The only thing I think could be better than another Casket Match from the phenom in 2021! Netflix and the WWE have partnered up to bring one really cool Halloween special featuring The Undertaker to the streaming service giant on October 5th, 2021- Escape the Undertaker!
That’s right folks, The Undertaker (Mark Calaway), gets his own and FIRST featured film for the Halloween season- as far cry from playing second fiddle to the Hulkster as a toddler- talking bounty hunter from Outer Space, (heh, Suburban Commando). And it’s fan-friendly as an interactive experience where Escape the Undertaker will give viewers the power to decide the actions of the Undertaker’s new victims, as they try to escape the wrath of the WWE legend.
“In this interactive film featuring WWE Superstars, The Undertaker has set a trap for the decorated tag team The New Day at his mansion. What they don’t know: The Undertaker’s mansion is an extreme Haunted House, packed to the brim with supernatural challenges. It’s up to viewers to decide the fate of these three poor souls trying to survive the wrath of The Undertaker.”
Horror fans’ favorite streaming service Shudder announced that in celebrating 40 years of the Mistress of the Dark, Movie Macabre is back with Elvira’s 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special Special to air on September 25th, 2021 at 8 PM.
In a statement from the Queen herself: “It’s always tough turning 40. But what better way to mark the occasion than a one-night stand with Shudder, the spookiest of streamers? It’s going to be the ultimate Hallow-anniversa-ween bash, and you don’t want to miss it.”
The slinky horror hostess will host a slew of classic horror films, starting off with her very own 1988 flick, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark! After that, we have William Castle’s House On Haunted Hill (1959) with The City Of The Dead to follow. And to top off the cherry on this horror sundae, Messiah Of Evil sees the end of the marathon special.
Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson is known throughout the world as the ultimate Queen of Halloween. No words have ever been more true and the forever young beauty holds the title strong 40 years after the first appearance of the Elvira persona. Cassandra and her best friend, Robert Redding, came up with the sexy punk/vampire look back in the early 80’s after winning the role to bring back the show Fright Night, a local Los Angeles based television horror show that presented low-budget horror and science fiction films. Fright Night became Movie Macabre with the sexy new host and the rest is history. Elvira is one of the most recognizable horror icons today and has etched her place in horror history as a cult favorite and legend in her own right- and a damn sweetheart to boot.
I’ll never forget the day I met the legendary hostess and I can say without flinching, she is the most down to Earth, loveable woman I’ve ever come across who truly enjoys what she does and her fans. I’ve met quite a few celebrities’ through interviews and cons throughout my horror blogging run, and she maintains my favorite after all these years.
Even though she refused to share her forever young beauty secrets with me.
There are three certainties in life: Death, taxes, and the absolute truth that no SANE kid from the 90s’ will actually say Candyman in the mirror five times without pissin’ their pants a little bit.
Candyman, based on a story by Clive Barker titled “The Forbidden”, is a cautionary tale of racism, betrayal, and revenge that formed both into a modern urban legend both on and off-screen. The 1992 film will all know so well that later spawned two sequels, stars the legendary Tony Todd as the “Candyman” and Virginia Madsen as Helen Lyle as his opposite and ultimate “victim”. Helen, a bright student investigating the Candyman lore in rural Detroit for her thesis, discovers the shocking and very real horrors behind the “legend” while also becoming a bit of one herself. In one of the earlier scenes in the film in particular where Helen and her associate Bernadette are nosing around Cabrini Green, Helen takes off by herself in a crawl space and finds an “offering” to what is obviously Candyman- a pile of candy, that has razor blades in it. Yet, another urban legend in itself that was used cleverly in the film, and may have possibly served as the inspiration for Nia DaCosta’s version of Candyman herself.
In this fresh, new take on the story that keeps caused a shit-ton of sleepless nights for me personally in the 90s’, Michael Hargrove takes on the role Todd made infamous, as Sherman Fields, aka Candyman. Fields, before being brutally murdered by police, was a one-handed man who used to give sweets to the children of Cabrini-Green; which actually seems really nice! However, he is later falsely accused of putting razor blades inside the candy, resulting in a death that, especially now, holds a lot horrific truths into our own reality even today in 2021.
While it definitely isn’t a case of foreshadowing here, it certainly feels like DaCosta got some inspiration for the Candyman’s origins from the 1992 film. Kind of gives a new and twisted meaning to “sweets to the sweet”, eh?
Now, a possible SPOLIER. I have NOT seen the film yet, but I have a theory, much like others, that may ruin it for those who haven’t connected these dots yet. So stop here if you’d rather be surprised.
In the 1992 film, Madsen comes across a woman named Anne Marie in Cabrini Green, who has an infant son named Anthony- who is later taken by Candyman and used as a pawn in his game with Helen. Helen essentially saves his life, while sealing her own fate.
In the new film, one of the main characters is Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Anthony McCoy; a visual artist who becomes obsessed with the Candyman legend. In several plot descriptions of the 2021 film, it has been repeated that he has a connection with Candyman himself. Is it possible that Anthony is in fact, Anne Marie’s child that was in the 1992 film?
It’s a completely plausible theory.
Are you excited to see Candyman this weekend? Drop your own thoughts, reviews, and theories below!
