I’ve been a fan of the first CANDYMAN movie; regarding it as an under appreciated gem and one of the most intriguing horror offerings of the 1990s. It is because of my interest in the first CANDYMAN movie, that I was eager to check out its sequel- CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH ($15). Although CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH isn’t as good as the film that inspired it, the movie does have legs of it own- making it an enjoyable outing for genre buffs. My biggest problem with this sequel is that this movie seems to regurgitate the major plot point of the first film. However, the film does succeed when it strikes off into new territory to explain the origins of the hook-wielding phantom known as The Candyman.

Tony Todd returns to the title role- embodying both the evil spirit that horribly murders those individuals that dare summon him, as well as his living counterpart Daniel Robitaille, the son of slaves, who was savagely killed in the post era because he dared to love a high born white woman. The plot of CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH involves a teacher named Annie Tarrant-McKeever (Kelly Rowan), who summons The Candyman to prove to her students that the urban legend doesn’t exist. Only after a deadly encounter with the murderous spirit, does Annie learn that her family is somehow tied to him. So begins Annie’s quest to unlock the truth about The Candyman and find a way to put him to rest for good. The cast of CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH also features William O'Leary, Bill Nunn, Matt Clark, David Gianopoulos, Fay Hauser, Joshua Gibran Mayweather, Timothy Carhart and Veronica Cartwright.

MGM Home Entertainment has made CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH available on DVD in a 1.78:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays. This is a very nice looking transfer that offers a crisp looking image and a very solid level of detail. The cinematography is a little smoky, so portions of the movie aren’t as sharp looking as others. Colors are pretty vibrant, plus the flesh tones appear quite appealing. None of the stronger hues show any signs of chroma noise or smearing. Blacks are solidly rendered and the picture has good shadow detail, although the suspense sequences are purposefully murky. The film element used for the transfer displays a small number of blemishes and just a bit of grain. Digital compression artifacts maintain a low profile throughout the film.

CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 channel soundtrack that decodes to standard surround. Dialogue is very cleanly rendered, without any intelligibility problems. Channel separation is pretty decent across the forward soundstage and falls into the expected parameters of the older surround format. The rear channels provide occasional effects, in addition to ambient sounds and musical fill. Speaking of the music, CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH again features the work of composer Philip Glass. Glass’ music is the most striking feature about the film’s sound design and makes one wish that the soundtrack had been re-mixed into 5.1. A French surround soundtrack is also encoded onto the DVD, as are French and Spanish subtitles.

The basic interactive menus provide access to the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as a couple of extras. Director Bill Condon provides a running audio commentary that is crammed full of details about the production. Condon generally speaks quickly and he doesn’t allow for too many dead spots in his talk. A theatrical trailer fills out the DVD’s extras.

CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH is a pretty good second installment in the horror series. The DVD looks good, sounds good and is available at a very affordable price. Fans and horror buffs will find CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH more than worth checking out on DVD.

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Candyman 2 - Farewell to the Flesh

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