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News Roundup 2025-08-17

Personal / Website News

Interview with Jeffrey Mariotte

Brand new interview is online at the website!

I had the honour to talk to editor/writer of fiction and comics, Jeffrey Mariotte. Mariotte is also the guest of honour at the upcoming Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) gathering (see below).

Jeffrey Mariotte is wearing a black had, sunglasses, and a blue denim shirt. There is a blue, cloudless sky behind him.
Jeffrey Mariotte author photo (provided courtesy by Mariotte).

The interview with Mariotte can be read here – check it out for sure!

On the subject of the upcoming ECOF, check out this sweet new artwork for the event done by Gilead:

Poster art. The top half of the poster shows Burroughs, Tarzan, John Carter, Dejah Thoris, an Alien, and the Apache Kid. Below is a row of building from Fort Grant.
ECOF Poster art done by Gilead.

Death Nell Issue Two

Back in February 2023 I reviewed the first issue of Death Nell (check it out here). I meant to review the issues as they came out, but got distracted with other projects. With the physical edition of Vanya #8 still a bit from being released, and the fifth and final issue of Death Nell about to come out, now is the perfect time to pivot and get caught up on the reviews for this series.

Cover depicts Nell, surrounded by other characters of the comic, with hearts in their eyes, all looking at her in adoration. There's multiple spotlights of different colors shining on her as she sparkles.
Standard cover of Death Nell #2 by Cammry Lapka. Image from the Bad Bug website.

So here we are, two and a half years late, my review for Death Nell #2 is finally online and can be read right here.

ECOF 2025

In September of 2025 there will be an Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) event down in Willcox, AZ. This event is to celebrate the 150th birthday of Burroughs while also honoring him with a plaque in the town due to his stationing there with the 7th U.S. Cavalry in the 1890s. (Note: another ERB convention was held in Willcox back in 2019 and an event recap of that can be read at ERBZine #7059).

Here is the flyer for the 2025 event:

The flyer shows desert mountains with three insert images: one of a young Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1896, one of the author Jeffrey J. Mariotte (who is the guest of honour), and one of the Willcox train depot in the 1880s. The flyer reads was follows: Edgar Rice Burroughs ERB Inc.'s Commemoration of ERB's 150th Birthday! 7th Cavalry Historical Monument Celebration Willcox, AZ, September 25-28, 2025. Formal Dedication on September 27th, 2025. Sponsored by the Suplher Springs Valley Historical Society and the Arizona Apache Deveils Chapter of the Burroughs Bibliophiles.
Flyer for the Edgar Rice Burroughs Circle of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering in Willcox, AZ 2025.

Here is the press release:

RENOWNED AUTHOR EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS’ CAVALRY SERVICE TO BE MEMORIALIZED IN WILLCOX, AZ

“Tarzan” Creator and Pop Culture’s Influential “Grandfather of Science Fiction and Fantasy” Commemorated for His 150th Birthday.

WILLCOX, AZ – The renowned “Master of Adventure” Edgar Rice Burroughs started his adult life as a cavalryman at Arizona’s Fort Grant in May of 1896. This September, as part of the late author’s 150th birthday celebration, his cavalry service will be memorialized with a monument at the restored Southern Pacific train depot in Willcox, where he arrived on his way to Fort Grant (35 miles north).

The influential creator of Tarzan of the Apes, John Carter of Mars, and The Land That Time Forgot series of stories wrote in his “Autobiography” that he specifically requested “to be sent to the worst post in the United States” and was then promptly assigned to Fort Grant in Arizona Territory, where his troop would spend some time hunting after the Apache Kid and other outlaws.

Many believe that Burroughs’ initial stay in Arizona influenced his first Martian story, Under the Moons of Mars, which begins with the first chapter titled “On the Arizona Hills.” The John Carter Martian stories would go on to influence generations of science fiction and fantasy books and movies, and would inspire many young people to become scientists, engineers, and astronauts. He would later author the books The War Chief and Apache Devil, both set in Arizona during the Apache Wars of the 1860s – 1880s.

