10 Worst Betrayals In Horror Movie History 

2. Trevor Abandons Helen - Candyman (1992)

The Descent
TriStar Pictures

Bernard Rose's 1992 urban legend cult Candyman is an absolute belter; post-grad research students Helen and Bernadette are finalising their thesis on urban legends when they hear of the Candyman, a demonic killer who appears if you say his name five times in front of a mirror.

Helen is a textbook sceptic and believes cultural inequality amongst poorer communities in LA is the source of the myth. The Candyman, however, has to make Helen believe; the only way is not to tell her, but to show her...

Helen is catapulted into a waking nightmare, dared by the Candyman to 'be his victim' so the legend can live on. She finds herself inexplicably covered in blood at the scene of a crime; one decapitated dog, one missing baby and a screaming mother, who attacks Helen, blaming her for the grisly mess. Helen is arrested and when the Candyman claims another victim, she is committed to a mental ward.

Her husband and lecturer Trevor appears to offer all the love and support she'll need to prove her innocence, right up until Helen escapes and returns home to find him playing house with another student, Stacey. It's about the worst betrayal Helen could experience; accused of murder and sold out by the one person she trusted.

Helen's journey takes her to the grave but she still has one more trick up her sleeve. As Trevor remorsefully repeats her name, she appears in the mirror, Candyman style, now a vengeful ghost herself. "What's the matter Trevor? Scared of something?" whispers Helen, right before she rips his betraying guts out with a rusty hook.

Contributor
Contributor

A lifelong aficionado of horror films and Gothic novels with literary delusions of grandeur...