Trivia: Part of the film was actually shot at the infamous Cabrini-Green housing projects. The crew had to pay off members of local street-gangs in order to maintain a peaceful shoot. (Although allegedly, one bullet was fired at a production vehicle during photography).
Trivia: For the infamous scene in which Candyman's body is covered with bees, and he opens his mouth, allowing bees to spill out while he kisses Helen, actual bees were used. The only real "effect" in the sequence was a hidden mouth-guard in Tony Todd's mouth, to keep the bees from going down his throat.
Trivia: The film is notable for featuring a sympathetic but still truly evil African American villain (garbed in a black long-coat) and for exploring the harsh conditions poor African American families are often forced to live under. This is actually quite ironic, as in the original short story by Clive Barker ("The Forbidden"), the action all takes place in England and the Candyman is portrayed as an incredibly pale white man with long, blonde hair and an weirdly colorful coat made up of patches of different materials.
Trivia: The director had to go and meet with representatives from the NAACP, as the studio feared the project would be misconstrued as being racist due to it featuring a black antagonist and dealing with racial undertones. The representatives found the entire process ridiculous, and fully supported the film.
Trivia: Allegedly, hypnosis was used on Virginia Madsen to aid in the filming of a few key scenes. She became very uncomfortable by the process after a while and refused to allow the crew to do it ever again.
Trivia: The music in this film is composed by Phillip Glass. During some of the eerie parts, the music sounds strangely familiar to another Phillip Glass composition, "The Truman Show."
Answer: When Helen goes back and sees the mural of his murder, the camera lingers on a woman in the picture that looks like her. This is the woman Candyman was in love with before he was killed. The implication is either she was reincarnated as Helen, or Helen reminded him of her, hence his interest in her.
dewinela