Candyman: Production and Reception
This chapter provides a background of the production and reception of Candyman (1992). It begins by looking at the casting of Tony Todd for the Candyman role, as well as the casting of Virginia Madsen for the role of Helen Lyle. The chapter then details the filming of Candyman in the real Cabrini-Green housing project. The producers worked closely with the residents' association and employed Cabrini-Green youths to act in the film, which also served to help the production's credibility with the residents. Finally, the chapter details how the theatrical release of Candyman came at a time of great racial tension in Los Angeles. According to Bernard Rose, Candyman had a test screening scheduled on the day that the Rodney King riots broke out; this would mark the screening as taking place in April of 1992, several months before Candyman's US theatrical release in October. As Clive Barker has remarked, there was genuine fear amongst the movie executives that, in the aftermath of the riots, the film would be seen as racist.