#it reminds me of white people in the south posing with lynched black men posing for the camera and smiling

[tooquirkytolose]

I've been watching videos and following reporters in gaza documenting all the destruction and aggression and it's horrible, but for some reason i found the videos of israelis moking prisoners with children's songs even more unnerving. It's objectively not as bad, but something about seeing people delight in the cruelty, and how kids are taught to dehumanize others so young, it gets under my skin and disturbs me

Yeah like I've seen some horrible shit (all those videos and photographs of dead bodies, which I personally do not like to share but I GET why people do) but something about seeing people being so balls off the wall cartoonishly evil and then posting about it online for the clout gave me such a visceral reaction like nothing else

[herstory5]

“Who’s Afraid of the Big BLACK Boogie MAN?”

WARNING!!!! SPOILER ALERT!

Candyman, the original 1992 film, is both a problematic and revolutionary representation of black horror. This is a tale of black suffering, as seen from a white perspective. Let's get right into it. When I first saw this film, I was nearly 12 years old, and was very frightened. Okay, I'll admit it: my recollection of this film is traumatic.

OMG! With clearer vision, the whole "Be my victim" scenario is despicable. In hindsight, this is a striking illustration of ‘rape culture,' which I had previously failed to recognize. This is a common practice in Hollywood. In my "Sunken Place - Black Horror" course, we viewed a film with a similar scene. Shot in 1915, the film is named "Birth of a Nation." Images of black monstrosity are crystal clear. Images of a white man in 'blackface' chasing a white woman through the woods. Comparably as depicted in the film, black men face the very realistic prospect of being executed for pursuing a white woman.

As a nearly 12-year-old girl, I didn't understand the seriousness of the issue posed by this feature. The film's intention was to evoke a sense of fear among audiences universally, and it succeeded brilliantly. But let's go into further detail. The movie's goal was clearly to instill irrational fear of the "Big Black Man" in its audience. That includes my people! I am really 'shooketh’ OMFG!! As a black woman, this film succeeded in leaving me terrified of the Big Black Boogie Man, and let's be honest, the prospect of ever having to be exposed to life in a destitute community like Cabrini Green was just as horrifying. It's disconcerting, however, to think that the filmmakers really attempted to make things appear more destitute on film. What a disappointment to find that Cabrini Green didn't resemble the deprivation as depicted on screen. This film reminds me of all the films I've seen over the years that have given me an unrealistic vision of minorities and even some of my own people. Films like - Juice, South Central, Don't Be a Menace II Society, Colors, and The Brave One starring Jodie Foster (OMG, this movie here - scene where she’s violently raped and brutalized!!!).

Candyman additionally gives off “King Kong” vibes. The big black monster obsession over the innocent white woman, destroying anything and everything that gets in his way. In the bonfire scene Candyman is seen wearing this large fur coat, clutching Helen (blonde white woman) firmly, which is very reminiscent of imagery in King Kong. What makes Candyman so appealing is because it exemplifies the widespread but unfounded fear of black men, black masculinity, black power, and black revenge. This pervasiveness is what makes the film so terrifying. For many black people, Candyman represents the many lives lost to white supremacy.

Let's fast forward 28 years into the remake of the film. From "Be my victim" to "Tell everyone” in a single sentence. There is a heavier political undercurrent in this new adaptation, but the horror elements are still there. Now more than ever, we can visualize black trauma through a black lens. All the murders of black people that have been disregarded throughout history. The film comes at a very opportune time in our current social climate, with the countless of black murders at the hands of those who are supposed to uphold the law and the continued social unrest. In the original film Candyman was tortured and lynched by white supremist because his love of a white woman. However, it’s very problematic that he in turns terrorizes his own people, which has always bothered me. And not just haunt any black community, but one of the most underserved. They already have enough to agonize about. 

The visuals in this latest adaptation are stunning. Images of unrest and the Candyman myth are very apparent in Anthony’s painting. The people of the now-gentrified Cabrini Green housing complex were evicted so that developers could take over. Framing Anthony is William's last desperate attempt to save the neighborhood from becoming transformed, since he is one of the few surviving inhabitants. William’s reasons are that gentrifiers may avoid the complex if they learn that Candyman has resurrected. Although he appears afraid of this transformation, and though it appears as his ‘calling’ so to speak (looking into his past), we are getting a front row seat to the metamorphous in which Anthony, the protagonist, turns into a nefarious redeemer of the victims of police brutality. It commemorates the atrocities that occurred on Candyman in the past without forcing viewers to revisit via a puppet show. He's a key component of the Candyman storyline because, no matter how hard he fights, he's connected to America's profound history of racism.

Let’s get into the character of Anthony’s mother played by Vanessa Williams, who also reprised her role as Anthony’s mother in the original film. For some reason, the part when she makes the non-verbal signals and then says "don't say that" took me, since it so clearly plays to the audiences’ sensibilities. Those who are know... know. You should neva...eva... say that man's name. Forget saying it 5x's.... DONT SAY HIS NAME!

The film hit close to home for me because of the realistic comparisons it drew to my own experience of leaving an unhealthy relationship. Anthony's mental health is affected by both his own childhood trauma and the suffering of his neighborhood, which had an adverse effect on his relationship with Brianna (this name continuously made me think of Breonna Taylor). My first husband's substance abuse, mental illness, and perhaps traumatic upbringing almost took my life. I was left displaced in a women's shelter in South Central Los Angeles with 2 children. I was living out my worst fears - talk about real-life black horror!!

At the film's conclusion, Candyman represents all the Black victims who were unjustly murdered as a result of white supremacy. The Big Black Boogie Man was transformed from a monster into a redeemer. Among other things, Candyman is a horror film, a parody (at times), and a political film. It heavily alludes to the slogan "Say Their Names" and confronts with the pain of Black history that has been inflicted by institutionalized racism.