# Candyman (1992 film)

Candyman is a 1992 American slasher horror film about Helen Lyle, a Chicago University grad student who investigates The Candyman murders for a thesis only to be immersed in the supernatural legend.
    Directed by Bernard Rose and co-written with Clive Barker.

## Helen Lyle

* [A supernatural Helen appears behind Trevor] What's the matter, Trevor? Scared of something? [Proceeds to slash Trevor with a Candyman hook]
* [Convincing Bernadette to visit the Cabrini-Green projects] Okay, let's just turn around then. Let's just go back, and we can write a nice little, boring thesis regurgitating all the usual crap about urban legend. We've got a real shot here, Bernadette. An entire community starts attributing the daily horrors of their lives to a mythical figure.
* YOU LIED TO ME!
* [Reading graffiti aloud] Sweets... to... the sweet?
* [To Orderly leaving with her strapped to hospital bed] Where are you going?! No, you can't leave me here! I can't defend myself!

## Bernadette 'Bernie' Walsh

* [To Helen knocking mirror out of medicine cabinet] Helen, be careful! The could be somebody on the toilet!

## Trevor Lyle

* [Giving a University lecture] Now, why would Danny and Diane both be suffering from the same delusion in two cities over 1,000 miles apart? Let's face it, folks. There are no alligators in the sewers. No, it's... It's around the campfire. It's bedtime stories. See, these stories are modern oral folklore. They are the unselfconscious reflection of the fears of urban society.

## Candyman

* [Narrating over swarm of bees] They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What's blood for if not for shedding? With my hook for a hand, I'll split you from your groin to your gullet. I came for you.
* [To Helen] I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom. Without these things, I am nothing. So now, I must shed innocent blood. Come with me.
* [Dancing with Helen] The pain, I can assure you, will be exquisite. As for our deaths, there is nothing to fear. Our names will be written on a thousand walls. Our crimes told and retold by our faithful believers. We shall die together in front of their very eyes and give them something to be haunted by. Come with me and be immortal. [Candyman opens jacket to reveal a hollow chest and a mouth full of bees]
* [To Helen seeing herself in a wall drawing] It was always you, Helen. It was always you.
* [Showing her the hook on his bloody stump] Be my victim. Be my victim.
* [To Helen over wanting to live] Why do you want to live? If you had learned just a little from me, you would not beg to live. I am rumor. It is a blessed condition, believe me. To be whispered about at street corners. To live in other people's dreams, but not to have to be. Do you understand?
* [To Helen that her death will be a tale to frighten children] Your death will be a tale to frighten children, to make lovers cling closer in their rapture. Come with me, and be immortal.
* [Walking up to Helen as she remains hypnotized by him] You were not content with the stories, so I was obliged to come.
* COME BACK TO ME, HELEN! COME BACK TO ME! COME BACK!

## Monica

* This is the scariest story I ever heard and it's totally true. It happened a few years ago near Moses Lake in Indiana. Clara was babysitting for the Johnsons, and, uh... Billy pulls up on his motorcycle. She wasn't even going out with Billy, she was actually going out with Michael for about six months. But, um... she always kind of had the hots for Billy, 'cause he was like a bad boy. And Michael was... he was just so nice. So anyway, she decides that tonight's the night, that she's going to give Billy what she never gave to Michael.

## Professor Philip Purcell

* [Reciting to Helen and colleagues the legend of Candyman in a restaurant] The legend first appeared in 1890. Candyman was the son of a slave. His father had amassed a considerable fortune from designing a device for the mass producing of shoes after the Civil War. Candyman had been sent to all the best schools and had grown up in polite society. He had a prodigious talent as an artist and was much sought after when it came to the documenting of one's wealth and position in society in a portrait. Well, it was in this latter capacity, that he was commissioned by a wealthy landowner to capture his daughter's virginal beauty. Well, of course, they fell deeply in love and she became pregnant. Hmm... poor Candyman. Her father executed a terrible revenge. He paid a pack of brutal hooligans to do the deed. They chased Candyman through the town to Cabrini Green, where they proceeded to saw off his right hand with a rusty blade. And no one came to his aid. For this was just the beginning of his ordeal. Nearby there was an apiary. Dozens of hives, filled with hungry bees. They smashed the hive and stole the honeycomb and smeared it over his prone, naked body. Candyman was stung to death by the bees. They burned his body on a giant pyre and then scattered his ashes over Cabrini Green.

