Candyman (2021) Movie Ending Explained [Spoiler]

Candyman is a slasher and supernatural horror movie released in 2021. This is the fourth film of the Candyman film series and the direct sequel of 1992 Candyman. Nia DaCosta directed this movie and was written by Jordan Peele. Candyman (2021) is written based on the short story “The Forbidden” by Clive Barker.

Candyman 2021 Ending Explained in Plot Details

* * * Spoiler Alert * * *

The movie started in 1977 when a young boy goes to do laundry. At the moment of entry, a policeman displayed a picture of a man to him. The boy goes inside the laundry. While he is alone in the room, he heeds a humming voice of a man who is coming from inside the hole of the wall. After a while, the boy marks a man coming outside through the hole with a hook for a hand. The bizarre man gives some candy to the boy with a smiling face. But the overall situation becomes extremely horrifying to the boy and he screams. And the police rush inside.

The scene changes here and comes to the present.

Troy Cartwright with his boyfriend Grady Greenberg visits Brianna’s house. Brianna is Troy’s sister, and she lived with her boyfriend Anthony McCoy in their new apartment. In the film we discover, Brianna is an art director and Anthony is a renowned artist.

At a point, the conversation turns into the urban legends of the area Cabrini–Green. The legend about Cabrini-Green is about a woman mentioned as Helen Lyle. She was a student seeking a story about the Cabrini-Green. But strangely she behaved like crazy and kidnapped a baby. The crowd around there took the baby from her and Helen walked into a large bonfire and burned to death. At the time of death, Helen was smiling, and seemed that was not the ending of her life. Whatever, the story makes the whole atmosphere spooky and all four are become stopped for a while. After that, they don’t further about the topic. But at late night Anthony checked this info on the internet.

The next morning Anthony meets William Burke. William tells him about Cabrini-Green is uncovered by police as like the white are covers. William introduces Anthony to the terror cult Candyman. He also informs Anthony that at the beginning of the curse he was in the place. Once he knew a man named Sherman Fields who had a hook in his right hand. But he was a good local man in Cabrini-Green. He liked giving candy to the children.

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One Halloween, a little white girl got candy with a razor blade. And the primary suspect went to Sherman. In the opening scene, the boy William met Sherman, who is hiding inside the wall. As usual, Sherman gave William candy and smiled. But William screamed with fear. Police came to the spot immediately and brutally beat Sherman until death. Sherman was beaten as demonically that he has become unrecognizable. But after his death, finding the candy with a razor blade wasn’t stopped. So, people & police understand that Sherman was innocent. However, it was too late to apologize. The legends already became started. If anyone looks in the mirror and says his name ‘Candyman’ five times, he appears and claims his victim.

After knowing these Anthony becomes more curious and goes to the place which is now abandoned. He takes some photos of the places with his DSLR camera. But bee stings in his right hand.

Anthony was convinced enough to work on the topic. Therefore, he suggests a project at the gallery where Brianna works. He displayed a mirror where the visitors can see themselves in front of the mirror. Anthony dares the onlookers that called five times ‘Candyman.’

Finley Stephens is a prominent art critic. She came in front of Anthony’s project and criticizes him. The other artists take an unbalanced view of Anthony. They flip him that he can submit the project only because Brianna works here. Anthony escapes the place rudely. Anthony is back in the apartment and Brianna too. She tries comforting Anthony but inside he remains unchanged as like an angry devil.

Meanwhile, after closing the gallery, Clive & Jerrica try to hook up in front of the mirror. Jerrica playfully says, “Candyman” five times. After a few moments, Candyman appears inside the mirror-like a reflection, and slashes Jerrica’s throat. Clive tries to run, but he is also slashed by Candyman and his corpse is laid next to Jerrica.

