Digi-Schlock: CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH (Scream Factory Blu-Ray)

No one can say that Scream Factory isn't a sequel-friendly company. They've often released the sequels to famous horror films even if they don't have the original film in their catalog: for example, they did a nice special edition of Phantasm II and did standalone special editions for Halloween II and III long before they did their complete Halloween collection set. They recently turned their attention to the Candyman franchise with a blu-ray of Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh and the results fit in nicely alongside their sequel repertoire.The transfer offers a solid representation of a moody, often dimly-lit film, with the high-definition video bringing a little added oomph to colors and details along the way. Two stereo mixes are offered here, the original 2.0 version and a 5.1 remix. Both are presented in lossless form. The 5.1 remix was listened to for this review and it offers a nicely immersive soundscape that uses Philip Glass's evocative musical score to excellent effect.Scream Factory also includes a few worthwhile extras for series fans. The first is a commentary track carried over from an earlier DVD version of the film. It's a solo track with director Bill Condon and he offers an informal yet informative stream of chat that mixes an overview of the film with some scene-specific bits. He admits he did this sequel to get out of "movie jail" after an unsuccessful debut but also talks about the narrative elements that made it worthwhile, including some interesting thoughts on how the script comments on America's "original sin" of slavery.Condon also discusses his cast members, Glass's unique approach to film scoring and some unique thoughts on how the film's social themes complicate the audience's response to its horror elements. All in all, it's a thoughtful chat and one that offers some worthwhile material to the film's fans.Scream Factory also produced two new featurettes for the disc. The first is "Candyman Legacy," a 26-minute chat with star Tony Todd. He is both intelligent and incisive as he discusses all three Candyman films, making a case for the series as a gothic love story. Fans of the first film will be fascinated by tales of Bernard Rose's unique directorial methods and how Todd used the Phantom Of The Opera as a model for his performance. He also discusses Night Of The Living Dead and offers an amusing comment about the Final Destination series.The other interview is entitled "Down Memory Lane" and offers just under eleven minutes with actress Veronica Cartwright. Despite the brief running time, she covers a lot: she reveals how working on a t.v. movie with Condon led to her Candyman role, discusses the challenges of her character's death scene and even touches on Alien and Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Elsewhere, the disc is rounded out with a theatrical trailer done in a rollercoaster style and a "More From Scream Factory" trailer collection that includes spots for Phantom Of The Opera (1989 version), Dolls and Squirm.All in all, this disc of Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh shows that Scream Factory continues to carry the torch for horror sequels, delivering a fine little package for fans of the series.To read Schlockmania's film review of Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh, click here.