## Jake

* [Referring to a Candyman's victim boy whose crotch was hacked off by the Candyman] They found 'it' floating in the toilet... can't fix that, you're better off dead.

## Anne-Marie McCoy

* You say you're doing a study? What 'you gonna study? How we're bad? We steal? We gang-bang? We're ALL on drugs right?... We ain't all like them assholes downstairs, you know. I just wanna raise my child good.

## Clara

* [Reciting Candyman with Billy who is touches her body from behind then turns around to face Billy] No one ever got past four.

## Faux Candyman Gang Leader

* [To Helen in haunted washroom] I hear you're looking for Candyman, bitch. [Holds Helen by her neck] Well, you found him! [Swings the back of his hook across her face]

## Dialogue

    Candyman: [Helen sees Candyman for the first time] Helen.
    Helen Lyle: Yes?
    Candyman: Helen...
    Helen Lyle: [Sees Candyman in the distance] Who is that? Who is that?
    Candyman: Helen... I came for you.
    Clara: Have you ever heard of Candyman?
    Billy: No.
    Clara: Well, his right hand is sawn off, and he has a hook jammed in the bloody stump. And if you look in the mirror... and you say his name five times... he'll appear behind you, breathing down your neck. You want to try it?
    Helen Lyle: You know, it's okay to talk to me, Jake... because I'm not a cop so nobody's going to get in trouble.
    Jake: I can't say nothing or Candyman will get me.
    Helen Lyle: Candyman, huh? You scared of him?
    Jake: I ain't scared of nobody but you're crazy walking in here on your own. It ain't safe around here.
    Helen Lyle: Yeah, I know. But I don't scare too easy either, Jake.
    Monica: She looked in the mirror, and I don't know why, but she said his name the last time.
    Clara: Candyman.
    Monica: She turned out the lights... and what he saw turned his hair white from shock. Killed her. Split her open with his hook, and then killed the baby, too. And Billy got away but soon after, he went crazy.
    Anne-Marie McCoy: You want to know about Ruthie Jean? They all been here, you know? Newspapers, cops, case workers... they all want to know. I heard her screaming. I heard right through the walls. I dialed 911. Nobody came. Nobody came. Everybody scared. He could come right through these walls, you know? I'm scared. Scared for my child. They ain't never gonna catch him.
    Helen Lyle: Who?
    Anne-Marie McCoy: Candyman.
    Candyman: Do you believe in me?
    Helen Lyle: Keep away from me!
    Candyman: I have the child. Allow me to take you or he will die in your place. Your disbelief destroyed the faith of my congregation. Without them, I am nothing, so I was obliged to come. And now I must kill you.
    Candyman: [Hovering over Helen lying strapped down on hospital bed] What do the good know except what the bad teach them by their excesses?
    Helen Lyle: Murderer.
    Candyman: Allow me at least a kiss. Just one exquisite kiss.
    Helen Lyle: Murderer! Help! Listen, he's under the bed! Listen, he's here. He's under the bed!
    Helen Lyle: [Unstrapped from hospital bed by Orderly] I'd like to speak to my husband.
    Orderly: [Chuckles] So would I.
    Helen Lyle: What time is it? Where are we going?
    Orderly: We're going to Disneyland.
    Kitty Culver: Well, all I know is there was some lady in a tub, and she heard a noise.
    Helen Lyle: Do you remember her name?
    Kitty Culver: I think her name was Ruthie Jean. And she heard this banging and smashing like somebody was trying to make a hole in the wall. So Ruthie called 911, and she said, 'There's somebody coming through the walls.' And they didn't believe her.
    Henrietta Mosely: They thought the lady was crazy, right?
    Kitty Culver: Hm-mmm. So then she called 911 again and they still didn't believe her. But when they finally got there, she was dead.
    Helen Lyle: Was she shot?
    Kitty Culver: No. Um... she was killed with a hook.
    Henrietta Mosely: [Makes a slice sound] It's true. Yeah it is. I read it in the papers. Candyman killed her.
    Kitty Culver: Yeah, but, uh... I don't know nothing about that. [Sits up from the chair to leave]
    [Helen shows Bernadette a newspaper article of the Candyman murders]
