Candyman (1992)

I'll forever hold a grudge against Candyman for not living up to my childhood memories of it. It's a well-made, well-acted movie with a few very good scenes, but as a whole, it's just not that effective. It has a solid start and an interesting premise, but the writers seem to lose the plot early on, and never explore the most compelling story elements.

Tony Todd is terrific, and succeeds at making The Candyman iconic even when the script fails him. If not for him and Virginia Madsen, I'm not sure anyone would even remember this one. If it had been a better movie, he'd be considered one of the all-time greats. Candyman fails on a lot of levels, but makes the grade in a number of other ways, and I think it's worth watching at least once.

3 would be better without the tacked on second ending out of 5.

Paperhouse (1988)

Kicking off the Halloween movie marathon, I chose this intimate film from director Bernard Rose (Candyman, Immortal Beloved). Lonely Anna has a hyperactive imagination and escapes into her drawings when she sleeps. Bedridden for a week with fever, as her dreams become more frequent, they also get darker...and more real. Doesn't hold up as well as in my memory, but it affected me deeply when I was younger.

3 parents never listen to their children out of 5