>> HEATHER ALWAYS HAS THE SCOOP.
>> THE REMARK OF THE "CANDYMAN"
MOVIE FROM THE 90s WAS JUST
RELEASED IN THEATERS.
THE FILM DIRECTED REVISITS THE
LORE OF THE ORIGINAL MOVIE AND A
DIFFERENT CABRINI GREEN.
>> THE LEGEND IS IF YOU SAY HIS
NAME FIVE TIMES WHILE LOOKING IN
THE MIRROR HE APPEARS IN THE
REFLECTION AND KILLS YOU.
>> WHO WOULD DO THAT?
>> "CANDYMAN".
"CANDYMAN".
>> AND JOINING US WITH HER TAKE
ON THE FILM IS SHERI FLANDERS, A
FREELANCE WRITER WITH THE
CHICAGO READER WHO WROTE ABOUT
THE FILM.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
WE ARE GOING TO BE CAREFUL NOT
TO SAY HIS NAME TOO MANY TIMES.
SO FOR THOSE OF US -- OWE FOR
THOSE OF US WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN
IT WHAT STORY DID THE ORIGINAL
"CANDYMAN" TELL?
>> WELL, THE ORIGINAL "CANDYMAN"
TOLD THE STORY OF A GRAD STUDENT
WHO GOES TO CABRINI GREEN ON
SEARCH OF AN URBAN LEGEND.
SHE COMES IN DIRECT
CONFRONTATION WITH THE
"CANDYMAN" AND SPIRITUALS INTO
MADNESS.
>> WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM
THE NEW FILM FOR YOU?
>> FOR THE NEW FILM FOR ME ONE
OF THE BIGGEST THINGS IT DOES IT
CENTERS THE BLACK EXPERIENCE
WHEREAS THE LAST FILM THE 1992
FILM WAS A BIT ABOUT WHITE
SAVIORISM GOING INTO COMMUNITIES
OF COLOR AND SAVING THEM.
THIS IS MORE ABOUT OUR
EXPERIENCE AND THAT TRAUMA
THROUGH OUR OWN LENSES.
>> SO FOLKS KNOW GIVE US A QUICK
OUTLINE ON WITHOUT SPOILERS ON
HOW THIS FILM GOES?
WHO DOES WHAT?
>> IT STARTS WITH THE LEAD
CHARACTER HE IS AN ARTIST AND
STRUGGLING TO GET HIS CAREER
GOING AND HE REVISITS "CANDYMAN"
THE URBAN LEGEND TO TRY USE THAT
INSPIRATION FOR HIS ART.
AND ART BEGINS TO TAKE ON A LIFE
OF ITS OWN AND THAT IS WHEN THE
HIJINX ENSUE.
>> AS WE DISCUSSED THE MOVIE
REVISITS WHERE THE ORIGINAL TOOK
PLACE CABRINI GREEN.
HERE IS A LOOK.
>> I FEEL REALLY CONNECTED TO
THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
CABRINI GREEN WAS A PROJECT.
I JUST MOVED IN AROUND THE
CORNER.
THE CANDY TRACK I'M AN ARTIST
YOU LOOK FOR "CANDYMAN"?
>> I WILL NOT LIE I'VE ONLY SEEN
THE TRAILER AND I'M ALREADY
SCARED AND I HAVE NOT SEEN THE
ORIGINAL SINCE 1992 BECAUSE IT
WAS SCARY AND THAT IS THE
CABRINI GREEN IS MUCH DIFFERENT
THAN IT IS TODAY.
HOW DO THE TWO CABRINI GREENS
DIFFER?
>> WELL, I LOVE ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT THE FILM DOES SO
WELL IT REVISITS CABRINI GREEN
AS IT IS TODAY AND ADDRESSES
THAT LEGACY OF GENTRIFICATION
HOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS
DISINVESTED AND NOW HOW WE HAVE
THESE NEW COMMUNITIES MOVING IN
AND WHAT THAT MEANS TO THE BLACK
AS CONSPIRACYING ARTISTS TRYING
TO MAKE YOUR OWN WAY KNOWING
THAT THAT LEGACY HANGS ABOVE
YOU.
