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Candyman (1992)
They will say
that I have shed innocent blood. What's blood for if not for shedding? With my hook for a hand, I'll split you from your groin to your gullet. I came for you. It's the scariest story I have ever heard, and it's true. It happened a few years ago near Moses Lake in Indiana. Clara was babysitting for the Johnsons. And Billy pulls up on his motorcycle. She wasn't going out with Billy but with Michael for about six months. But she always had the hots for Billy cos he was like, a bad boy. And Michael was just... so nice. So, anyway, she decides that tonight's the night that she's gonna give Billy what she never gave to Michael. - Have you ever heard of Candyman? - No. Well, his right hand is sawn off. He has a hook jammed in the bloody stump. And if you look in the mirror and you say his name five times, he'll appear behind you breathing down your neck. You wanna try it? So Billy began. - He looked in the mirror and he said... - Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. No one ever got past four. Not here. Go downstairs. I have a surprise for you. She looked in the mirror and, I don't know why, but she said his name the last time. Candyman. She turned out the lights... What he saw turned his hair white from shock. Killed her, split her open with his hook and then killed the baby too. Billy got away, but soon after, he went crazy. My roommate's boyfriend knows him. So, when did you first hear this story? My friend heard it on the radio. It's sick. The babysitterjust roasted the kid, like it was a turkey or something. So, what's the deal? You guys doing a page on serial killers or something? - Something like that. - That's it. We're done. - All right. - Thanks. No problem. - See ya. - See ya. See ya. They get younger every day. Does anybody remember the craze for pet baby alligators? When they got big, people flushed them down the toilet. They live in the sewers now. Some of them are 30 feet long. Where did this happen? Miami. They went blind from living in the dark. It wasn't Miami, it was New York. I read it in the paper. Then it must be true. Why would Danny and Diane both be suffering from the same delusion in two cities 1,000 miles apart? Let's face it, folks. There are no alligators in the sewers. No, it's round the campfire, it's bedtime stories. These stories are modern, oral folklore. They are the unselfconscious reflection of the fears of urban society. That's lunch. ...primordial reptile. It's a monster, right? Why? Ouch. Ooh. Eugh. - Ah, the dashing professor. - The lovely wife. Hello. Helen, the crme de la crme. Harold, Diane, Daniel, Stacey. - Hi. - Hello. Keep up the good work. Thanks for your contributions. - Thanks. Bye. - See you. Bye. See ya. So you wanna tell me about this girl? What's her name? Stacey. She could barely look me in the eyes, Trevor, and I swear she was blushing. Well, I guess that's because she's madly in love with me. All those bursting adolescent hormones. - You don't really think... - No, of course not. Good. I should hope not. So, what's the matter? Trevor... You said you wouldn't do urban legends until next semester. You knew Bernadette and I were gathering data. Why did you have to ruin it? Honey, you can't expect me to hold up their education while the two of you complete your thesis. - I have a curriculum to follow. - Yes, I know. Well? So don't be mad at me. If you look in the mirror and say his name five times, he'll appear behind you breathing down your neck. - Can I clean the room? - Oh, sure. Don't mind me. So Billy began. He looked in the mirror and he said, "Candyman, Candyman, Candyman... " Candyman, huh? - Have you heard of him? - Mm-hmm. You doin' a study on him? Yes, I am. What have you heard? Everybody's scared of him once it gets dark. He live over at Cabrini. My friend told me about him. - Cabrini-Green? - Yeah, in the projects. I don't know too much about it, but my friend, she know all about it. Her cousin live at Cabrini. They say he killed a lady. - Can I talk to you friend? - Sure. - Kitty? - Yeah? What do you want? - Lady down here wanna talk to you. - All right. She comin'. I'm Helen Lyle. Pleased to meet you. Henrietta Mosely. - And this is Kitty Culver. - Hello. Tell