8. Candyman (Bernard Rose 1992)
Unlike other movie monsters like Freddy Kruger or Michael Myers, the Candyman was created because he loved the wrong person. Daniel Robitaille (Tony Todd) was the son of a slave, but Daniel was raised free and as an adult he was an artist. He fell in love with a white woman, who he impregnated. A lynch mob attacked him, severing his painting hand and replacing it with a hook. He was then smothered in honey and stung to death by bees. His spirit can be summoned by saying his name five times into a mirror in the dark. If he appears, he kills the summoner with his hook. Helen (Virginia Madsen) is a graduate student who studies Urban Legends. She is investigating the myth of the Candyman when she accidentally un1leashes him turning her life into a living nightmare. Made in 1992 the film is still shocking and heartbreaking. Beyond the Candyman's creation, the film follows the relationship between Helen and Trevor (Xander Berkeley) as it starts to fall apart. It shows that despite feeling like you're at rock bottom, being hurt by a loved one is like being thrown a shovel and told to keep digging. The love aspects add drama not normally found in a slasher movie. Today the movie is considered a classic of the horror genre. Virginia Madsen's scream is famously unsettling and this film made Tony Todd a horror icon.