boogeyman feared by a forgotten community.
White Guilt and Urban Decay: How the film uses Helen's white privilege and academic voyeurism to critique systemic racism, housing inequality, and the intellectual appropriation of Black trauma.
Be My Victim: Analyzing Tony Todd's mesmerizing, seductive performance and the haunting score by Philip Glass that turn this slasher film into a gothic nightmare about the terrifying power of belief.
Look in the mirror, say his name, and let the legend live. (We promise we'll only say it four times.)