This Willcox Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering will take place from September 25 to 28, 2025, with the 7th Cavalry Historical Monument formal dedication ceremony on Saturday, September 27th from 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon near the historic Southern Pacific Railroad Depot.

The monument dedication at the Willcox train depot will include guest speakers and participation of local Buffalo Soldier reenactors. All other convention events will take place at the Elks Lodge #2131 in Willcox, and will include discussion panels, a “huckster” (vendor) room, Guest of Honor and speaker Jeffrey J. Mariotte (author of Tarzan and the Forest of Stone), Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. speakers, a Saturday night banquet/ dinner, a Tarzan movie screening, and other surprises.

These events are sponsored by the Sulphur Springs Valley Historical Society and the Apache Devils chapter of The Burroughs Bibliophiles. The celebration is open to the public for free (except for the dinner and movie), but full attendees can register for a fee that covers a goodie bag, a huckster table, and the Saturday dinner.

This is a must-attend event for fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs and pop-culture historians alike. If you’d like to visit the place where it all began, don’t miss this very special celebration. (Note that some convention activities will require full event registration – the registration form is provided separately.)

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Willcox is offering a special daily room rate of $119 plus taxes for the nights of 25 to 27 September for attendees. The group name is “ECOF.” You can make reservations at this rate by calling the hotel at (520) 384-3333; rooms are limited. The address is 1251 N. Virginia Ave, Willcox, AZ 85643.

If you would like more information about the 2025 ECOF event, please call Frank Puncer at 520.281.1818, or email him at fwpuncer at gmail dot com.

Here is the registration from:

Registration Form for the 2025 Edgar Rice Burroughs Chain of Friendship (ECOF) Gathering in Willcox, AZ (v9)Download

2025-08-17 Addendum: Special Event Bags and Contents are Available for the First 50 Registrants.

Michele and I will be in attendance for this convention, so I’ve added it to the appearances section of my website as well. I’ll be doing a presentation on Tarzan as a Maciste-like peplum character in Tarzan and the Lost Empire. Hope to see yall there!

Publishing Recap

Below is a recap of my external publishing endeavors so far in 2025.

Cover art of the Panthans Journal #332. It depicts a woman and a man with a hawk head, hunkered in a hole, firing laser pistols. The art is by Mark Wheatley.
Panthans Journal #332

Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #2″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #332.

A continuation of the cover of #332. This cover shows the woman and the hawk man, defensively shooting laser pilots out of a hole in the ground, wile savage barbarians with bows and axes descend upon them. The art is by Mark Wheatley.
Panthans Journal #333

Comic Book Review: “The Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon #3″ reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #333.

Cover art of Panthans Journal #335, done by Mark Wheatley. It shows Tarzan leaping from a tree branch. All the colors are very dark blue, so it might be night time in the jungle.
Panthans Journal #335

“Tarzan Cocktail: Deconstructed – Reconstructed” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #335.

Original can be read here.

Panthans Journal #338. Cover is by Mark Wheatley. It shows Dejah Thoris riding atop a mountain against a red martian landscape with a domed building in the background.
Panthans Journal #338

“She’s Got the Killer Instinct: Vanya Issue 01” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #338.

Original can be read here.

Cover is by Mark Wheatley. It shows a 4 armed aliens holding two swords, in a dungeon, fighting John Carter and Dejah Thoris.
National Capital Panthans #339.

“Hunter – Lover – Killer: Vanya 02” reprinted in the National Capital Panthans Journal #339.

Original can be read here.

Cover art for "Merry Creepsmas - The Red Book". It is red with a large X-mas tree that appears to have small, globby bodies as ornaments. The cover reads: Wicked Shadow Press Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book Christmas-Themed Horror Stories Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty
Merry Creepsmas – The Red Book

“There’s Always Room” in Merry Creepsmas: The Red Book. Edited by Parth Sarathi Chakraborty. Wicked Shadow Press, 2025.

