In Chicago, Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) and her friend Bernadette Walsh (Kasi Lemmons) are researching for their thesis about urban legend in the University of Illinois, where Helen's husband Trevor Lyle (Xander Berkeley) gives classes. Helen becomes obsessed by the legend of the Candyman (Tony Todd), a son of slaves whose father became rich in 1890 after inventing a device for mass producing of shoes. The educated Candyman was an artist, but when the daughter of a powerful man got pregnant of him, her father hired some hooligans that saw off his right hand with a rusty blade, took him to an apiary with dozens of hives with hungry bees, smashed the hives and smeared honeycomb in his naked body. Candyman was stung to death by the bees, than his body was burnt in a giant pyre and the ashes scattered on Cabrini Green. Candyman stays alive in the legend that says that he would appear if his name is spoken five times in front of the mirror, and the skeptical Helen summons Candyman. Helen and Bernadette go to Cabrini Green, where two unsolved murders had happened, and the dwellers blame Candyman for the crimes. Helen's disbelief brings Candyman back; the dog of Cabrini Green's dweller Anne-Marie McCoy (Vanessa Williams) is slashed and her baby vanishes, and Helen is blamed. Later Candyman kills her friend Bernadette, and Helen is accused of first degree murder and arrested, while she unsuccessfully tries to prove that Candyman is the real killer.<br /><br />"Candyman" is a gore and well-developed horror movie with a character visibly inspired in the urban legend of Bloody Mary. The screenplay sustains the ambiguity of Helen's sanity, and it is never clear if Candyman does really exist or the murders are committed by the disturbed and impressed Helen. Virginia Madsen is excellent in her performance of a woman in the edge of insanity and Tony Todd is amazing with his strong and dark voice. The great music score of Philip Glass fits perfectly to the movie and is another plus. My vote is seven.<br /><br />Title (Brazil): "O Mistério de Candyman" ("The Mystery of Candyman")