Candyman: Day of the Dead is the worst entry in the Candyman series. No contest. This isn’t to say it’s completely devoid of merit but next to the original, Farewell to the Flesh and last year’s reboot, it’s an embarrassment.

Annie Tarrant’s daughter Caroline (Donna D’Errico) is all grown up and living in LA. She has reluctantly agreed to have the art of her ancestor Daniel Robitalle (Tony Todd) displayed in an exhibit. Aware of Robitalle being the source of the Candyman legend, Caroline summons her dead relative, who goes on to massacre all her friends in a bid to get her to join him in myth.

The Characters

Growing up with the three Candyman films, I always dismissed Day of the Dead as a cheap straight-to-video cash in you’d find on the sci-fi channel. Having watched it as an adult however, I’ve noticed some areas where the film is legitimately tries to be a decent threequel.

Most of the characters, on paper, are not bad. With better writing they could be just as engaging and grounded as those in the first two films. 

Caroline is the last of her family. We learn that her mother Annie committed suicide. She is very protective of her heritage, hence she immediately refuses to let her artist friend Miguel (Mark Adair-Rios) exhibit Daniel Robitalle’s paintings. Her knowledge of the Candyman myth and how it haunts her family and Robitalle’s memory distinguishes Caroline as a Candyman protagonist. It’s definitely a good starting point for her. Unfortunately her character arc is essentially a pathetic Frankenstein’s monster made of the plots from the first two films.

Caroline endures everything Helen Lyle does in the original (accused of her friends’ murders, gets arrested, having to bargain with the Candyman) while a festival is celebrated in the background. In Farewell to the Flesh it’s Mardi Gras, here it’s the Day of the Dead.

This is disappointing because at the beginning, Candyman: Day of the Dead feels like an original and logical follow up to Farewell to the Flesh. After seeing how his myth affects a community and then a family, exploring Candyman’s art and paintings feels like a natural progression.

While investigating the Candyman’s murders, Caroline meets David (Jsu Garcia), an actor friend of Miguel’s. He approaches her as he’s scared he’ll be arrested and charged for the murders by a brutal cop (Wade Williams). This is where the film’s social commentary emerges and, like the characters and plot, it’s a bit shallow.

The Commentary, Horror and Production

Day of the Dead was released in 1999 and I can’t think of any other horror film from that period that deals with the issue of police brutality. The film specifically deals with police repression of Latin Americans, which is interesting considering the Candyman character is inspired by African American history.

I can’t say that Day of the Dead should be applauded for tackling the subject as I don’t know for certain if it’s exceptional for doing so. I also can’t say it should be applauded for such because it deals with the issue so shoddily.

The cop David is afraid of, Samuel Kraft, is an arrogant, racist stalker with a history of police brutality. His character isn’t totally rigid; failing to find any evidence of Caroline or David committing the murders, Kraft’s mental state gradually deteriorates. He isn’t boring to watch but he’s still two-dimensional. 

Day of the Dead’s low budget is painfully obvious. There are scenes and imagery that have great ideas behind them but are let down by their execution. Candyman approaching Caroline in a cloud of bees, Miquel’s girlfriend getting covered in bees; the CGI, the green screen and fake blood ruin these images.

While the gore is clearly fake, its abundance can be appreciated. I don’t think I’ve seen the Candyman impale so many people with his hook in the other films.

Is Day of the Dead so bad it’s good? At times I’d say yes but I would never describe it as ‘laugh out loud’ funny. Donna D’Errico’s screaming, Tony Todd looking bored, bees that can break through windows and the fact that the film is supposed to take place in the 2020s yet looks like 1999 lighten up the viewing experience.

The best thing about Day of the Dead is its parallels with the 2021 Candyman. Whether these are intentional are not, they’re so similar it’s impossible not to notice.

Perhaps with a better script and a higher budget this threequel might’ve made a better contribution to the series but as it is, the film rightfully earns its title as the worst Candyman.

I give Candyman: Day of the Dead a subpar 4 out of 10.

2 down. 2 to go. Stay tuned!