Cover art for the Burroughs Bulletin #109 by Dan Parsons. The top says "The Burroughs Bulletin New Series #109 Fall-Winter 2024". The art shows a T-rex chomping on a dude in a striped shirt. Below him are explorers with rifles. Behind him his a prehistoric sky, jungle, and a waterfall.
Burroughs Bulletin #109

“Tagliolini al Tarzan: Interview with Actress Bella Cortez on Taur the Mighty” in The Burroughs Bulletin #109. Edited by Henry Franke III. February, 2025.

Miscellaneous Tidbits

Some fun things I shared online from these past few weeks. Highlighting things from my personal collection of pop culture artifacts. Or artifacts I’m digging out of the archive. Just, general cool or unique things to show off.

Autographs from the Archive

Here are some autographed treasures I’ve shared on social media recently.

Gorky Park

Here is an old school thriller from the 80s: Gorky Park. I’ll be honest, I watched this movie back in the late 2000s and do not remember too much of it, except it took place in Russia and the big plot reveal was about smuggling special Russian foxes outside the country. In hindsight, maybe it has some porto-Jack Reacher vibes (in the “im gonna investigate this big brew-ha-ha thing”).

Standard DVD case. The cover art shows a close up of William Hurt's head profile, wearing one of those fuzzy Russian hats. in the background there is Lee Marvin, readying a pistol. In black ink it says "To Nick, Joanna Pacula".
Personal copy of the DVD of Gorky Park, signed by Joanna Pacula.

Anywho, my copy of the DVD is autographed by Joanna Pacula! Michele and I met her at a Hollywood Collector’s show. I believe, in an effort to be budget friendly, I asked what would she rather sign, Gorky Park or Dinocroc.

She went with Gorky Park.

2025-10-19 – Addendum – here is a photo of Ms. Pacula and I from the show:

Nick is wearing a shirt with a Metroid on it. Joanna is dressed in all black.
Nicholas Diak and Joanna Pacula, 2010.

Khazaddum’s Plagues Upon Arda

I am not metal expert, but I loves me some adventure metal, power metal, and female-fronted symphonic metal. Whenever I got out used music shopping, I do like to keep an eye out for metal releases that have sword and sandal or sword and sorcery elements.

The last time I was at Zia Records and combing through the metal section I came across Plagues Upon Arda by Khazaddum. I have never heard of them before, but all the Tolkien elements were there so I decided to take the gamble and pluck it up. Turns out the band is a defunct death metal band from Wisconsin. I enjoyed the album and decided to reach out to the band’s lead person, Alex Rausa, and ask if I could send him the album’s booklet to be autographed.

CD in a standard jewel case. The artwork depicts a dwarf wielding a battle axe while being surrounded by a legion of orcs.
Khazaddum’s “Plagues Upon Arda” CD album.
A page from the album's booklet, lyrics for the song "The Lord of Isengard". In silver ink it is signed "Alex Rausa".
Khazaddum CD booklet autographed by Alex Rausa.

He said absolutely, so I sent off my booklet (make sure you include a SASE when doing stuff like this folks, it is good etiquette) and he returned it back with his signature on one of the pages. Very cool! Khazaddum may be defunct, but they do have their music available on Bandcamp. Rausa is now part of a band called Ancient Entities, so check them out at their Bandcamp page.

New Sword and Sandal Acquisitions

The ever growing peplum research library grows with these recent sword and sandal films acquisitions.

Deathstalker I and II 4K

Deathstalker and its sequels, some of the most infamous sword and sorcery films to come out during the post-Conan cycle in the 80s. Sporting amazing poster art that the films could in no way live up to, these movies found other ways to be transgressive, exploitative, and challenging, and sometimes, even fun.

Shout Factory just released Deathstalker (1983) and Deathstalker II (1987) on 4K and Blu-ray, and it is a must have for sword and sorcery aficionados. Since I did a pre-order, I got a sweet double sided poster.

