A few words about Tony Todd
When it came to presence, he had it on film even with only his voice.
I remember watching Candyman for the first time, a movie that came out of nowhere in the 90s and established Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd as recognizable names in the industry. A good horror film can do that. Todd was the one that people couldn’t get out of their heads. The man who appeared out of the dark if you said his name a certain amount of times was hooked into our subconscious like Freddy Krueger a decade before.
The difference in this particular villain was the backstory that came with his terror. Candyman’s murderous wrath extended from an incident that occurred after he got a woman pregnant, sparking a lynch mob that sawed off his right hand and smeared him in bees for him to be stung several times. According to Todd, the bees were real and he was stung 23 times, being paid a grand for each sting. After being burned alive, that area turns into the living area where Madsen’s character resides, and starts to investigate the murders that came from the man with a hook for a hand. Eventually, she comes across Todd’s mad man with a giant hook. Early 90s horror was mint.
Todd’s presence on camera helped deliver that credence, a backbone for a horror bad guy that connected real painful history to a movie that hit you sideways. The woman impregnated was white, sparking the hateful act by the racist lynch mob. It made the movie an unconventional entry for the genre, a two-dimensional villain that freaked you out. Being unusually tall and carrying a deep voice lent Todd the gifts to thrill on screen, but he supplied the rest.
Still, I dare you to turn off the lights in a public bathroom and say his name five times.
While the most celebrated, that wasn’t the role that left a dent. Todd was nominated for a Critics Choice award for his role in The Final Destination movies, and he popped up frequently in prominent science fiction roles, according to my pal
. If you needed a tall force of nature with a gripping voice, Todd was in the top five.He was more prolific than most actors, appearing in 256 films, shows or presentations according to IMDB. Born in 1954, dying a month short of his 70th birthday, Todd didn’t stop working until the end. He had four movies released this year, and also a voice role for a television series. In 2023, he appeared in seven different movies, shows, or video games. The voice work alone is impressive.
Todd worked and worked, often in films not recognized by a mass group of people. You didn’t see him on the cover of Variety or GQ, because that wasn’t how he operated. He was in it to work, to portray characters and be in the movies. While not widely known, tons of people would know the voice.
That’s his legacy. A ton of work, a few big roles, one big hook, and a helluva voice.
Rest in power, Candyman. To be remembered 32 years after first terrorizing my sorry ten-year-old ass in a semi-crowded Esquire on a dark, rainy night off Clayton Road… that’s lasting power.