
Candyman (character)

Daniel Robitaille, colloquially known as Candyman, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the "Candyman" film series, originating from Clive Barker's 1985 short story, "The Forbidden". In the film series, he was portrayed as an African-American man who was brutally murdered for a forbidden interracial love affair in the 19th century, then returns as an urban legend and kills anyone who summons him by saying his name five times in front of a mirror. The character is portrayed in "Candyman" (1992), ' (1995), and ' (1999) by Tony Todd, who is set to reprise the role in the upcoming "Candyman" (2021), a direct sequel to the original 1992 film.
Appearances.
Literature.
Before the film adaptations, the character of the Candyman originated from Clive Barker's short story "The Forbidden", published in the "Books of Blood" anthology collection. The story gives Candyman's physical description thusly:
The literary Candyman's face is described as "lurid" and "jaundiced", while his scent is like candy-floss. The iconic hook and bees are introduced in the short story, as well as Helen and other characters, but the Candyman's race, name, place of origin or backstory are never mentioned. The element of summoning him by saying his name in front of a mirror is also absent; the mere doubt of his existence is enough to draw him forth.
Films.
Candyman's first film appearance is in "Candyman" (1992). The film follows Helen Lyle, a graduate student in Chicago, who investigates Candyman as the central figure of an urban legend which is connected to a series of grisly murders at the Cabrini–Green housing project. 
Helen decides to write a thesis about how Cabrini-Green's residents attribute their daily hardships to this purportedly mythical figure; however, when Helen seemingly discredits the legend, Candyman personally appears to her and frames her for another series of murders in order to perpetuate the public's fear of him, and with it his very existence. 
It is hinted throughout that Helen is the reincarnation of Candyman's lover. Candyman eventually plots to have himself, Helen, and a kidnapped baby immolated in a bonfire, but Helen abandons Candyman and rescues the baby at the cost of her own life. With Candyman seemingly destroyed, Helen becomes a vengeful spirit and takes over his legend.
In "" (1995), three years after the events of the first film, Candyman makes an appearance in New Orleans.
Development.
Concept and creation.
When Tony Todd and his co-star, Virginia Madsen were cast as Candyman and Helen respectively, Bernard Rose, the director of "Candyman" (1992) gave them free hand to flesh out their characters’ backstories as part of the creative process. 
Rose explained, "The Candyman is not black in Clive's story. In fact, the whole back story of the interracial love affair that went wrong is not in the book. Everything that's in the book is in the film, but it's been amplified." 
Todd came up with the character's backstory during rehearsals with Madsen. Todd designated the character "Granville T. Candyman", who had a forbidden and interracial love affair with a white woman whose portrait he paints, leading to his fatal lynching by an angry mob. 
The name of Granville is never used in the first film. The name ultimately designated for him in the sequel is Daniel Robitaille. The element of New Orleans was added with the "Farewell to the Flesh".
Characterization.
The Candyman is largely driven by a need to sustain his legacy, killing those who doubt his existence to ensure that the rumor of him is kept alive. He has been described as a "ghoul fueled by the “faith” of his believers." He is forced to deal with his followers to make them believe again and punish the interloper who leads them astray." 
In "Draculas, Vampires and Other Undead Forms: Essays on Gender, Race and Culture", the Candyman's nature is likened to a vampire, elaborating that similar to the vampires: “[Candyman] possesses the capacity to hypnotize his prey such that they appear to desire their victimizations." 
Tony Todd compares his ability to invoke fear, suggestion and seduction to the DC Comics villain Scarecrow. He also compares his character to the Phantom of the Opera and the Hunchback of Notre Dame in that they are all "monsters" who use both tenderness and terror in an unsuccessful attempt to win the love of the female protagonists. 
Virginia Madsen confirmed that the Candyman was intended to be an "African-American Dracula", adding that she thought that it's "appealing to the African-American community because they finally had their own Dracula". 
He has been compared specifically to Gary Oldman's Dracula from "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992), being "not only dark, but tall and handsome; a literally tortured artist and a hopeless romantic, very much in the mould of Gary Oldman's Dracula". 
Bernard Rose also claimed that the biblical story of Samson was an inspiration for the Candyman's story, elaborating that "Samson dismayed his parents by taking a Philistine wife, pausing only to slay the young lion whose carcass bred bees and ran with honey. The Candyman outraged bigots by his love for a white woman and was murdered by being smeared with honey and staked out for the killer bees."
In "Day of the Dead," it is established that the lynch mob chanted his soubriquet of Candyman five times before he died, explaining why he would appear at that count. The element of summoning the specter by chanting his name repeatedly in front of a mirror can be traced back to the urban legend of Bloody Mary. 
In the short story, the character described his state of existence as an urban legend: "I am rumor. It's a blessed condition, believe me. To live in people's dreams; to be whispered at street-corners; but not have to be" while the film version said, "I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom. Without these things, I am nothing".
Legacy.
Candyman was 9th on both Fandango and Bloody Disgusting's list of top 10 slasher icons and 8th on an older Bloody Disgusting list. Based on poll-based reader input, Rolling Stone listed him as tenth among the horror villains. Joblo.com has Candyman as fifth on their list of horror boogeymen while ComingSoon.net has him as seventh on their list of slasher villains.
In popular culture.
McFarlane Toys released an action figure of the Candyman in the Movie Maniacs Series 4 in 2001. Further action figures are set to be released in November 2019 by NECA.