Slipcase 4K Blu-ray. The art is split in half vertically. The left side is poster for Deathstalker 1 and the right side is the poster for Deathstalker 2.To the right is an upside down cardboard tube holding a poster.
Personal copy of the Deathstalker / Deathstalker 2 4K/Blu-ray + Poster.

Was excited for the upgrade because my prior copy of the first two Deathstalker films was from the 4-movie Roger Corman sword and sorcery collection that Shout Factory released many years ago.

Transparent DVD case. The top is done like a theater marque. The cover shows square posters of the four movies contained within: Deathstalker, Deathstalker 2, Barbarian Queen, and The Warrior and the Sorceress.
Personal DVD copy of the Roger Corman Sword and Sorcery collection.

Of note, of the four movies in this DVD release, only Barbarian Queen remains unreleased in HD. I hope that movie, along with Deathstalkers 3 and 4 also get some new releases! With the upcoming remake of Deathstalker looming on the horizon, now is a good time to do so.

Shameless self plug: back in 2022 I had the honour to appear on the Fan2Fan podcast to talk about Deathstalker 2 along with some other sword and sorcery films of the early 80s. Definitely check that episode out, it can be found here or at the embedded player below.

Deathstalker 2, Ator, and Yor: Hunter from the Future – Fan2Fan Podcast

Slaves of Babylon Lobby Card

When I think of William Castle I think of House on Haunted Hill (1959) (which is a great film!) and his association with theater gimmick like walking skeletons and buzzing seats. I never thought about his career doing other genres, let alone the sword and sandal genre!

Horizontal lobby card. There is a picture from a scene from the film, showing a man sleeping and two men above him holding swords. Around this is an L-shaped yellow border with a woman in a yellow dress standing and showing her bare leg. At the bottom is a woman and a man in an embrace. It says "Slaves of Babylon" in Red.
Slaves of Babylon Lobby Card.

While out and about at our local antique mall, I happened upon this lobby card for Slaves of Babylon (1953) which looks a little beat up, but still rad! I had never specifically heard of this peplum, but it is an early 1950s American one, and done by William Castle! So, of course, I had to pluck it up. The movie looks like it only has a bargin-bin style DVD release, but I put an order in for it. I’m curious to see what it will be like.

But you know who has seen it? Matt Page of Bible Films Blog! He did a write up of the film back in 2016. Check it out!

News from Friends

Cool kids I know have been busy lately! Here are some signal boosts I’d like to give out.

New Fan2Fan Episodes

Bernie and Pete have some new episodes of their Fan2Fan podcast online.

First there is a part one episode of Pete and Bernie interviewing Daniel Richardson about Slasher Trash:

Slasher Trash Part 1 – Fan2Fan Podcast

And here is part two:

Slasher Trash Part 2 – Fan2Fan Podcast

Older episodes of Fan2Fan can be found at its Libsyn page or via your podcast app of preference.

Categories
News

News Roundup W/E 2021-11-28

Personal / Website News

H. P. Lovecast – The Void

Brand new episode of H. P. Lovecraft Presents: Fragments is online!

We start our 80s theme by diving into the film, The Void. The episode can be streamed at our Buzzsprout website or on your. podcast app of preference.

Citation News

My essay, “Meteor Madness: Lovecraftian Horror and Consumerism in the Battle for Small Town USA” which appeared in Michele’s Bram Stoker nominated collection, Horror in Space: Critical Essays on a Film Subgenre, looks to have its first citation, and in an unexpected book at that! Lisa Swanstrom references my essay in her essay, “From Protoplastics to the Plastiglomerate: Science Fiction’s Shifting Synthetic Sensibilities” which appears in the book Life in Plastic: Artistic Responses to Petromodernity.

The book can be pre-ordered at the University of Minnesota Press website. And, of course, Horror in Space, can be purchased at McFarland.