The next morning Brianna discovers the dead bodies in front of Anthony’s mirror. This reminds her of the suicidal scene of her father who jumped to the window. When the news reporters say the dead bodies were exposed in front of Anthony’s project, he becomes a little bit happy. His facial expression silently tells he told that would come & he knew the legend is true.

On this side, the bee sting on Anthony’s hand grows nastily. Over more time it grows almost in his elbows and he needs to cover it with a bandage. In this condition, he goes to Finley’s apartment for an interview. At that place, they discussed the gentrification of the Cabrini-Green and other things as well. At a flow, Anthony dares Finley to state the name ‘Candyman’ five times in front of a mirror. Finley neglected the things and went to the washroom and says the name five times.

As she goes inside the apartment, Anthony looks into the mirror & sees Candyman as his reflection. Candyman moves with Anthony as a reflection but that is completely weird. Suddenly Finley came back, and Candyman vanishes from the mirror. Anthony feels so disturbed & confused that he left the apartment immediately. We see, after his leaving, Finley is attacked by something invisible. It is clear that Candyman appears and slashes her as the legend says.

For more research about Candyman and Helen Anthony goes to the library. At the library, he gets a recording and a diary about Cabrini-Green. Helen recorded almost everything on the tape recorder whatever she gets to experience about the area. Anthony starts to listen to the recorder with earphone and enter an empty elevator. Suddenly a candy drops on the elevator floor from the top. He takes the candy but cuts his finger on it. Because there is a razor blade inside the candy. Anthony looks to the top of the elevator and again he saw Candyman as his reflection.

After that, Anthony goes to William again to talk about Candyman and its victims. He also shares his reflecting images and his art with William. Burke explains Candyman is a victim of racial injustice. In the early 1800s, a black man named Daniel Robitaille works as an artist for a royal white family. He sketched portraits of all of the family members. But he and the eldest daughter fell in love with each other and after someday she got pregnant. Her father found out the story and sent a mob after Robitaille to torture him inhumanly. They cut his right hand and set a hook on that. Then they covered him in honey so that bees attract to him and stunt him. Finally, they were setting him on fire and burnt him alive.

Anthony back to his apartment and continue his art which is so much dark and scary for normal people. Brianna finds his recent work and tries to convince Anthony that he is going too deep into a familiar story. She tries believing Anthony that the legend is just a myth. So, she starts saying Candyman loudly to see into the mirror. When Anthony smashes that badly. Brianna feels so depressed and drives away to stay with Troy and Grady.

On the other side, at a school, a group of girls gathers in the washroom. One of them said others to call ‘Candyman’ in front of the mirror. Though at first, they didn’t agree with her after a while all of them stand in front of the mirror and invited loudly ‘Candyman’ five times. After waiting a few seconds, nothing happened, and they think the legend is nothing but a myth. They get ready to go outside. But strangely the door is locked. One of them goes back to the mirror, and the others only hear the sound of a hook digging into her flesh. Another girl was there in a stall who didn’t call the Candyman. She just sees with a slight piece of mirror through a reflection that her classmates are being slaughtered.

Anthony is now terribly sick with his hand and mentally almost destroyed. Nevertheless, Anthony visits his mother Anne-Marie to quiring about the connection between him and Candyman. Furthermore, Anthony discovers a shocking truth about Cabrini-Green. The child of decades earlier in the story is nothing but Anthony himself. Anne-Marie also said that she believed in Helen that when she kidnaped Anthony, she was trying to save him from Candyman. Helen realized that Candyman already marked Anthony specifically for a dark purpose. After knowing all these, Anthony feels his mother lied and still kept some secrets from him. Hence, he left the house with an angry face.

Brianna and Anthony are ready to patch up again. But weirdly William struck two of them and clasps them to the rundown church of Cabrini-Green. This is the place where boy William screams and police entered the movie’s introductory scene.

In the point of view of William Candyman, is a symbol against racial repression and perceiving Anthony, whose half body is already decayed, like the previous Candyman Daniel Robitaille and Sherman Fields. Therefore, William now wants to convert Anthony to them. He cuts Anthony’s hand and sets a hook on the place. Next, he gives a jacket Anthony to put on.

