Horror Actressing: Kasi Lemmons in "Candyman"
Monday, August 26, 2019 at 12:45PM by Jason Adams
We don't talk enough about Kasi Lemmons, the actress. Maybe it's because she proved herself an absolutely terrific director in 1997 with the wildly underrated Eve's Bayou -- and she's got the Harriet bio-pic with Cynthia Erivo coming out in November -- and maybe it's because Hollywood, per their usual routine when it comes to too many black actresses, never gave her a truly great role to play with. But she's got a two-fer in the early 90s as "the best friend" in seminal horror films that she really managed to inject a lot of life into.
The most prominent one is obviously The Silence of the Lambs, where Kasi played Jodie Foster's fellow FBI recruit and friend Cordelia -- the film doesn't have much time for her but she proves a capable ally to Clarice, and as with any actress Jodie ever co-starred with the two of them had way more chemistry than with any man on the premises...
But the more interesting role I think is that of Bernadette in Candyman. Bernard Rose's 1992 film, adapted from Clive Barker's short story "The Forbidden", has always had a hand-grenade reputation when it comes to talking about the subject of Race in America -- it's about a white woman walking into a black neighborhood and yanking at the threads of their community with her privileged curiosity until she's unleashed an unspeakable horror. Every time Helen (Virginia Madsen) wakes up from one of her walking dreams she's covered in yet another black person's blood.
One of those times that blood is that of her best friend Bernie (Lemmons), who much like in Lambs has been there to first encourage the leading lady's interests, and then later to warn her that she's gotten too deep into dark matters. Candyman's focus on Race immediately makes this relationship a more fraught one, though. The more obsessed that Helen gets with digging around in Cabrini Green's secret histories the more strained her relationship with Bernie becomes, and Lemmons really lets you onto the sense, one that remains unspoken, that she feels used by her friend. Used as a wedge in; suspicious of Helen's reasons for even being her friend. And of course that becomes the ultimate betrayal and violation between the two -- once Helen's fantasies have drained her friend dry Bernie's dead body is literally turned a bloodless white.
Anyway it's no surprise that Jordan Peele is currently producing a rebooted reimagining of Candyman that will be directed by Little Woods film-maker Nia DaCosta -- I have to admit part of me wished that Kasi Lemmons herself had decided to take a swing at the reboot; that could've been a kick! Here's an extra feature from the recent Candyman blu-ray that shows Lemmons talking about the filming of the 1992 film:
Reader Comments (13)
Great piece. Love this movie so much -- watched it repeatedly on home video in the '90s. "Melrose Place" Vanessa Williams also give a great (tho small) performance as the mother with the missing baby.. her frantic scramble when he's gone from the crib is bone-chilling.
I considered writing about Vanessa Williams too, Paranoid Android! Agreed on that scene, which is absolutely horrifying -- she's heartbreaking in the final portion of the film.
Candyman was one of the few bright spots in the cinematic horror landscape of the early 90's.
Thanks, Jason, for pointing out Lemmons' performance, she was great.
Another performance to float as deserving of a place in your Horror Actressing pantheon: Lindsay Duncan in 1990's The Reflecting Skin.
the wildly underrated Eve's Bayou
How? Movies centered on Black people don't generate canonical conversation with the dominate white film fans.
Need to see this movie, but can't let a Kasi Lemmons post go by without mentioning the fantastic Talk To Me, featuring terrific performances all around including an outrageous Taraji P. Henson (who should have been Oscar nodded). Here's hoping she's a Director nominee this year, assuming the film is another great work from her.
I was exposed to this movie way too young and am still too frightened to revisit it. I don't even remember details of it, just the sheer terror that Tony Todd inspired. It's the only horror film that disturbs me to such an extent that even reading its name makes me turn the lights on. I'll have to get over it soon because the remake/reboot has a great cast.
@eurocheese: ditto on Talk to Me and Taraji!
Kasi Lemmons is underrated. Eve's Bayou and Talk to Me are never discussed in the conversation when it comes to amazing films while I'm also in the minority that enjoyed The Caveman's Valentine which was a weird film but I thought it was pretty cool.
I still have Candyman on VHS tape lol
Kasi Lemmons' primary contribution to the world is Eve's Bayou. Her subsequent films don't remotely measure up to it. And her acting career was the generic stuff they give to nonwhite actresses with frequency.
A very disturbing creepy movie that does not need to be remade
Great movie that I feel like is weirdly unheralded. The early 1990s were not a great time for mainstream horror so it needs to be talked about more. Very scary and weirdly quite complicated and fascinating. Also I know she's not the focus here, but what an random career Virginia Madsen has had.
Eve's Bayou is a fucking masterpiece. The Moonlight of its day. Debbi Morgan should have won Supporting Actress in 1997.
Need to put eves bayou on watch list