Band of Warriors #2 Interview

I interviewed Samuel George London about the second issue of his neo-peplum comic, Band of Warriors, which can be read here. You can also read my first interview with him here.

General Neo-Peplum News

Bible Films Blog: Retrospective of The Bible on Film

Matt Page has begun his retrospective of The Bible on Film: A Checklist 1897 – 1980 at his Bible Films Blog.

Photo by Matt Page

First he has an interview with one of the authors, Richard H. Campbell. Next he has a list of ten factoids and trivia about the book. Keep checking back at the Bible Films Blog for more articles!

Recent Acquisitions

It was a Black Friday weekend and I decided to head to Zia’s Records and search around for any cool finds. I did come back with am armful of neo-pepla media that perhaps will make it onto my website as an essay or review or something!

First, here is a Blu-Ray for Ruggero Deodato’s The Barbarians. I am a fan of Deodato’s non-cannibal films, with Cut and Run being my favourite. This Italio sword-n-sorcery flick has been on my wish list to watch for a long time.

Michele and I went to the metal section, and working from both ends, tried to find any metal albums that had the most peplum-looking covers as possible. We wound up finding three along with the Gladiator soundtrack.

I only took a quick listen of all three albums, and none of them are really my cup of tea metal-wise (I prefer power metal and adventure metal personally) but all are pretty fascinating, at least from my nursery listen and looking at the art.

Stillbirth’s Revive the Throne has crazy cover art that is a gory parody, complete with pop culture cameos, of Gérôme’s Pollice Verso. Guttural death metal isn’t my thing, but I am digging that cover. Dark Quarterer’s Pompei also has great art, but the prog-rock vocals are a little too old school for me. I was really optimistic for Upon This Dawning’s To Keep Us Safe for some odd reason, but again, metal core not my cup of tea, but I dig the Spartans on the cover and I am not detecting the usual right-wing/eugenic nonsense on this album as found in other Sparta-centric projects/albums.

Categories
Essays

Candy Sampler: Candyman Samples In Underground Music

On August 27th, Nia DaCosta’s sequel to the original 1992 Candyman, also titled Candyman, was released to commercial and critical fanfare. Opening with $22.4 million at the box office1, Candyman succeeded where many larger budgeted films could not during the COVID-19 Pandemic with its performance. Candyman also set a new milestone by becoming the first black female directed film to top the box office.2

As Candyman ‘21 continues be profitable at the box office, attention can be turned to the original Bernard Rode directed film. Fans of the original will perhaps want to revisit Candyman ‘92 or those only familiar with the new film may want to watch the original for the first time. For those lacking physical releases, Candyman ‘92 can be found on Peacock TV and other VOD services such as iTunes, Google Play, and RedBox.3 

Hopefully with renewed interest, Candyman ‘92 will see a flux of such revisitation and even more positive reassessment. There’s a variety of ways to take in and appreciate the original film: essays, fan art, and even homage in other media. The original Candyman no doubt left its mark in cinema canon, but it also left an impression on other content creators (writers, directors, artists, etc.). One curious example of such inspiration is the world of sampling wherein a music group takes samples of dialogue (and other sounds and noises) from a source (such as a film, TV show, radio broadcast, video game, etc.) and incorporates them into their own compositions.

Candyman ‘92 has had the honour of being sampled numerous times by various underground musical acts that hail from a variety of genres: hiphop, death metal, industrial, and so on. These bands use Candyman samples in a variety of ways. Same incorporate Candyman’s (Tony Todd) opening narration of the film into the beginning of their songs, trying to replicate an ominous introduction to set a specific tone and mood. Some instances are used as outright homage in order to broadcast the music act’s appreciation to the film. 

What follows is a list of music acts and their songs that sample dialogue from Candyman ‘92. In order to illustrate how each artist uses the sample, YouTube links are provided for each song along with (when available) a clip from the movie that contains the original dialogue. This way the song and the source text and be compared side by side. 

