Daniel Robitaille

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Lore & Background

Daniel Robitaille's backstory was developed during rehearsals for the 1992 film by actor Tony Todd and director Bernard Rose. Todd called his character "Granville T. Candyman," a scion of a rich black family in 1870s Chicago who gained fame for his portraits and music. He was commissioned to paint Helen, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, and demanded she pose nude as Venus; her shock turned to love, leading to a forbidden interracial affair. A lynch mob cut off his right painting hand with a rusty blade, covered his naked body with honey, and cheered as he was stung to death by bees. The name "Granville" was never used, and the character's name ultimately became Daniel Robitaille. In the film series, he is depicted as an African-American man who returns as an urban legend, killing anyone who summons him by saying his name five times in front of a mirror.

In Their Own Story

In Candyman (1992), set in Chicago, graduate student Helen Lyle investigates the urban legend of Candyman connected to murders at the Cabrini–Green Homes. When she discredits the legend, Candyman appears and frames her for murders to perpetuate fear. It is hinted that Helen is the reincarnation of Candyman's lover. He plots to have himself, Helen, and kidnapped baby Anthony McCoy immolated in a bonfire, but Helen escapes and sacrifices herself to rescue Anthony. In Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995), set three years later in New Orleans, Candyman encounters Annie Tarrant, a descendant of his and Caroline's daughter Isabel. The movie explores how he meets Caroline Sullivan during his lifetime before being murdered. In Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999), set twenty-five years later in Los Angeles, Candyman encounters Annie's adult daughter Caroline. In Candyman (2021), set twenty-seven years after the original, an adult Anthony McCoy summons Candyman. The legend has evolved around similar tragic murders of African-Americans killed by racist authorities, forming a "hive" of Candyman forms including Sherman Fields, William Bell, Samuel Evans, George Stinney, James Byrd Jr., Gil Cartwright, and Anthony McCoy.

Reader's Guide

The narrative arc of Daniel Robitaille begins in the historical past, establishing the origin of the curse through a forbidden interracial love affair and lynching. This backstory is revealed in flashbacks across the film series. In Candyman (1992), the character is introduced as an urban legend; his backstory is hinted at but not fully detailed. Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) explores how he meets Caroline Sullivan during his lifetime as the artist Daniel Robitaille before he is murdered and becomes Candyman. The 2021 film recontextualizes the mythology by introducing the hive concept, revealing that Candyman is not a single entity but a manifestation of multiple African-American men killed unjustly, including Sherman Fields, George Stinney, and James Byrd Jr. The legend survives by absorbing new souls who suffer similar tragic fates. In the film's conclusion, Anthony McCoy joins this group after being gunned down by the police, renewing the curse for a new generation.

Did You Know?

• The character's backstory as an African-American artist named Granville T. Candyman was invented by Tony Todd during rehearsals with Virginia Madsen, not by Clive Barker.
• In Clive Barker's original short story, Candyman's race, name, place of origin, and backstory are never mentioned; doubting his existence is enough to summon him.
• The 2021 film introduces the concept of 'the hive,' where multiple African-American men killed by racist authorities become part of the Candyman entity, including Sherman Fields, George Stinney, and James Byrd Jr.
• Tony Todd compared Candyman to the Phantom of the Opera and the Hunchback of Notre Dame, describing him as a 'monster' who uses tenderness and terror to win love.
• The Candyman's iconic hook hand and bees were introduced in Barker's short story, but the story's illustration by John Stewart showed a beastly man in silhouette with wild hair and an elaborate hook hand, differing from the text.

Literary Origins and Visual Design

The character originated in Clive Barker's 1985 short story "The Forbidden," initially printed in semiprozine Fantasy Tales and later published in volume five of Barker's six-volume Books of Blood anthology collection. The story was partially inspired by a cautionary tale Barker's grandmother told him about a hook-handed man who cut off a boy's genitals. In the text, Candyman is described as having waxy yellow flesh, pale blue thin lips, wild eyes with ruby-set irises, a patchwork jacket, and bloodstained motley with a hint of rouge on his jaundiced cheeks. His race, name, place of origin, and backstory are never mentioned; doubting his existence is enough to summon him. The Fantasy Tales publication featured an illustration by John Stewart depicting a beastly man in silhouette with wild hair and an elaborate hook hand, deviating from the author's words.

Cinematic Evolution and Portrayal

Tony Todd played Candyman in Candyman (1992), Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995), and Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999). He reprised the role in Candyman (2021), a sequel of the original 1992 film. In the 1992 film, set in Chicago's Cabrini–Green Homes, Candyman follows graduate student Helen Lyle. In Farewell to the Flesh (1995), set three years later in New Orleans, he encounters Annie Tarrant. In Day of the Dead (1999), set twenty-five years after Farewell to the Flesh in Los Angeles, he encounters Annie's adult daughter Caroline. In the 2021 film, set twenty-seven years after the original, an adult Anthony McCoy summons Candyman. Todd compared his character's ability to invoke fear, suggestion, and seduction to the DC Comics villain Scarecrow, and compared him to the Phantom of the Opera and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Virginia Madsen confirmed that Candyman was intended to be an "African-American Dracula."

Character Development and Backstory

When Tony Todd and co-star Virginia Madsen were cast, director Bernard Rose gave them free rein to flesh out their characters' backstories. Rose said, "The Candyman is not black in Clive's story. In fact, the whole back story of the interracial love affair that went wrong is not in the book. Everything that's in the book is in the film, but it's been amplified." Todd came up with the character's backstory during rehearsals with Madsen. He called his character "Granville T. Candyman," the scion of a rich black family in 1870s Chicago who gained fame for his portraits and music. Granville is commissioned to paint Helen, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, and demands she pose nude as Venus; her shock turns to love. This forbidden interracial affair brings the city's wrath down on Granville. A lynch mob cuts off his right painting hand with a rusty blade, covers his naked body with honey, and cheers as he's stung to death by bees. The name "Granville" is never used, and the character's name ultimately becomes Daniel Robitaille.

The Hive and Modern Mythology

In Candyman (2021), it is revealed that the legend of Candyman has survived and evolved by being recontextualized throughout the years around similar tragic murders of African-Americans killed by racist authorities in ways that resemble Daniel Robitaille's death. These figures become part of "the hive" of Candyman. The Candyman before Anthony was a mentally disabled man named Sherman Fields, who was accused of placing razor blades in children's candy before being beaten to death by the police for it, although he turned out to be innocent. Eventually, a disfigured and catatonic Anthony is gunned down by the police, enabling Candyman to assimilate Anthony and renew his legend. Other characters depicted as part of the Candyman hive include Anthony Crawford, William Bell, Samuel Evans, George Stinney, Helen Lyle, James Byrd Jr., and (in deleted scenes) Gil Cartwright.