10 Horror Movies That Changed Their Franchise

8. Candyman (2021)

Evil Dead II
Universal

Bernard Rose's 1991 Candyman is an utter classic, introducing the world to Tony Todd's hook-handed Daniel Robitaille. Unfortunately, 1995 follow-up Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh was so-so (at absolute best), and 1999's Candyman 3: Day of the Dead was a total stinker.

Not only was Nia DaCosta's 2021 Candyman thankfully a great film in its own right, but it also changed the foundations of the franchise.

With artist Anthony (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) exploring the legend of the Candyman and Cabrini-Green, his quest for artistic inspiration starts to take a sinister turn when dead bodies mysteriously begin to turn up - all with ties to the Candyman.

DaCosta's movie has two notable reveals; the first being that Anthony was the young boy Helen Lyle sacrificed herself for in the first Candyman; the second being that not just is Anthony this modern-day Candyman, but that there's a Candyman Hive made up of black men who'd fatally faced racial injustice over the years.

As the 2021 picture concludes with Anthony blamed for a slew of murders he didn't commit, him being gunned down by the police cements the character as the latest member of this Hive - meaning he can be summoned simply by looking in the mirror and saying Candyman five times.

 
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.