© 2024 WEKU
NPR for Central and Eastern Kentucky
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Support WEKU during our End of Year Drive! Click here to become a monthly supporter or increase your support to help keep WEKU strong!

Remembering 'Candyman' actor Tony Todd

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

Story time - when I was a kid, my older brother would scare me to death by going in the bathroom and turning off the lights and saying, Bloody Mary, over and over again.

(SOUNDBITE OF MICHAEL RIESMAN AND THE WESTERN WIND'S "THE DEMISE OF CANDYMAN")

RASCOE: I just knew he was putting his life in danger because I had seen the 1992 horror film "Candyman," and I knew that summoning ghosts in bathroom mirrors was nothing to play with. Why was I so certain? - because of the incredible acting by Tony Todd, who played the movie's title character, the deadly spirit with the hook who could be drawn into the living world by saying his name, Candyman, three times.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "CANDYMAN")

TONY TODD: (As The Candyman) I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom. Without these things, I am nothing. So now, I must shed innocent blood.

(SOUNDBITE OF MICHAEL RISEMAN AND THE WESTERN WIND "THE DEMISE OF CANDYMAN")

RASCOE: Todd died last week at age 69. Over his decadeslong career, he played many roles in hit films like "The Rock" and "Final Destination." But it was his role in "Candyman" that made him a giant in the slasher genre. His gravitas brought nuance and complexity to a role who others might have played as campy or even silly. He's also one of the only major Black horror villains of modern cinema. When we look back over horror movie history, it's safe to say that Tony Todd's name will be spoken over and over again.

(SOUNDBITE OF MICHAEL RIESMAN AND THE WESTERN WIND'S "THE DEMISE OF CANDYMAN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Ayesha Rascoe is a White House correspondent for NPR. She is currently covering her third presidential administration. Rascoe's White House coverage has included a number of high profile foreign trips, including President Trump's 2019 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam, and President Obama's final NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland in 2016. As a part of the White House team, she's also a regular on the NPR Politics Podcast.
WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.
Related Content