“Look in the mirror, say my name five times…turn out the light, then I done juked nine lives.” – Earl “DMX” Simmons, “Comin’ For Ya”
We all got the reference when DMX dropped that bar 7 years after we first saw whom he’s speaking of without even thinking about it. Most of us still can’t say the name beyond two or three times, if at all.
Back like he never left three decades later, the infamous C***yman returns to the screen with a long-delayed continuation of his story. C***yman picks up 27 years after Helen Lyle was hanging out in Cabrini Green and doing us the massive favor of erasing the previous C***yman sequels from memory.
This time around, the story centers around a struggling Black artist who stumbles upon C***yman’s tale while seeking something to kickstart his stalling career and he discovers more than a rabbit hole.
The cultural impact of the first film alone warranted a re-telling or continuation of C***yman’s story. The question is if C***yman will add to the legend or should it be forgotten with the earlier sequels?
C***yman was the name on that stuck when you walked out of the theater or returned your tape to Blockbuster after watching the original almost 30 years ago. Now, Nia DaCosta is the name you won’t forget when the end credits roll.
As a writer, along with Oscar winner Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld, DaCosta crafted a script that feels familiar because of its strong kinship to the OG film but has enough tweaks to give this one its own identity. It follows the same basic premise as the previous film. However, this iteration goes much deeper by tying in social ills that impacted the lives of Black people both past and present, making it a more culturally relevant film than before.
Where other post-Get Out Black horror works like Antebellum and Body Cam failed to go beyond pointing out racism as their catalyst, DaCosta’s writing ensures C***yman won’t repeat the same mistake. It excels by seamlessly weaving racism into its fabric and enhances the C***yman story by brilliantly highlighting the imprint that gentrification, police brutality, and the exploitation of Black trauma for entertainment has in the C***yman saga and real life.
In the director’s chair, DaCosta uses a similarly nuanced approach. She keeps the DNA of the 1992 film very much alive, but she also gives it a much-needed sophistication for a 2021 audience.
DaCosta accomplishes this by using perfect pacing that moves the story slow enough to give the attention to detail needed to establish a place for the social commentary in a horror world but still holds your attention. It’s more of a chilling thriller than the slasher flick of yesteryear.
DaCosta also dials back the jump scares in favor of much more horrifying kill scenes. It comes at the cost of surprise and abrupt shifts in the first film, but it’s a much better aesthetic with the slick camera work and effects she uses to make the most of the fact C***yman is only visible to those who summon him. The off-camera kills that feature solely the sound of C***yman’s hook doing its damage and the bodies slaughtered in mid-air have a more lingering effect than the pop-ups in the past movies.
If there’s anywhere that DaCosta has room for improvement, it’s in her handling of Candyman’s conclusion. Much like her debut, Little Woods, the film’s progressive build-up is surprisingly countered with an ending that feels rushed and half-baked. It doesn’t sink the movie, but that flub is an opportunity lost.
The acting performances don’t hit as hard as DaCosta’s behind-the-camera efforts, but her cast is more than just spectators. Abdul-Mateen gives a measured performance reminiscent of Jeff Goldblum in The Fly as he slowly descends into the world of C***yman with terrifying results. Colman Domingo and Teyonah Parris are excellent in their limited screen time and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett is a scene-stealer acting as the film’s comic relief.
The new C***yman shares a name and storyline of people looking a little too hard for trouble with the original film, but it’s an entirely different experience. It doesn’t use shock or surprise to scare you and it doesn’t have to. C***yman’s strength lies in its ability to tie its tale to Black life in the past and present and the reality that the film reflects is more horrifying than any supernatural myth with a hook for a hand can conjure up.
If the traditional slasher flick is what you’re looking for, then C***yman may not be for you. However, if the more modern take on horror films with an underlying social theme works for you, C***yman is a must-see.
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