Candyman (character)

Jason Voorhees is a male literary character who features in Friday the 13th.

Biography

Daniel Robitaille was a male human born in 1855 the son of a slave on a plantation in New Orleans. Chosen by a wealthy landowner, Heyward Sullivan to paint a portrait of his daughter Caroline, the intimacy of the setting causes a torrid affair between Daniel and Caroline. The relationship results in Caroline becoming pregnant with Daniel's daughter, and Daniel being reviled. After being tortured by the bigoted lynch mob, Daniel is chased out of the town and hunted across the fields by Caroline's father and an angry mob, and mutilated by having his right hand sawed off with a rusty arborist saw blade and being coated in fresh honey from a nearby beehive. A small boy tastes the honey, and proclaims "Candy Man!", whereupon the crowd seizes the name and shouts it with gusto. The bees then swarm over Daniel's body, mortally wounding him. Caroline enters the scene, and is restrained as her father taunted Daniel over how he now looked with her mirror to which Daniel gasps the words 'Candy Man' before dying. Caroline seizes upon the mirror, and cradles it. It was this mirror that held the tortured, hateful soul of the Candyman; the only remnant of her lover, Caroline hides the mirror in Daniel's birthplace. After this, she gives birth to Daniel's daughter named Isabel. Isabel is born Creole, but she is raised by her mother as being white.

Overview

Personality and attributes

One description said that he was bright to the point of gaudiness with his flesh being waxy yellow. He had thin lips that were pale blue and wild eyes which were glittering as if their irises were set with rubies. It was said that his jacket was patchwork and his trousers were the same.

Due to the grievous tragedy surrounding his death, having been murdered under unjust pretenses and for personal revenge, Candyman arose from the grave and became a wrath-driven specter, haunting the land where he had been executed. But, rather then reduce the land of Cabrini Green, or the Sullivan household (depending on which movie we follow), as uninhabitable, Candyman preferred to keep the denizens in the dark, unaware of his presence until they made the mistake of doubting his presence.

Candyman, while well-spoken and articulate, is portrayed as being incredibly self-absorbed, narcissistic and vain, valuing his reputation over human life. His sole motivation is to maintain the rumors and stories surrounding his death alive, as he believes that the longer people talk and fear him the more he will continue to haunt the land, later shown to be fact. The only times he had ever killed someone was merely a means to remind the people of his existence by striking terror into their hearts.

Powers and abilities

He is also able to teleport at fast speeds as well as phasing threw walls for where ever his victims ran he was there before they got there. He also possesses superhuman strength, being able to throw his victims through walls with little effort and has also shown regenerative capabilities (shown when Annie ran out the room).

He also has power over a massive army of bees that live within his very being, as shown in the first Candyman film he covered an entire city with killer bees. He has shown some form of telekinesis along with ability to fly or levitate, and also can become invisible to the naked eye, this allows him to keep his image from being seen or recorded on surveillance equipment like security cameras. The mirror that contains his soul is the secret of his power. If the mirror is destroyed he will cease to exist. If this fails, Destroying his paintings, particularly burning his self-portraits damages him physically.

Notes

• The Candyman was created by Clive Barker where he featured in the setting of Candyman and made his debut in the novel "The Forbidden" (1985).

In other media

Films

• In Candyman, the Candyman appeared in the setting of the 1992 live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Tony Todd. Set in the present, the events followed Helen Lyle, a graduate student in Chicago, who investigated him as the central figure of an urban legend connected to a series of murders at the Cabrini–Green Homes. Helen wrote a thesis about how Cabrini–Green's residents attribute their hardships to this apparently mythical figure. She would discredite the legend by analyzing examples of his history and participating in the arrest of a criminal using the Candyman legend to intimidate the locals. This saw the Candyman appearing and framed her for another series of murders to perpetuate the public's fear of him. It was hinted that Helen is the reincarnation of Candyman's lover. He plotted to have himself, Helen, and kidnapped baby Anthony McCoy immolated in a bonfire, but Helen escaped him and sacrificed herself to rescue Anthony. With Candyman destroyed, Helen became a vengeful spirit and continued his behavior.
• In Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, the Candyman appeared in the setting of the 1995 live-action film sequel where he was once more portrayed by actor Tony Todd. Set three years later in 1995, the Candyman appeared in New Orleans where he encountered Annie Tarrant, the descendant of his and Caroline's daughter Isabel after she summoned him. The events explored his meeting of Caroline Sullivan during his lifetime as the artist Daniel Robitaille before he was murdered and becomes Candyman.
• In Candyman: Day of the Dead, the Candyman appeared in the setting of the 1999 live-action film sequel where he was once again portrayed by actor Tony Todd. Set twenty-five years later in 2020, Candyman appeared in Los Angeles during Day of the Dead celebrations this time encountering Annie's adult daughter Caroline McKeever. Caroline summoned the Candyman by saying his name five times in a mirror. Shortly afterwards, the Candyman killed Miguel and his lover Lena with his hooked hand. Miguel's gallery is soon broken into by a local gang who steals the Candyman's paintings. Caroline talks with her roommate Tamara about the Candyman. It is revealed via flashback that the Candyman killed Caroline's dementia-ridden mother while she was taking a bath by slitting her throat with his hook. Annie summoned him and her death was believed to be suicide. A psychic healer would later informs Caroline that she must destroy the good part of the Candyman in order to eliminate the evil. She showed Caroline visions that the good part of the Candyman lay within his paintings. Afterwards, the Candyman kidnapped David and kept him stored in an unknown building swinging from hooks pierced into his back. After the Candyman kills Caroline's roommate Tamara, Caroline is taken in for questioning. The gang summons the Candyman in the hopes of sacrificing Caroline but the Candyman kills the entire gang instead. The Candyman suddenly appears, and attempts to convince her to give her life to him. However, Caroline destroys a portrait of him with a hook, which causes a similar wound to appear on him. She slips and causes a candle to light the painting on fire, causing the Candyman to burst into flames. Caroline frees David, but is attacked by Det. Kraft, who tries to kill her with a hook. He is shot in the back of the head by Det. Jamal Matthews, who was following Kraft. Before he dies, Kraft gasps out "Candyman”. Caroline remembers her mother's advice to 'destroy the myth', and tells Matthews that Kraft was the Candyman this whole time.

Appearances

• Candyman:

External Links

• Wikipedia Entry

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