Fallen (1998)

Starring:

• Denzel Washington
• John Goodman
• Donald Sutherland
• Embeth Davidtz
• James Gandolfini
• Elias Koteas
• Gabriel Casseus
• Michael J. Pagan
• Robert Joy

Storyline

After witnessing the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas), whom he arrested, police detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington), and his partner, Jonesy (John Goodman), are soon investigating another murderer whose mode of operation is eerily similar to Reese's. In the course of the investigation, Hobbes meets theology professor Gretta Milano (Embeth Davidtz), who introduces him to the world of the occult and the possibility that an evil spirit is behind the killings.

Candyman 3: Day Of The Dead (1999)

Starring:

• Tony Todd
• Donna D'Errico
• Jsu Garcia

IMDB.com
The Candyman returns to try to convince his female descendent, an artist, to join him as a legendary figure. To this end, he frames her for a series of hideous murders of her friends and associates so that she has nowhere else to turn to.

For some reason, the third part of a trilogy always disappoints me, if only slightly. And that's just what Candyman 3: Day of the Dead does: slightly, not heavily, disappoints.

It seems that Caroline (the now-grown-up daughter of Annie from the second film) is on her in LA. She owns Daniel Robetaille's (the Candyman) paintings which she has chosen to show at the gallery of an aspiring artist.

Tempted by her friends, she says the Candyman's name five times because she feels she'll be doing him justice by proving his supposed non-existence. Although nothing happens while she is at the gallery opening, her life later begins to unravel as she finds the vengeful spirit slaughtering everyone around her (he killed her mother years before), with only Caroline appearing to be suspect.

Co-produced by Tony Todd, this somewhat hokey (and hopefully FINAL) entry to the Candyman films is not that bad. Although I consider anything to outwit its bland and tepid predecessor, this is not much better with acting (Donna D'Errico's Caroline is a shrieking wimp at best), and our heroine seems to exist only to scream, fill out a tank top, and see her friends slaughtered in extremely gory fashion.

The Latin "Day of the Dead" festival has almost no relevance in this film, as its concept is only used in one scene I can think of, but then again, it wouldn't have been wise to just call this entry "Candyman 3" and leave it at that. Let's hope after this fairly decent entry that film makers will do what they should...leave it at that.

Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh (1995)

Starring:

• Tony Todd
• Kelly Rowan
• William O'Leary

IMDB.com
The Candyman moves on to New Orleans and starts his horrific murders once more. This time, his intended victim is a school teacher. Her father was killed by the Candyman, and brother wrongly accused of the murders.

Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is actually a good sequel to the successful original. This one goes more in-depth than the original as we find out how Candyman came about and we see how he was killed. The plot is somewhat similar to the original. Candyman has moved from the slums of Chicago to the streets of New Orleans, during Mardi Gras. A schoolteacher named Annie Tarrant, whose father was murdered "Candyman-style" a few years earlier, does not believe in Candyman and says his name 5 times into a mirror to prove to her students he doesn't exist. Wrong move Annie. Soon after she does this a series of brutal murders occur while Candyman seduces her to "Be with him". Lots of bees and blood in this good sequel!