    Bernadette 'Bernie' Walsh: Helen, this is sick. This isn't one of your fairy tales. The woman got killed here!
    Helen Lyle: That's not the half of it.
    [Helen and Bernadette are driving into the Cabrini-Green projects to investigate the Candyman murders]
    Helen Lyle: [Sees a Taser in Bernadette's purse] What's with the arsenal, Bernadette? We're only going eight blocks.
    Bernadette 'Bernie' Walsh: You're the one who got us dressed up like cops.
    Helen Lyle: I said just dress up conservatively.
    Bernadette 'Bernie' Walsh: Yeah, well we look like cops.
    Jake: Candyman will get me.
    Helen Lyle: Candyman isn't real. He's just a story. You know, like Dracula. Or... Or Frankenstein. A bad man took his name so that he could scare us. But now that's he's locked up everything's going to be okay.
    Bernadette 'Bernie' Walsh: I'm sure we're going to have something for you in a week or so, but we only went to Cabrini today and...
    Professor Philip Purcell: [Unnecessarily loud] AH! CABRINI GREEN! Candyman country...
    Student: So, uh, what's the deal? You guys doing a page on serial killers or something?
    Helen Lyle: [Lights a cigarette] Something like that.
    Anne-Marie McCoy: White people never come 'round here except to cause us a problem.
    Helen Lyle: Believe me, that's not what we want to do.
    Detective: [Disgustedly] Where's the baby?
    Helen Lyle: ...I don't know.
    Detective: You're sick.
    Henrietta Mosely: Can I clean your room?
    Helen Lyle: Oh, yeah, sure. Don't mind me. [Continues typing out taped interview about the legend of Candyman]
    Henrietta Mosely: Candyman, huh? You doing a study on him?
    Helen Lyle: Yes. What do you know about him?
    Henrietta Mosely: Everybody scared of him once it get dark. He over in Cabrini.
    Helen Lyle: Cabrini Green?
    Henrietta Mosely: Yeah, over in the projects. My friend lives over in Cabrini.
    Helen Lyle: Can I speak to your friend?
    Henrietta Mosely: Sure. [Peers into the hallway] Kitty?
    Kitty Culver: Yeah, what do you want?
    Helen Lyle: The lady in here wanna talk to you. [Kitty puts mop down and walks over]
    Henrietta Mosely: She coming.
    Helen Lyle: I'm Helen Lyle.
    Henrietta Mosely: Oh, pleased to meet you. I'm Henrietta Mosely and this is Kitty Culver. Go on, tell her what you told me about Candyman.
    Kitty Culver: Well, all I know is there was some lady in a tub and she heard a noise.
    Helen Lyle: Do you remember her name?
    Kitty Culver: I think her name was Ruthie Jean and she heard this banging and smashing, like somebody was trying to make a hole in the wall. So, Ruthie called 911 and said that there's somebody coming through the walls, and they didn't believe her.
    Henrietta Mosely: They thought the lady was crazy, right?
    Kitty Culver: Mm-hmm. So, she called 911 again and they still didn't believe her. But when they finally got there, she was dead.
    Helen Lyle: Was she shot?
    Kitty Culver: No, um... she was killed with a hook. *Imitates slashing noise*
    Henrietta Mosely: It's true. Yeah, it is, I read it in the papers. Candyman killed her.
    Kitty Culver: Yeah, but uh... I don't know nothing about that. [Looks at Henrietta and gets up out of chair]
    Helen Lyle: What's the problem?
    Bernadette 'Bernie' Walsh: [Annoyedly] A woman died in there leave it.
    Helen Lyle: [Climbs out of wall hole] Bernadette I ran out of film we gotta go back.
    Bernadette 'Bernie' Walsh: No way! NO WAY HELEN WE'RE LEAVING!

## Cast

* Virginia Madsen as Helen Lyle
* Tony Todd as The Candyman
* Xander Berkeley as Trevor Lyle
* Kasi Lemmons as Bernadette Walsh
* Vanessa Williams as Anne-Marie McCoy
* DeJuan Guyas Jake
* Marianna Elliott as Clara
* Ted Raimi as Billy
* Ria Pavia as Monica
* Mark Daniels as Student
* Lisa Ann Poggi as Diane
* Adam Philipson as Danny
* Eric Edwards as Harold
* Carolyn Lowery as Stacey
* Barbara Alstonas Henrietta Mosely
* Sarina C. Grant as Kitty Culver

## Taglines

* You don't have to believe... just beware.
* Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman... Don't Say Again!
* From the chilling imagination of Clive Barker.

## External links

* Candyman (1992 film) quotes at the Internet Movie Database
* Candyman at Rotten Tomatoes