9 Once Terrifying Horror Villains Rendered Lame By Sequels

Clive Barker strikes gold again; after creating Pinhead he crafted another enduring horror figure with the Candyman, the hook-handed killer who appears when people say his name five times into a mirror.

Props should really go to actor Tony Todd though, who managed to make him both horrifying and sympathetic. The actor’s captivating voice, his imposing body language and his willingness to let bees crawl out of his mouth (for one scene) helped cement Candyman in the nightmares of the audience.

Sadly the sequel was just a dull retread, and the flashback revealing how he became a monster was too silly to be taken seriously. The character also became a bit of a ponderous douche, which didn’t help things in the scares department.

The third film – a straight to video clunker that even Todd disowned – was thankfully the last one, and proved that even the creepiest idea can quickly get run into the ground.