her about the Candyman. All I know was there was some lady in a tub, and she heard a noise. - Do you remember her name? - I think her name was Ruthie Jean. She heard this bangin' like somebody was tryin' to make a hole in the wall. So Ruthie called 911 and said there's somebody comin' through the walls. They didn't believe her. - They thought she was crazy. - Mm-hm. So she called 911 again, and they still didn't believe her. When they finally got there, she was dead. - Was she shot? - No... Um, she was killed with a hook. It's true. Yeah, it is. I read it in the papers. Candyman killed her. Yeah, but I don't know nothin' about that. This is sick. This isn't a fairytale. A woman got killed here. Jesus. That's not the half of it. That's Cabrini-Green, not that you'd recognise it. No kidding. I won't even drive past there. - A kid got shot there the other day. - Every day. Look carefully at this picture. And then this one. You spot it? No. That's not Cabrini-Green. That's this building, Lincoln Village. My apartment was built as a housing project. - No? - Yeah. Now take a look at this. The city realised there was no barrier between here and the Gold Coast. Unlike the highway and the El train to keep the ghetto cut off. Exactly. So they made some alterations. They covered the cinder block in plaster and sold the lot off as condos. - How much did you pay for this place? - Don't ask. Now wait till you see this. Here's the proof. The killer, or killers, they don't know which, smashed through the back of this cabinet. See, there's no wall there. Only a medicine chest separates us from the other apartment. There could be somebody on the toilet! - The apartment's vacant. - Are you sure? There. OK. Now take a look. That is amazing. - What? - I saw a light go on. There's nobody there. - Psyche. - That's not funny. - You didn't scare me at all. - Yeah, right. You don't believe all that nonsense, do you? I don't. Do you? No. All right. Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman... Candyman. Oh, you chicken! You have to do it five times. Go again. Trevor? - Oh, Trevor! - What? Who were you expecting? - What time is it? - It's late, and I'm smashed. Sorry I scared you. What's with the arsenal? We're only going eight blocks. - You got us dressed up like cops. - I just said dress conservatively. No, we look like cops. - Why are you trying to scare me? - I'm not. I just want you to know the gangs hold this whole neighbourhood hostage. OK, let's just turn around. We can write a boring thesis regurgitating all the usual crap about urban legend. We've got a real shot here, Bernadette. A community attributes the daily horrors of their lives to a mythical figure. If Trevor and Archie were here, would they chicken out? - In a second. - Exactly. All right. - You wanna wait here for me? - No. Well, then let's go. - Check 'em out. - Lock the car. Hey, now. Want somethin', baby? I got it for you. Say, yo, mama. Come on, baby. Yo, baby. - Which way you goin'? - Just going inside. Yeah? - You can't come up in here. - Who you lookin' for? - Just going up to see a friend. - Sure you're not the police? Look like Five-O to me. Ask blondie where she goin'. - Who you goin' to see? - Let's take the stairs. Come on. Where you all goin' there? Heads up, people. Five-O comin' up the back door. Police! It's OK. They think we're cops. They're not going to follow us. Hang on. - Look at this. - This is great. "Sweets to... " - "The sweet. " - "Sweets to the sweet. " - Hurry up, Helen. - Lemme get the door. - Sorry. - Jesus, Helen. - Here it is. - Don't go in there. Come on. Jesus, it stinks. I was right. The layout is identical. Which means that the bathroom is over there. - Helen... - What's the problem? A woman died in there. Leave it. It's all right. There's nothing to see. - Wait. - This is where he broke through, right? Yeah. - Well, we found it. Let's go. - Wait a second. OK. Hang onto this. I'm just gonna go through. - Then we're outta here. - You're kidding. It's a derelict apartment. What if somebody's packing drugs in there? You gonna apologise and give 'em your card? Huh? All right. Let's listen. - There's nobody in there. - OK. Hurry up. Be careful. Give me the camera. - You got five minutes. - OK. Five. Damn it. Bernadette! Sorry. - I