How Candyman 2020 Can Bring Back Helen Lyle!
The 2020 Candyman “spiritual sequel” will reportedly include original movie protagonist Helen Lyle, and here’s what we think she might be up to.
The 2020 Candyman “spiritual sequel” will reportedly include original movie protagonist Helen Lyle, and here’s what we think she might be up to. As with most slasher franchises, the Candyman series’ only consistent element is the presence of its titular killer in each installment. With slashers, as long as the monster people love to be scared by is included, the people that monster targets tend to basically be interchangeable, outside of the occasional recurring protagonist like A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Nancy Thompson or Friday the 13th’s Tommy Jarvis.
Outside of some very minor characters that show up in more than one film, the cast supporting Tony Todd in Candyman’s two sequels were entirely different both times. However, that isn’t the case for Universal’s upcoming Jordan Peele-produced, Nia DaCosta-directed follow-up to the original Candyman movie. Several characters who appeared in the first film are set to return, including the new focal character Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who previously appeared as a baby Candyman kidnapped.
After Anthony was abducted, he was ultimately saved by Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen), the object of Candyman’s desire. Rescuing Anthony cost Helen her life, but she lived on as a ghost, returning for revenge against her unfaithful husband. It’s unknown exactly how Helen fits into Candyman 2020’s story, but we have an idea.
How Candyman 2020 Can Bring Back Helen Lyle
With what happened to Helen Lyle at the end of Candyman, it might seems like she’s being set up as an antagonist herself. However, the person she killed, Trevor, kind of deserved it after cheating on her and basically not giving a damn when Candyman turned her life upside down. Helen wouldn’t really have motivation for further vengeance, and died saving Anthony. She’s a good person. In fact, it’s likely her involvement in the new Candyman movie could again center on Anthony.
While much about the new film’s plot is still unclear, it does appear from the trailer that Candyman might be trying to possess Anthony, or at least that Candyman is setting Anthony up to follow in his murderous footsteps. If that’s the case, it would make perfect sense for Helen to once again make it her duty to protect Anthony, standing in the way of Candyman’s attempts to corrupt him. Anthony’s mother Anne-Marie is still in the picture in the present too, and Helen made it a point to save Anthony after Candyman made it look like she might’ve killed the child. Helen won’t want to let what almost happened decades ago come to pass this time either, and will likely seek to defend the McCoy family as a whole. Helen may be the only person suited for this task too, as Candyman’s affection for her – after all, she’s implied to be the reincarnation of his great lost love – may give him pause long enough for his supernatural grip to be loosened.