Aborted

Belgian death metal act Aborted pulls double duty with the Clive Barker references in their song “Cenobites” which is the last track from their 2014 album The Necrotic Manifesto.

The title is, of course, a reference to the Cenobites that populate the Hellraiser films that are adaptations of Barker’s The Hellbound Heart. In addition to the Hellraiser connection, the song is also tethered to Barker’s Candyman via usage of sample dialogue. “Cenobites” begins immediately with a quote of Candyman saying “They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What’s blood for if not for shedding?”4

These lines are also the very first lines spoken in the film.5

By beginning “Cenobites” with this sample, Aborted accomplishes two things. First, it mimics the original film by settingthe tone that something unsettling is going to happen in the narrative . Second, it takes the acts described in the sample (shedding innocent blood) and relocates it from the Candyman character to the sadistic villain in the band’s official music video who kidnaps a young woman and proceeds to mutilate her. 

Da Boy Tommy

Tommy Debie, better known as Da Boy Tommy, was a jumpstyle Belgian DJ who sadly passed away in 2013.

In 2000 he released a song called “Candyman” which appeared on its own CD-single as well as various compilation albums.6

The song begins with a sample of someone whispering “Candyman.” At the one minute mark of the song, a sample of Clara (Marianna Elliott) explaining who Candyman is to Billy (Ted Raimi) while repeating his name can be heard, interspersed with samples of Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O’Rourke) from Poltergeist saying “They’re here.” This combining of samples from two different sources and merging them together to create new textual play is a hallmark of the cut-up technique pioneered by William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin. 

Darling Kandie

Darling Kandie is a side project of sorts of Groovie Man of My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, a foundational industrial-disco act that long ago established themselves as auteurs of incorporating samples from exploitation and pornographic films into their music. 

“People Next Door” from Darling Kandie’s debut self titled album is a song that is made entirely of collaged samples (constructed in the same fashion as the aforementioned cut-up technique), including “We need a new unity” which is from George Lucas’ THX-1138 (the sample also makes an appearance in the Laibach song “Regime of Coincidence State of Gravity” from their seminal Kapital album) and “Open your mind to me” which is said by the stomach mutant Kuato in the 1990 film Total Recall.

At the 2:00 mark of the song a sample of Candyman saying “I came for you” can be heard.7

The line comes from the scene where Candyman confronts Helen (Virginia Madsen) in a parking garage and hypnotizes her.8

The line appears once, briefly, before being lost in the sea of other samples in the song. 

Deutsch Nepal

Deutsch Nepal is a Swedish industrial project spearheaded by Peter Andersson.

Their eighth album, ¡Comprendido!… Time Stop! …And World Ending contains the track “Gouge Free Market” which has the dialogue “I am rumor. It is a blessed condition believe me, to be whispered about in street corners, to live in other people’s dreams, but not to have to be. Do you understand?” repeated multiple times.9

The lines are spoken by Candyman inside Helen’s mind.10

This is unique usage of the sample, as the song dislocates the dialogue from its slasher-horror roots and, if going by the name of the song’s title of “Gouge Free Market,” applies it to the horrors of capitalism. Much like Candyman, rampant commercialism and capitalism can be inferred as an unseen, yet omnipresent, boogeyman. 

Freakin’ Inglish

Freakin’ Inglish was a short-lived UK hip hop group that had only one release, The Rhyme Wrecka E.P.

The cassette contains a song called “Victim” that opens with a sample of Candyman saying “Be my victim.”11

The sample is form the same scene Darling Kandie sampled (see above) and is used to compliment the rapped lyrics “Be my victim” and “Look out, I’m coming to get you.” 

Internal Error

Gabber/hardcore techno act Internal Error, operating under the alias Nyeṫ, took their homage of the Candyman movie to the next level by composing a track called “Candy Man” that appeared on their EP Party Madness as well as the compilations TrAUMa 2 (Nightmare On AUM Street) and Napalm Rave.12

The song contains multiple samples of dialogue taken from the film, such as “If you look in the mirror, and say his name five times, he’ll appear behind you, breathing down your neck,” “Be my victim,” and “Where they proceeded to saw of his right hand with a rusty blade.” As with Da Boy Tommy, Internal Error looks to be using these samples to show adoration to the original film. 