ran out of film. I gotta go back. - No way. - You can't... - No, way, Helen. We're outta here! Hey, what y'all doin' in there? We're just leaving. - You here for the sweets? - No. We're not cops. - We're from the university. - You don't belong here, lady. Goin' through people's apartments and things. My name is Helen Lyle. This is Bernadette Walsh. We're doing a thesis, and we were wondering if we could talk to you. Here. This is my card. My baby. Come on. Let's go. Whites don't ever come here, 'cept to cause us a problem. Believe me, that's not what we want to do. Let's go in. So you're doing a study? What you gonna say? That we're bad? Hmm? We steal? We gang-bang? We all on drugs, right? We ain't all like them assholes downstairs. I just wanna raise my child good. - He's a beautiful little boy. - He's all I got. - What's his name? - Anthony. I'm Anne-Marie. Anne-Marie McCoy. - Nice to meet you. - Sorry we disturbed you. - We'll just get out of your way. - It's OK. I don't mean to be rude. It's... You know, the white folks that come round here ain't too handshakin' with us. - Hey, what you doin'? - Let me help you. Making a mess here, huh? Thank you. Thanks. - You got kids? - No, but I'd love one. Hey... Got my eye on this one, big time. Yeah. They're not gonna get him. You wanna know about Ruthie Jean? They all been here, you know? Newspapers, cops. Case workers. They all wanna know. I heard her screamin'. I heard her right through the walls. I dialled 911. Nobody came. Nobody came. Everybody scared. He come right through these walls, you know? I- I'm scared. Scared for my child. - They ain't never gonna catch him. - Who? Candyman. If they saw something they liked, they'd point. They thought it was rude to point. - What did they do? - They went... Spat over people. Quite extraordinary. - Be nice. - I am being nice. So how are the two most beautiful graduate students getting along? Trevor tells me you've been dabbling in my favourite subject. I can't wait to review your data. I can fit you in tomorrow. We're not ready yet. That's the moment at which I can be of greatest assistance. Before you disappear down a path to academic oblivia. I think I've been there. Actually, Purcell, we're about to bury you. - Helen... - What? We'll have something for you soon. - We only went to Cabrini today, and... - Ah! Cabrini-Green. Candyman country. If you're after the hook man, read the paper I wrote about him ten years ago. You do know the story, don't you? No... Then how are you going to bury me? The legend first appeared in 1890. Candyman was the son of a slave. His father had amassed a considerable fortune from designing a device for the mass-producing of shoes after the Civil War. Candyman had been sent to the best schools and had grown up in polite society. He had a prodigious talent as an artist and was much sought after when it came to the documenting of one's wealth and position in society in a portrait. It was in this latter capacity that he was commissioned by a wealthy landowner to capture his daughter's virginal beauty. Well, of course, they fell deeply in love, and she became pregnant. Hmph. Poor Candyman. The father executed a terrible revenge. He paid a pack of brutal hooligans to do the deed. They chased Candyman through the town to Cabrini-Green, where they proceeded to saw off his right hand with a rusty blade. No one came to his aid. But this was just the beginning of his ordeal. Nearby there was an apiary. Dozens of hives, filled with hungry bees. They smashed the hives and stole the honeycomb... ...and smeared it over his prone, naked body. Candyman was stung to death by the bees. They burned his body on a giant pyre and then scattered his ashes over Cabrini-Green. Hello. Anne-Marie ain't in. - Are you sure? - Yeah. She said you'd be back. What's your name? Jake. Well, listen, Jake, maybe you can help me out. I wanted to find out about that woman who got killed. Do you know anything about that? Her name was Ruthie Jean. I don't know nothin'. Did anybody else talk about it? It's OK to talk to me, Jake. Cos I'm not a cop. - So nobody's gonna get in trouble. - I can't say nothin', or Candyman'll get me. Candyman, huh? You scared of him? I ain't scared of nobody. But you're crazy walkin' here on your