Is Candyman a trickster God?
It’s no secret that trickster gods have been greatly degenerated. Besides, we did have to suffer through images of Papa Legba as a cocaine snorting, baby stealing, deity on American Horror Story. And there are thousands of posters, movies, and books, that are meant to scare people about black spirits and Voodoo gods. It’s safe to say that Hollywood has been somewhat effective with their smear campaigns. Painting African and other pagan gods as evil has had a dire effect on indigenous religions all over the world. So much so, that black magic is now synonymous with evil. People fail to realize that these smear campaigns were not only designed to weaken the gods, but also all the people in their congregation. So, in this video, we are going to talk about how trickster gods devolved into boogeymen. And how you can work with these gods in the future. And naturally, we are going to tackle this subject by analyzing the cult horror classic, Candyman.
The Candyman cast of 1992
Candyman can be considered a cult classic, not because it has a great deal of cheap thrills, or a lot of kills. But simply because the movie actually tackles society’s deepest and darkest fears. The movie opens with Helen, a graduate student who is conducting research for her thesis on urban legends. She comes across a young lady, who tells her about a supernatural being, a black man, in a trench coat, and a hook for a hand. She then goes on to tell Helen that if you call out Candyman’s name a total of five times, he will appear and gut you from belly to chest. Helen dismisses this story as silly superstition and folk-lore. But decided to do some additional research. This time, she is questioning one of the residents of Cabrini Green who simply tells her that Candy Man has been responsible for almost two dozen murders. Including one woman who was found dead in her apartment.
Candyman explained
Now regular folks like you and me, probably would have dropped the subject of Candyman and moved onto something else. However, Helen convinces her colleague Bernadette to visit the projects. Once there, Helen discovers a shrine, with candy offerings for the malevolent spirit. She takes pictures and soon realizes that the luxury apartment building that she is living in, was built to be low-income housing. Thus, the builders scratched the project, once they learned that the building was far too close to the affluent residents of downtown Chicago. Helen, now fascinated by the subject of urban legends, visits Cabrini Green and speaks to Ann Marie. A single mother who is indifferent about the horrific tales that surround the Candyman. Later, she is lured into a public housing bathroom, where she is beat down by a man with a hook. He knocks her out, blackening her eye, and is only arrested after the police conducted a lock down, followed by a sweep. This is when we learn that the imposter was a gang leader, who simply used Candyman’s name and legend to spread further strife and fear throughout the Cabrini Green projects.
Candy man is not a serial killer but a trickster god
And this my friends is when the legendary Candyman appears. He tells Helen that she loosened the grip of fear that he had on the residents of the Cabrini Green projects. As a results, he will need to shed more blood, to re-instill that fear. Candyman goes on to say that if there is no fear, then he would simply fail to exist. After seeing Candyman, Helen starts to hallucinate and suffers from black out sessions. Only to awaken and find dogs that are beheaded, babies that were abducted, and colleagues brutally murdered. She is taken to a mental institution, after being framed for the murder of her colleague Bernadette. There, she is heavily sedated while awaiting trial and counseling. Only to summon the Candyman, who appears and brutally kills the psychiatrist who is questioning her sanity. Helen runs off and finds that her husband is now fully committed to one of his college students. And hurt from the betrayal, she runs to Cabrini Green. Here, she literally makes a deal with the devil, believing that if she gives her life to the Candyman, Anthony, Ann Marie’s baby would be spared. However, Candyman tricks Helen so that her and the baby can die in the flames. Helen stakes the Candyman and crawls out with little Anthony in her arms. Helen dies from the severe burns, smoke, and trauma. But much like Candyman, she can be summoned to kill when you speak her name five times in the mirror.
Why Candyman is the best horror movie of all time
In the movie, it is revealed that Candyman had a forbidden affair with a white patron. As a result, he was brutally murdered. He was beaten, covered with honey and attacked by yellow jacket bees. His arm was sawed off and replaced with a hook. And lastly, he was burned, with his ashes being scattered on the grounds of Cabrini Green. The back story, too gruesome for its own scene, represents the degeneration of black deities and pagan gods all over the world. And it represents the mistreatment, oppression, and subjugation of an entire race and class. Scary movies, good scary movies, are analogous of a society’s deepest and darkest fears. And Candy Man in is an amalgamation of that. Let me explain.