>> AND OT SUBJECT OF ART, THE
MAIN CHARACTER IS A PAINTER.
AND THE CREATORS OF THE FILM
INCLUDED ART FROM A VARIETY OF
GREAT ARTISTS.
AND YOUR REVIEW YOU WRITE ABOUT
HOW THE FILM USED ART AS
PROVOCATION.
TELL US ABOUT THAT?
>> YES.
SO SOME OF THE SERIOUS SEQUENCES
IN THE MOVIE AND IT'S NOT SO
SCARY ILY YOU WILL LOVE IT.
WE'RE TOLD IN THE SHADOW FROM
MANUAL CINEMA AND IT IS REALLY
OUTSTANDING AND OUTSTANDING
TECHNIQUE.
IT IS REALLY ALLOWS YOU TO TELL
THAT STORY THAT IS JUST SO
PAINFUL BUT IN A WAY THAT YOU
KEEP A CREATIVE DISTANCE AND
MAYBE SCARIER COULD HAVE BEEN AS
WE SAW THE BLOOD AND GORE I
THINK IT LOOKS BETTER THAN THAT
IT'S VERY WELL DONE.
>> LET'S TALK MORE ABOUT MANUAL
CINEMA BECAUSE THEY USED THAT TO
PORTRAY SOME OF THE VIOLENT
SCENES VERSUS SOME OF THE BLOOD
AND GORE THAT HORROR MOVIES ARE
KNOWN FOR.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT KIND OF
ARTISTRY OF USING PUPPETRY
INSTEAD?
>> I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.
I THINK IT ALLOWS US TO TAKE THE
ART INTO A PLACE THAT IS THE
STORY AND THE VIOLENT INTO A
PLACE THAT IS MORE METAPHOR CAL
AND IT ALLOWS US TO FIND NEW
CONNECTIONS THAT WE WOULDN'T IF
WE WERE JUST REACTING TO THE
EHH.
>> JUST REACTING TO THE
SCARINESS.
IN YOUR REVIEW YOU SAY THE FILM
DOESN'T GET INTO THAT DREAD AND
THAT HORROR.
BUT YOU ALSO TALK ABOUT MAYBE
IT'S BECAUSE BLACK AUDIENCES
DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT SORT OF
TRAUMA AS ENTERTAINMENT.
TELL US ABOUT THAT?
>> YES.
ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK THAT BLACK AUDIENCES
WE'VE GONE IN CINEMA FROM THE
PLACE OF REFERENCE TO THE PLACE
OF KIND OF EXPLICITLY TELLING
OUR STORIES GOING THROUGH THE
PAIN NOT TO A POINT WHERE WE
WANT TO TELL OUR STORIES WE WANT
TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY A SLASHER
SUMMER FILM WITHOUT HAVING TO
ALWAYS GO AND DELVE INTO THE
DARK PARTS OF OUR SOUL.
WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THESE THINGS
HAPPENED AND THAT IS PART OF THE
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE BUT ALSO
BEING ABLE TO ELEVATE THAT AND
MOVE FORWARD TO MAKE OUR OWN NEW
EXPERIENCES.
>> IF YOU HAD CRITICISMS OF THE
FILM WHAT MIGHT THAT BE?
>> I THINK THE ONE CRITICISM
THAT I MIGHT HAVE HAD IS THAT
MAYBE IT ISN'T TRULY SCARY.
FOR MY TASTE.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN SCARIER AND
AT THE SAME TIME I THINK FOR
PEOPLE WHO ARE A LITTLE
SQUEAMISH THAT WILL WORK WELL.
>> BOTTOM LINE A REMARK THAT
NEEDED TO BE MADE WITH OUR
MODERN LENS APPLIED TO IT?
>> I THINK ABSOLUTELY THIS IS A
REMIX THAT NEEDED TO BE MADE AND
I THINK THEY DID AN EXCELLENT
JOB WITH IT.
>> WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE.
I STILL MIGHT HAVE TO SKIP IT
BECAUSE IT LOOKS SCARY.
BUT I APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS TO
AVOID SCARING ME AWAY.
SHERI FLANDERS THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.