own. - It ain't safe around here. - Yeah, I know. But I don't scare too easy either, Jake. You know, you don't have to tell me. You could just show me. And if you show me where Candyman is, I'll make you a promise. It'll be our secret. Unless you're too scared. - Somebody building a bonfire? - Yeah, for the party. In there. - Candyman's in there? - My friend Charlie says so. A boy got killed there. - Who was he? - Ain't sure. Charlie tell me he was weird. - He was crazy? - No, a retard. His mom was in the store. And the boy needed to go to the bathroom. His mom was takin' her time, choosin' this, lookin' at that. So the boy started moanin'. His mom get mad at him. Sent him across the street. His mom's at the checkout. She hears her boy screamin'. Mommy! Mommy! There's a big tough guy. He runs over to check it out. Come out of there shakin'and cryin'. He only been in there five seconds. Come out of there and his hair turned white. I mean, it turned white, just like that. Was the boy murdered? Worse. He's lyin' on the floor in a pool of blood, holdin' himself. Mommy! Mommy! They found it floating in a toilet. Can't fix that. Better off dead. Did Candyman do this? - Listen, you wait here for me, OK? - OK. Hello? Candyman. Oh, excuse me. I'm done here. I'll just get out of your way. I don't want to interfere with your business. I'm not a cop. I'm from the University of Illinois. And... I'll just get out of your way. Hey, come on! Let me go! You're not being very smart. My colleagues know where I am and are expecting me. Now let me go! I hear you're lookin' for Candyman, bitch. Well, you found him. We hear you're looking for Candyman, bitch. Step back. Number four, step forward and say the line. We hear you're looking for Candyman, bitch. Step back. Number five, step forward and say the line. We hear you're looking for Candyman, bitch. Step back. Take 'em out. - Number five. - Good work. - How'd you catch him? - We swept the place. Start from the top floor, work down. That way you can flush them all out. Whole of Cabrini's locked down now. You're lucky to be alive, Ms Lyle. - Did he kill Ruthie Jean? - No question. Killed that poor kid as well. He ran the Overlords. We knew everything about him. We didn't bring him in before because no one would testify. We can't protect them down at Cabrini-Green. They knew that. What about the little boy? Jake? We don't need him. We have you. Hey, Jake. I wanted to thank you for saving my life. - I wanna go home. - We'll get you outta here right away. - You did good. - You said it was our secret. - You lied. - It still is, Jake. You won't have to go to court. Candyman will get me. Candyman isn't real. He's just a story. You know, like Dracula or Frankenstein. A bad man took his name so he could scare us. Now he's locked up. Everything's gonna be OK. Candyman ain't real? No. - Hey! - Slow down! - You're supposed to be the invalid. - No, it's better. Look. See? - Yeah, it looks great. - Come and sit. - You haven't eaten already, have you? - No, of course not. OK, good. Hey, welcome back. - Thanks. - Let me see. I'm so glad you're OK. I would've totally freaked. You know what bugs me? Two people get murdered, and the cops do nothing. A white woman's attacked, and they lock the place down. Yeah, I know, but this was a bad guy. You got him put away. That's all that matters. Oh! I've got a surprise for you. - What? - You're not gonna believe it. - The pictures. - A friend of mine saved most of them. I'd written them off. The camera was smashed. And I've been talking to some publishers. There's a lot of interest since you made the local section. We're gonna be published. I'll come over tomorrow, and we'll get started. - Yeah. - OK. Helen... Yes. Helen... Who is that? Who is that? Helen... I came for you. Do I know you? No... No, but you doubted me. - I'm sorry. I have to go. - No need to leave yet. But I'm late. You are not content with the stories, so I was obliged to come. Be my victim. Be my victim. I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom. Without these things, I am nothing. So now I must shed innocent blood. Come with me. Anthony! Anthony! No, no! No... Anthony! No! - Anne-Marie? - No! You bitch! You bitch! - Stay back! - Where's my baby? My baby! You