Everyone knows about the Candyman, right? The phantom that haunts Chicago's infamous Cabrini Green housing projects? Rumor has it, if you look in a mirror and say his name five times, he will come for vengeance and split you “from your groin to your gullet” with his rusty hook for a hand. I'm not quite sure how this caught on as “a thing” people wanted to attempt, but a lot did and the legend spread. Apparently, he also developed a strong presence in New Orleans, during the Carnival season, a term that loosely translates as “farewell to the flesh”. His image is painted across houses, local radio personalities warn listeners of his wrath and he has even become the subject of at least one novel, by a professor named Phillip Purcell. When said author is murdered on his book tour, blame lands at the hands of Ethan Tarrant, a guy obsessed with the Candyman, and who publicly accosted the writer moments before the crime.

Ethan's sister, Annie, is determined to prove her brother's innocence and with her husband's assistance she embarks on a quest that may also reveal the circumstances behind her father's mysterious death. Their mother, Octavia, is obsessed with her own mortality as she battles cancer, but wants to protect her children from a dark family secret. Annie is a teacher at an inner-city school and her students are also strangely focused on the Candyman legend. One kid even draws historically pertinent scenes of a man on the wrong end of an angry mob incensed by an ill-timed love affair. Something is amiss here - am I wrong for being afraid of the Candyman? Should I find him more sympathetic? I don't know yet, but for what it's worth, I have written his name four times in this synopsis already and am not going to go for number five.

The original 1992 film was based on Clive Barker's short story The Forbidden, and introduced an all-new horror icon haunting a contemporary Chicago ghetto. The plot explored the consequences of questioning a powerful myth and mixed fantasy with reality as local residents were terrorized by an infamous boogeyman. The picture elevated its horror content with elements of a tragic love story and became an instant genre classic. There are countless tales this intriguing figure could share, but that doesn't mean he deserves a sequel. He isn't really a franchise villain. With the arrival of Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995), screenwriters Rand Ravich and Mark Kruger take Barker's material down the wrong path by relocating the folklore to create more of a Southern Gothic origin story. It is difficult not to draw comparisons between the films, as the retconning of the sequel directly contravenes the rules established in the first.

By setting the plot during Mardi Gras and incorporating the Greek Chorus narrator via unseen radio DJ, Farewell to the Flesh effectively tells the story of a different titular villain. As new details come to light, some basic character motivations are undermined in that by making Candygram more of a victim, the preying on innocent Chicago minorities becomes uninspired and hypocritical. The beauty of the first film stemmed from blending inner-city criminal activity with a popular urban legend and manipulating people's fear of the unknown. When the supernatural elements are introduced, they take on an unexpectedly romantic tone and the whole picture builds to an operatic conclusion. This is not to take the stance that the original movie is art and sequels are crap, but Farewell to the Flesh goes out of its way to undermine all previous efforts.

Writers Ravich and Kruger don't appear to have a firm grasp on the mythology of the villain they are exploring. Consequently their screenplay is ponderous and too dependent upon over-the-top narration and clumsy character motivation. Everyone in New Orleans is aware of Handyman except for the police, and when our heroine somehow becomes a primary suspect, help is instantly available through the assistance of schoolchildren. I am not sure why sequels and remakes feel compelled to explain away the mystery of their villain with elaborate backstories, but Farewell to the Flesh does so twice, as it starts with a succinct monologue that elaborates on the phantom's origins, and later includes a detailed re-enactment of the character's tragedy.

Despite the weak script, Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters) makes a strong directorial debut and delivers a stylistic film, rich with atmosphere. That being said, the picture is further hobbled by a ridiculous number of “jump scares” that are frequently little more than loud noises, but at times resort to the depths of tossing an animal into frame to spook somebody. The picture's best asset is returning lead actor Tony Todd (Night of the Living Dead, 1990) as the sinister Candyland. Mr. Todd brings a romantic sensuality to the role and is quite charismatic whether he is seducing victims or eviscerating them. He has an incredible screen presence and deserves better material. The other star of this movie is Phillip Glass' iconic score and it is difficult to express how vital his contributions are to the tone of the picture as he builds on the classic themes he composed for the original film.

The supporting cast is made up of quite a few familiar faces, most notably Veronica Cartwright (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1978), who is clearly having fun as the haunted matriarch, Octavia Tarrant. Kelly Rowan (The Gate) is in an awkward position as Annie, the female lead forced to ride in the backseat of her own film because the villain is a far more interesting character. Bill Nunn (Do the Right Thing) serves as the moral compass of the picture as Reverend Ellis, community leader and parent to a boy with an artistic flair for sketching hate crimes. Michael Culkin (Immortal Beloved) reprises his role as the deliciously nasty Phillip Purcell from the first movie and is pretty awesome despite his limited screen time. Everyone else in the cast just kind of fills in the background of the screen without much resonance.

Farewell to the Flesh is not a terrible movie, just a confused one. There are enough interesting elements to keep you watching, but the rewards are greater for anyone that missed the first installment. The iconic figure was finally laid to rest a few years later with the dismal Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999) and despite threats of a series reboot, he has remained dormant for the past 16 years. Lord knows I have danced around his name countless times in this review, but hopefully the reward will be a Blu-ray release of the original feature!