9 Horror Movies That Were Ahead Of Their Time

We’re currently in a golden age of socially conscious horror; films that provide scares and thoughtful messages in an intelligent fashion, rather than shoehorning hot topics into storytelling. A picture that seems to seldom get the credit it deserves for helping kickstart this is 1992’s Candyman.

Parts of the film have entered into the horror pantheon, specifically the means by which the titular ghoul is summoned (saying his name five times into a mirror). Less often discussed is the unusually refined nature of the Candyman himself. A descendent of slaves in the 19th century, he fell in love with a white woman and as a result was killed by a mob. Now, he haunts modern Chicago as a malevolent, murderous spirit.

Candyman is a story about the power of stories as much as anything else; the Candyman kills primarily to keep his legend alive, reclaiming his strength having lived and died in a time in which he had none.