JNyce

Canadian hip hop artist J Nyce’s 2008 debut Vaults of Horror has a song called “Satanic Rites” that contains a Candyman sample.13

As with Aborted’s “Cenobites”, JNyce uses the “shed innocent blood” opening lines from Candyman as the opening to this song in order to establish a horror-film mood. The dialogue also gets dissociated from Candyman and instead applied to Satanism, which of course conjures up imagery of sacrifices.

Mortician

Deathgrind metal band Mortician wears their affection for the horror genre literally on their sleeves – album sleeves that is. Their last produced album, 2004’s Re-Animated Dead Flesh has a cover reminiscent of the Re-Animator film, and songs that reference numerous horror films, such as An American Werewolf in London, Silent Night, Deadly Night, and The Hills Have Eyes.

The final track on the album, “Be My Victim,” is, of course, an homage to Candyman.14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN4QXAw-B-4

The track begins with a sample of Candyman saying “They’ll say that I’ve shed innocent blood. What’s blood for, if not for shedding. With my hook for a hand, I’ll split you from your groin to your gullet.” which is, of course, the opening lines of the film, and seek to replicate that opening much the same way Aborted and JNyce did. The song ends with a sample of Helen calling out to Candyman who suddenly appears and kills her psychiarist. These samples, coupled with the song’s title “Be My Victim” can be taken as another horror homage to the cult classic film.

[:SITD:]

German-based industrial act [:SITD:] (which stands for Shadows in the Dark) has an EP titled Snuff that contains a track called “Mortal.”

The remix of “Mortal” by Solitary Experiments is unique in that it contains Candyman samples from the German dub of the film.15

The track opens with “Fürchtest du den Schmerz oder das, was danach kommt? Der Schmerz wird von erlesener Qualität sein. Was unseren Tod angeht, vor ihm brauchst du dich nicht zu fürchten.” which is a translation of Candyman saying “The pain, I can assure you, will be exquisite. As for our deaths, there is nothing to fear.”

Near the end of the song the sample continues with “Lass uns unserem Leben ein Ende setzen vor ihren Augen und ihnen damit etwas geben, was sie für alle Zeiten verfolgt. Werde unsterblich! Komm mit mir.” which is a continuation of the above with “We shall die together in front of their very eyes and give them something to be haunted by. Come with me and be immortal.” 

The song ends with “Man wird sagen, ich habe unschuldiges Blut vergossen” which is an interpretation of “They will say that I have shed innocent blood.”

All of these instances of bands and music projects sampling Candyman ‘92 not only solidify the original film’s legacy, but illustrate innovative instances of artists performing textual play to create a new texts with new meanings, or even pastiches in a post-modern sense. 

Endnotes

1. Anthony D’Alessandro, “‘Candyman’ Makes The Box Office Taste Good With $22M+ Opening,” Deadline, August 29, 2021, https://deadline.com/2021/08/candyman-posts-sweet-thursday-night-with-1-9m-1234823246/.

2. Anthony D’Alessandro, “‘Candyman’: Nia DaCosta Becomes First Black Female Filmmaker To Open Pic To No. 1 At Domestic B.O.,” Deadline, August 29, 2021, https://deadline.com/2021/08/candyman-nia-dacosta-box-office-record-first-black-female-filmmaker-1234824013/.

3. Pratik Handore, “Where to Stream Candyman (1992)?,” TheCinemaholic, August 28, 2021,https://thecinemaholic.com/where-to-stream-candyman-1992/.

4. Century Media Records, “ABORTED – Cenobites (OFFICIAL VIDEO),” YouTube Video, 5:29, November 1, 2014,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWCbLx_RL6k.