Understanding Trickster Gods in Fiction
I beat your ear up in other videos about the shadow self. I explained that you can have the best intentions when trying to manifest. However, if your shadow self is unchecked, all of your repressed desires, emotions, and fears will be realized. With that said, it’s safe to say that society as a whole also has a shadow self. It is a bank of repressed emotions, trauma, and pain. This collective shadow self is also known as the pain body. The Cabrini Projects is a representation of this bank of emotions, the pain body. Afterall, the project building was built with good intentions. The goal was to give America’s lower class a better standard of living. However, you really can’t fight against injustices without losing power yourself. If you really want to serve the underclass, then you yourself, will have to make sacrifices, and forego many of the privileges that come with being part of the ruling class.
Trickster god example in movies
So underneath all of those good intentions is fear. You want to give back, but only if it doesn’t directly threaten your status, nobility, and sense of self-worth. This is why Candyman was stung and dragged throughout the streets of Chicago. He was a threat. Only he came back as a spirit or deity, who represented the suppressed shadow self of a society, a shadow that we all share. The Candyman, much like other trickster gods, feeds on fear. And when you summon any of these gods, your best intentions will not be manifested, but the inverse. In short, these gods will bring to life your deepest and darkest fears. And in many cases, it may very well end in your own death. What’s the remedy to all of this?
Understanding Trickster African Gods
Well, we have to heal that collective shadow, or pain body. And you do this by finding balance. I believe that the forbidden love affair between Candyman and his white patron was a symbolization of this balance. The woman, representing the light forces and Candyman of course, representing the dark. Once aligned, the collective pain body will diminish, thus freeing all of society from its formidable forces. However, the ruling class couldn’t upset a balance that served them. As a result, Candyman was murdered, and the forces of dark and light were left unbalanced. But Candyman as a movie, sheds light on the collective shadow and pain body, working to restore the balance between the dark and the light.
Trickster gods in Pagan culture.
So what’s the solution to working with trickster gods? It’s sacrifice. Helen, in the end needed to sacrifice her own life to save others. And as a result, she became a part of the Candyman legend. Thus working to restore balance between the dark and light forces.
Candyman along with other trickster gods are an amalgamation of society’s pain body. When summoned, they WILL NOT manifest your intentions. But your deepest and darkest fears.
http://yessyblue.com/candymantrickste...
https://youtu.be/jpyJrdCICuA
The Candyman cast of 1992
Candyman can be considered a cult classic, not because it has a great deal of cheap thrills, or a lot of kills. But simply because the movie actually tackles society’s deepest and darkest fears. The movie opens with Helen, a graduate student who is conducting research for her thesis on urban legends. She comes across a young lady, who tells her about a supernatural being, a black man, in a trench coat, and a hook for a hand. She then goes on to tell Helen that if you call out Candyman’s name a total of five times, he will appear and gut you from belly to chest. Helen dismisses this story as silly superstition and folk-lore. But decided to do some additional research. This time, she is questioning one of the residents of Cabrini Green who simply tells her that Candy Man has been responsible for almost two dozen murders. Including one woman who was found dead in her apartment.
Candyman explained
Now regular folks like you and me, probably would have dropped the subject of Candyman and moved onto something else. However, Helen convinces her colleague Bernadette to visit the projects. Once there, Helen discovers a shrine, with candy offerings for the malevolent spirit. She takes pictures and soon realizes that the luxury apartment building that she is living in, was built to be low-income housing. Thus, the builders scratched the project, once they learned that the building was far too close to the affluent residents of downtown Chicago. Helen, now fascinated by the subject of urban legends, visits Cabrini Green and speaks to Ann Marie. A single mother who is indifferent about the horrific tales that surround the Candyman. Later, she is lured into a public housing bathroom, where she is beat down by a man with a hook. He knocks her out, blackening her eye, and is only arrested after the police conducted a lock down, followed by a sweep. This is when we learn that the imposter was a gang leader, who simply used Candyman’s name and legend to spread further strife and fear throughout the Cabrini Green projects.