At this time, Brianna releases herself and William tries to dispatch her. But Brianna stabs William many times with a pen until his death. At that time police arrived the place and tried to spin the story like Anthony is the main culprit and murderer, or at least make her look like an accomplice. Realizing what the cops are trying to do, Brianna asks to look at herself in the mirror in exchange for saying whatever the cops want. The police agree and set a mirror in front of Brianna.

Brianna called Candyman five times and summoned him to the place. After a while, an officer emerges from the building with his throat slashed. After that Anthony comes outside. He is now the spirit of Candyman and proceeds to kill the other officers. The lead cop runs and tries to escape but Anthony slew him too.

A swarm of bees consumes Anthony, and he takes the form of Robitaille. Brianna witnesses everything from inside the car. She came out. Many police start arriving at the place.

In the ending scene, Robitaille simply notifies Brianna, “Tell everyone.”

The movie ends here.

FAQs about Candyman (2021)

What is the plot twist in Candyman (2021)?

The plot twist in Candyman (2021) is revealed near the end of the movie when it is revealed that the main character, Anthony McCoy (played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), is the reincarnation of Daniel Robitaille, the original Candyman. This revelation helps to explain why Anthony has been experiencing strange visions and hallucinations throughout the movie and why he is drawn to the legend of Candyman.

How does the movie explain the twist?

The twist is explained through a series of flashbacks and exposition. It is revealed that the original Candyman, Daniel Robitaille, was a talented artist who fell in love with a white woman in the late 19th century. When her father discovered their relationship, he hired a lynch mob to kill Daniel, who was then mutilated and covered in honey, which attracted bees that stung him to death. As he died, Daniel cursed the people who killed him, promising to return as Candyman to seek revenge. In the present day, Anthony becomes obsessed with the Candyman legend after he is stung by a bee. As he delves deeper into the legend, he begins to experience strange visions and is eventually revealed to be the reincarnation of Daniel Robitaille.

Does the movie leave any loose ends or unanswered questions?

While the movie ties up most of its loose ends, there is one question that remains unanswered: what happened to Helen Lyle, the protagonist of the original Candyman movie? In the new movie, it is revealed that Helen's story has become part of the Candyman legend, but it is not clear what actually happened to her after the events of the first movie.

Does the movie set up for a potential sequel?

Yes, the movie does set up for a potential sequel. In the final scene of the movie, it is revealed that Anthony has become the new Candyman, and he is seen standing atop a high-rise building overlooking the city. This suggests that there may be more stories to tell about the Candyman legend in the future.

Summary

Original Title Candyman

Other Titles le Spectre Malefique, Kampókéz (Hungary), A Lenda de Candyman (Brazil)

Genre Horror/ Gore/ Thriller

Runtime 1hr 31min

Original Language English

Director Nia DaCosta

Writers Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Nia DaCosta

Producer Ian Cooper

Music Robert A. A. Lowe

Production Company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Bron Creative, Monkeypaw Productions

Tagline ‘Dare To Say His Name.’

Filming location Chicago, USA

Brainless Pen Rating!

Cast of Characters

Actor/Actress Name	Character	Plays
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II	Anthony McCoy / Candyman	The character is a visual artist who becomes obsessed with the legend of Candyman.
Teyonah Parris	Brianna Cartwright	Anthony’s girlfriend and an art gallery director.
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett	Troy Cartwright	Brianna’s brother
Colman Domingo	William Burke	A Cabrini-Green resident who tells Anthony about the Candyman’s legend.
Kyle Kaminsky	Grady Greenberg	Troy’s boyfriend
Tony Todd	Daniel Robitaille / Candyman	The spirit of a person killed because of an interracial love affair. He now appears if you call his name five times while standing in front of a mirror.