murderer! You... Please, stop! Now, stop! Stop! Police! Open up! Hold it right there! Back away! Now! Look out, look out! Remove your sweater. Drop it and slide it over to me. Take off your brassiere. Can I please take a shower? Oh, God... Drop it and slide it over to me. Lift up your arms. Lift your left breast. Your right. Remove your underwear. Can I please speak with Detective Valento? Remove your underwear. Frank... Ms Lyle, you're under arrest. Do you understand? - Please let me explain. - Do you understand? - Yes, but... - You have the right to remain silent. Do you understand? - This is crazy. I was attacked. - Respond to the question! I understand. At approximately 10pm, Anne-Marie McCoy returned to her apartment. She discovered her dog with its head cut off. She cried for assistance, at which point you attacked her with a meat cleaver. You were still in possession of this weapon when the arresting officers came to her aid. Where's the baby? - I-I don't know. - You're sick. Before any further questions, would you like to have counsel? Yes or no? I- I-I would like to make a phone call. We can't take your call. Leave a message after the tone. Trevor, are you there? Pick up. It's an emergency, Trevor. Pick up the phone. I've been arrested. I'm at the 18th District. Can you please come pick me up? That's it. Do you know what time it is? Oh, God. There's gotta be another way out. Cover her face. Don't say anything. Walk to the car. OK. You'll be fine. Stick with me. - There she is! - Just keep your head down. - Right here! - Back off! Back off. We have no comment. Nothing to say. We have absolutely nothing to say. My client has not been charged with a thing. ...information has indicated that baby Anthony was abducted and may still be alive. The blood may have come from the dog. A suspect was released after questioning, and I guess we'll just have to follow this one as it devel... Well, at least they didn't mention your name. That's good. They haven't charged you because they think they'll find the body. They're shooting for murder one, but I don't think they have a chance. - Do you think I did it? - No, nobody believes that. But it's crossed your mind? Is there anything, any detail, however small, that you can recall that would help us substantiate your version of events? I- I blacked out. I mean, I... I don't know what happened. I just woke up in that place, and there was blood everywhere. Can I get you anything? Are you sure? Honey, I was supposed to go over to the campus and pick up some work. I'm concerned about leaving you alone. - I'll be about 20 minutes. - Trevor? Where were you last night? I was here. Fast asleep. I thought you were with Bernadette. Look, honey, I'm gonna stand by you. We're gonna get through this, OK? I'll be right back. Believe in me. Be my victim. Please... Do you believe in me? - Keep away from me! - I have the child. Allow me to take you, or he will die in your place. No. Your disbelief destroyed the faith of my congregation. Without them, I am nothing. So I was obliged to come. And now I must kill you. Your death will be a tale to frighten children, to make lovers cling closer in their rapture. Come with me and be immortal. Helen? Helen, it's Bernie. Wh... Bernadette? Bernadette, go... Helen. Helen, honey, it's Bernadette. Let me in. He's here... Bernadette... Go! Helen! Helen? Go on! Get out! Oh, no... No, no, no... Trevor... Trevor, he's here. He's here. He's... here. Don't let him kill me. Trevor? Trevor! Trevor! Trevor! Trevor. Trevor! - Hey, hey. - Trevor! Take her outside. Trevor... Hold me, Trevor, please? Why do you want to live? If you would learn just a little from me, you would not beg to live. I am rumour. It is a blessed condition, believe me. To be whispered about at street corners. To live in other people's dreams but not to have to be. Do you understand? Please, God, don't let him kill the baby. Trevor! Trevor? Trevor! Where are you going? You can't leave me here. I can't defend myself! No... What do the good know, except what the bad teach them by their excesses. Murderer... Allow me at least a kiss. Just one exquisite kiss. Murderer! Help! He's under the bed! Bring me 1,000 mills. He's here. He's under the bed! No... Don't... She's coming around. Morning. I'd like to speak to my