Candy man is not a serial killer but a trickster god
And this my friends is when the legendary Candyman appears. He tells Helen that she loosened the grip of fear that he had on the residents of the Cabrini Green projects. As a results, he will need to shed more blood, to re-instill that fear. Candyman goes on to say that if there is no fear, then he would simply fail to exist. After seeing Candyman, Helen starts to hallucinate and suffers from black out sessions. Only to awaken and find dogs that are beheaded, babies that were abducted, and colleagues brutally murdered. She is taken to a mental institution, after being framed for the murder of her colleague Bernadette. There, she is heavily sedated while awaiting trial and counseling. Only to summon the Candyman, who appears and brutally kills the psychiatrist who is questioning her sanity. Helen runs off and finds that her husband is now fully committed to one of his college students. And hurt from the betrayal, she runs to Cabrini Green. Here, she literally makes a deal with the devil, believing that if she gives her life to the Candyman, Anthony, Ann Marie’s baby would be spared. However, Candyman tricks Helen so that her and the baby can die in the flames. Helen stakes the Candyman and crawls out with little Anthony in her arms. Helen dies from the severe burns, smoke, and trauma. But much like Candyman, she can be summoned to kill when you speak her name five times in the mirror.
Why Candyman is the best horror movie of all time
In the movie, it is revealed that Candyman had a forbidden affair with a white patron. As a result, he was brutally murdered. He was beaten, covered with honey and attacked by yellow jacket bees. His arm was sawed off and replaced with a hook. And lastly, he was burned, with his ashes being scattered on the grounds of Cabrini Green. The back story, too gruesome for its own scene, represents the degeneration of black deities and pagan gods all over the world. And it represents the mistreatment, oppression, and subjugation of an entire race and class. Scary movies, good scary movies, are analogous of a society’s deepest and darkest fears. And Candy Man in is an amalgamation of that. Let me explain.
Understanding Trickster Gods in Fiction
I beat your ear up in other videos about the shadow self. I explained that you can have the best intentions when trying to manifest. However, if your shadow self is unchecked, all of your repressed desires, emotions, and fears will be realized. With that said, it’s safe to say that society as a whole also has a shadow self. It is a bank of repressed emotions, trauma, and pain. This collective shadow self is also known as the pain body. The Cabrini Projects is a representation of this bank of emotions, the pain body. Afterall, the project building was built with good intentions. The goal was to give America’s lower class a better standard of living. However, you really can’t fight against injustices without losing power yourself. If you really want to serve the underclass, then you yourself, will have to make sacrifices, and forego many of the privileges that come with being part of the ruling class.
Trickster god example in movies
So underneath all of those good intentions is fear. You want to give back, but only if it doesn’t directly threaten your status, nobility, and sense of self-worth. This is why Candyman was stung and dragged throughout the streets of Chicago. He was a threat. Only he came back as a spirit or deity, who represented the suppressed shadow self of a society, a shadow that we all share. The Candyman, much like other trickster gods, feeds on fear. And when you summon any of these gods, your best intentions will not be manifested, but the inverse. In short, these gods will bring to life your deepest and darkest fears. And in many cases, it may very well end in your own death. What’s the remedy to all of this?
Understanding Trickster African Gods
Well, we have to heal that collective shadow, or pain body. And you do this by finding balance. I believe that the forbidden love affair between Candyman and his white patron was a symbolization of this balance. The woman, representing the light forces and Candyman of course, representing the dark. Once aligned, the collective pain body will diminish, thus freeing all of society from its formidable forces. However, the ruling class couldn’t upset a balance that served them. As a result, Candyman was murdered, and the forces of dark and light were left unbalanced. But Candyman as a movie, sheds light on the collective shadow and pain body, working to restore the balance between the dark and the light.
Trickster gods in Pagan culture.
So what’s the solution to working with trickster gods? It’s sacrifice. Helen, in the end needed to sacrifice her own life to save others. And as a result, she became a part of the Candyman legend. Thus working to restore balance between the dark and light forces.
Candyman along with other trickster gods are an amalgamation of society’s pain body. When summoned, they WILL NOT manifest your intentions. But your deepest and darkest fears.
http://yessyblue.com/candymantrickste...
https://youtu.be/jpyJrdCICuA
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