10 Horror Movies To Watch If You Love Candyman

Clive Barker’s Candyman has remained a favorite of horror fans for decades, both because of its iconic villain and its gruesome visuals, but its allegorical story about racism has made it an even more pertinent film for today’s audiences. The legend of the Candyman killer, a knife-wielding urban myth who stalks his victims -beginning with young grad student Virginia Madsen- arose from the abhorrent lynching of a painter, and makes race relations the foundation of his need for vengeance.

Filmmakers like Jordan Peele have used Candyman’s particular stylistic cues and storytelling techniques to contribute his own horror films to the conversation of race; Get Out and Us. It should be no surprise then that the up and coming horror maestro will be putting his own spin on Candyman come 2021. Until then, there are plenty of films that explore aspects of what the film is all about.

10 Tales from the Hood

A couple of teenage drug dealers get more than they bargained for when a suspicious mortician named Mr. Simms regales them with four different stories, each one more horrifying than the last. The tales vary, and while one chronicles a cop burdened with guilt after ignoring his corrupt partner, another involves a shy schoolboy who possesses unusual powers involving the supernatural.

The Spike Lee produced film is equal parts horror and comedy, and has retained a lasting legacy for not only its shocking treatment of horror themes, but those of substance abuse among Black men as well. The young bloods want to partake of their stash and make their escape, but Mr. Simms has more tales to tell, and more lessons to impart.

9 Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh

A gorier and messier sequel to Candyman, the second installment in the franchise still manages to deliver fresh chills and more moody cinematography. When an inner city school teacher must contend with idly watching her brother stand trial for the suspected killing of a New Orleans professor, she decides to take action.

Discovering the process for summoning the Candyman killer, she performs the ritual and brings the knife-handed legend to life. He becomes not only a terrifying guest for Mardis Gras, but the impetus for uncovering some disturbing family secrets from her past.

8 Bones

As sleek looking as Candyman if not a bit sillier, Bones follows Jimmy Bones (Snoop Dogg), a protector of his neighborhood who ultimately is betrayed by the very people closest to him. Without his confident and soothing presence, the neighborhood soon descends into crime and drug-influenced mayhem.

20 years go by, and the late Jimmy Bones has come to be a symbol of more prosperous and compassionate times. Just when the neighborhood is headed to experience one of its worst crime waves, his spirit returns for vengeance on those who wronged him, and to transform his former hood. A stylish amalgamation of a revenge film and a ghost story.

7 Get Out

From acclaimed producer Jordan Peele comes Get Out, an allegorical tale that begins innocently and soon devolves into madness. It follows a young interracial couple as they embark on their first “meet the parents” event upstate, where Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) senses his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) might have some reservations.

The initial visit goes well enough, if not a bit nerve-wracking, and Chris does his best to smooth things over with his potential in-laws. Eventually, after spending more time around them, he begins to discover odd fissures in the facade of their behavior, and uncovers a grisly family secret he could never be prepared for.

6 The People Under The Stairs

Director John Carpenter has been known to intentionally craft his horror films around political messages, such They Live, and Wes Craven did the same with the underrated The People Under The Stairs. It brings to light the disparity between the haves and the have-nots when a young boy breaks into the house of the landlords who are greedily undermining his family and discovers a horrifying secret.

He finds a disgusting scenario involving two incestuous adult siblings who carve up young boys and keep them under the stairs of their creepy house. While keeping his distance from them, he locates their daughter, who has managed to be spared their abuse. Together they attempt to escape,

5 Urban Legend

A popular slasher film from the late ’90s when I Know What You Did Last Summer and similar films were all the rage, Urban Legend features several performances from today’s well-known actors (like Jared Leto) as well as horror veterans (like Robert Englund).

When a group of teenagers decide to discount the urban legends of their childhood, they come to realize that what they don’t pay attention to might end up killing them. A number of legends are included, such as the invocation of Bloody Mary, and the hatchet-wielding serial killer Richard Speck.

4 Us

Another terrifying horror film from Jordan Peele, Us pushes the boundaries of the genre with a tale that will leave viewers as uncomfortable as they are terrified. It follows a young couple and their children to a beachfront home, where a traumatic experience in her past has left the mother anxious and unsettled.

Soon they are set upon by four strangers who look exactly like them. The dopplegangers take them captive and begin to take over their lives, and as the family learns more about their purpose, they come to understand its insidious objective. We are our own worst enemy.

3 Hellraiser

Cliver Barker is a mastermind of horror, and before he made Candyman he introduced horror fans to Hellraiser, featuring an equally compelling story, rich world building, and a truly iconic figurehead that would come to be the emblem of the entire franchise.

The film begins with a man bartering for an ancient puzzle box in a bazaar, hoping to solve it and experience the untold pleasures it’s purported to contain. Little does he know that when he opens the box, he’ll unleash an unspeakable evil that has “such sights to show him”.

2 Candyman: Day of the Dead

The third film -and least liked by audiences- in the Candyman franchise, Candyman: Day of the Dead involves a relative of Daniel Robitaille’s who inadvertently conjures up his vengeful spirit. The Candyman sees in art collector Caroline McKeever a kindred soul, who reminds him of his days as a painter before he was lynched.

Daniel’s need to be understood, and for his kin to feel the rage that he feels generations later compels him to murder in her name until she’s convinced of his right to vengeance. Her cries fall on the deaf ears of a racist police officer, who can’t conceive that the Candyman killer is back for more blood.

1 The Skeleton Key

Originally slept on when it was released in 2005, The Skeleton Key has steadily gained some traction as a truly disturbing revenge horror film with a deeper message. When a young nurse from New Orleans decides to work at the house of Violet Devereaux, she agrees to take care of Violet’s husband Ben who’s suffered a stroke.

As she begins to explore the elderly couple’s Bayou mansion, she discovers voodoo artifacts that point to its mysterious past. As she’s pulled deeper into its history of slave ownership and dark magic, she realizes that Violet is hiding a sinister secret about Ben’s illness and herself.

About The Author

Kayleena Pierce-Bohen
(1344 Articles Published)

Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she’s particularly proud of. When she isn’t writing for ScreenRant, CBR, or The Gamer, she’s working on her fiction novel, lifting weights, going to synthwave concerts, or cosplaying. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can.

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