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.
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