5. jopez94585, “Candyman intro…Candyman 92′,” YouTube Video, 2:59, April 18, 2007, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5kJMvH1JKw.

6. OverdoZe, “Da boy tommy – Candyman,” YouTube Video, 4:08, February 17, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLO-J9HA8Q0.

7. SHONK3Y, “Darling Kandie – People Next Door,” YouTube Video, 4:08, November 26, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2glIBIXN3E.

8. ScreamFactoryTV, “Candyman (1992) – Clip: Be My Victim (HD),” YouTube Video, 2:30, November 5, 2018,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOt3D01rCTY.

9. Chris Vermeers, “Deutsch Nepal – Gouge Free Market,” YouTube Video, 8:16, December 9, 2012,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa-ByD5L2rs.

10. Brian Cowan, “Candyman – I am rumor…,” YouTube Video, 0:42, November 13, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9h5KOBN53c.

11. UKStandTall, “Freakin’ Inglish – Victim,” YouTube Video, 4:10, April 25, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg57VF4nf0c.

12. eppogabber, “Internal Error – Candyman,” YouTube Video, 4:14, January 7, 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xqAGYaT5vg.

13. Dez Flight Underground, “Jnyce – Satanic Rites,” YouTube Video, 3:45, July 31, 2011,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maF7_T1w2vk.

14. Cristian Farias, “Mortician – Be My Victim,” YouTube Video, 3:47, May 31, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN4QXAw-B-4.

15. Transmitte, “[:SITD:] – Mortal (RMX by Solitary Experiments),” YouTube Video, 4:54, April 30, 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQptI0UM-Rg.

Bibliography

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Century Media Records. “ABORTED – Cenobites (OFFICIAL VIDEO).” YouTube Video, 5:29. November 1, 2014.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWCbLx_RL6k.

Chris Vermeers. “Deutsch Nepal – Gouge Free Market.” YouTube Video, 8:16. December 9, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa-ByD5L2rs.

Cristian Farias. “Mortician – Be My Victim.” YouTube Video, 3:47. May 31, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN4QXAw-B-4.

D’Alessandro, Anthony. “‘Candyman’ Makes The Box Office Taste Good With $22M+ Opening.” Deadline. August 29, 2021. https://deadline.com/2021/08/candyman-posts-sweet-thursday-night-with-1-9m-1234823246/.

—-. “‘Candyman’: Nia DaCosta Becomes First Black Female Filmmaker To Open Pic To No. 1 At Domestic B.O.” Deadline. August 29, 2021. https://deadline.com/2021/08/candyman-nia-dacosta-box-office-record-first-black-female-filmmaker-1234824013/.

Dez Flight Underground. “Jnyce – Satanic Rites.” YouTube Video, 3:45. July 31, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maF7_T1w2vk.

Eppogabber. “Internal Error – Candyman.” YouTube Video, 4:14. January 7, 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xqAGYaT5vg.

Handore, Pratik. “Where to Stream Candyman (1992)?” TheCinemaholic. August 28, 2021.https://thecinemaholic.com/where-to-stream-candyman-1992/.

Jopez94585. “Candyman intro…Candyman 92′.” YouTube Video, 2:59. April 18, 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5kJMvH1JKw.

OverdoZe. “Da boy tommy – Candyman,” YouTube Video, 4:08. February 17, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLO-J9HA8Q0.

ScreamFactoryTV. “Candyman (1992) – Clip: Be My Victim (HD).” YouTube Video, 2:30. November 5, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOt3D01rCTY.

SHONK3Y. “Darling Kandie – People Next Door.” YouTube Video, 4:08. November 26, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2glIBIXN3E.

Transmitte. “[:SITD:] – Mortal (RMX by Solitary Experiments).” YouTube Video, 4:54. April 30, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQptI0UM-Rg.

UKStandTall. “Freakin’ Inglish – Victim.” YouTube Video, 4:10. April 25, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg57VF4nf0c.