husband. So would I. - There we go. - What time is it? - Where are we going? - We're going to Disneyland. Clyde, open it up. Whitley, Clyde, open it up. What were you all doing back there? A little reading, huh? Freak. - Dr Burke? - Yes. Ms Lyle, I'm Dr Burke. - I'd like to speak to my husband. - I'm sure we can arrange a visit. A visit? Have I been committed? Do you really think these restraints are necessary? Helen, this... is a writ of detention from the state attorney's office. - For the past month... - Month? Yes. We've been stabilising you on a heavy dosage of Thorazine. You probably remember very little, or nothing. - Get me my attorney. - I'm working for your defence. We have to assess your ability to stand trial. Helen, you've been charged with first-degree murder. Why don't you tell me what happened in your apartment? The night you were admitted, did the killer appear to you? Murderer! Murderer! Murderer! Help me! He's here! He's under the bed! I don't understand. Help! Please! He's here! Help me! Help me! Please! - That... - He's under the bed... That's not possible. Bernadette. I'm not capable of that. No matter what's going wrong, I know one thing. That no part of me, no matter how hidden, is capable of that. - I can prove it. - How? I can call him. Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman... Candyman. You're mine now. Tonight our congregation shall witness a new miracle. Ah... Dr Burke? Dr Burke? Dr Burke, please answer. Dr Burke! Code nine, Ward B-5, stat. Code nine, Ward B-5, stat. Check the west wing! - All clear! - Right! Go, go, go! We have a direction on this one? Please be home, Trevor. Please be home. Get out of my home. Trevor! What's the matter, sweetie pie? Did you make another little boo-boo? What are you doing here? I live here. Remember? Call the hospital. Don't touch the phone. What's the matter, Trevor? Scared of something? I hate the colour scheme. Were you going to wait till I got out before you told me? Helen... You knew I was never coming out, didn't you? I think we should call the hospital. OK. Go on. Go on. Is that what you wanna do? Call them. I'm not a murderer. I'm not... Trevor, you were all I had left. It's over. If you'd like to make a call, hang up and try again. They will all abandon you. All you have left is my desire for you. Helen... You came to me. The child... - We had a deal. - Surrender to me now... ...and he shall be unharmed. - We have a bargain. - But I'm afraid. Do you fear the pain, or what is beyond? Both. The pain, I can assure you, will be exquisite. As for our deaths, there is nothing to fear. Our names will be written on a thousand walls, our crimes told and retold by our faithful believers. We shall die together in front of their very eyes and give them something to be haunted by. Come with me and be immortal. No! No... Shh. Shh. You're mine now. It's time for a new miracle. It was always you, Helen. It was always you. He's here. I'm coming. - It's OK. - Check it out, man. Oh... Yes. What happened? Candyman's in there. I saw him go in there. I saw his hook. Candyman's in there! I saw his hook! Shh. I knew you'd come. Burn him. Hush. Burn him! Burn him! Burn him! Burn him! Help! Burn! Burn! Burn! Help! Help me! You lied to me. We must be on our way now, you and I. Our bones will soon be ashes, and we shall never be separated again. Let me go. I cannot. We are already dead. Helen! Come back to me! Come back! We commend to Almighty God our sister Helen and commit her body to the ground. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless her and keep her and give her peace. God of holiness and power, accept our prayers on behalf of your servant Helen. Do not call her deeds against her, for in her heart she desired to do your will. Almighty God, bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. My God. Look at that. Trevor? Trevor? What is it? - Trevor, are you all right? - Yeah, I'm fine. Aren't you hungry? No, I'm OK. I'll eat later. I was gonna make us a nice dinner. OK. Whatever. Hey, why don't you help me make the salad? OK. I'll be there in a minute. Oh, Helen... Helen... Helen. Helen. Ow! What's the matter, Trevor? Scared of something? Trevor... My God, Trevor? Trevor? Trevor? |
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