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Hey pod and Happy Thursday! This episode is the 5th part of our Black August series, where we talk about the films that highlight Black resistance, freedom fighters, and political prisoners. Tonight, we turn to horror, which is a genre that often lends itself to the brutality that is our history as well as current events.
Candyman is a horror film written and directed by Bernard Rose released in 1992. Skeptical graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) befriends Anne-Marie McCoy (Vanessa Williams) while researching superstitions in a housing project on Chicago's Near North Side. From Anne-Marie, Helen learns about the Candyman (Tony Todd), a knife-wielding figure of urban legend that some of her neighbors believe to be responsible for a recent murder. After a mysterious man matching the Candyman's description begins stalking her, Helen comes to fear that the legend may be all too real. We will also be discussing the remake written by Jordan Peele and directed by Nia DaCosta, released in 2021 starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris.
We have Luticha Doucette, a returning guest joining us virtually. Luticha is the author of the groundbreaking book: Cultivating An Intersectional Mindset. She also was featured in an anthology, called Our Power- A Solitary Reverie. An inductee into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame established by the National Disability Mentoring Coalition and the 2020 – 2021 Distinguished Alumni Awardee from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Luticha’s research and writing has been featured in various publications such as Insect Molecular Biology, Toxicon, The New York Times, and Yes! Magazine. She is the owner of Catalyst Consulting Associates, which helps organizations, leaders, and advocates examine equity across race, gender identity, and disability in policies, practices, procedures, and relationships.
Helpful articles for this episode:
https://ndquarterly.org/2022/01/06/short-take-race-and-urbanism-in-nia-dacostas-candyman
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/aug/25/candyman-review-nia-dacosta-jordan-peele-horror
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/aug/21/candyman-yahya-abdul-mateen-ii
Wherever you’re listening from, hit that subscribe button, give us a 5-star rating, share this episode and leave a comment to let us know what you thought of tonight’s episode. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, & Threads.
Visit ourvoicesproject.com and sign up for our newsletter for more information about what we do. We’ll be back with another episode going into September to finish our Black August series with Attica (which is on YouTube).
Chapters
00:00 Intro
08:35 Cultural Commentary and Social Issues in Candyman
11:45 The Role of Race and Identity in Horror
14:35 Humanization and Resistance in the Sequel
17:36 The Impact of Gentrification and Police Violence
20:34 Conclusion: Lessons from Candyman
33:08 Representation of Black Women in Cinema
40:55 Exploring Black Struggles in Horror Films
45:50 The Role of Animation in Horror Representation
Mentioned in this episode:
Joe Bean Roasters
Visit joebeanroasters.com to get fresh roasted specialty coffee either by the bag or with a Perpetual Joy subscription!
Our Voices Project - Land Acknowledgement
