Chicago: The Real Horror Behind 'Candyman'
Foul Play: A Historical True Crime Podcast
Shane L. Waters, Wendy Cee, Gemma Hoskins
4.5 • 992 Ratings
🗓️ 1 December 2021
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Our story centers on the tragic case of Ruthie McCoy, a narrative that eerily echoes the urban legend explored in "Candyman." Just like the film's protagonist Helen Lyle, played by Virginia Madsen, Ruthie found herself entangled in a nightmare that transcended the bounds of folklore and entered the area of real-life horror.
Set against the backdrop of Chicago's housing projects, we explore the chilling legend of Candyman, where chanting his name five times in front of a mirror would supposedly summon a one-armed maniac. This episode examines how this fictional tale of horror bears an unsettling resemblance to the genuine fear and danger experienced by McCoy and others in similar circumstances.
Featuring expert commentary on urban legends and their impact on popular culture, along with interviews with those familiar with McCoy's story, we provide a complete look at the intersection of myth and reality. We dissect the psychological and societal factors that give rise to such legends and how they reflect the genuine fears and anxieties of those living in marginalized communities.
Tune in to "Foul Play: Crime Series" for a haunting episode that not only recounts the story of Ruthie McCoy but also examines into the broader themes of fear, myth, and the sometimes thin line between fiction and reality. "Echoes of Terror" is a journey into the heart of urban folklore and the real-life horrors that inspire them.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | And the Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Oh. In the 1992 horror cult classic film, Candyman, Curiosity takes a grad student places. She never thought she'd Candy Virginia Madsen is a young white woman who wanders into Chicago's near north side housing projects. |
| 1:18.0 | She is there to research an urban legend, Chant Candyman five times in front of a mirror, |
| 1:24.0 | and a one-armed maniac with a knife will appear. |
| 1:28.0 | This concept is reminiscent of the Bloody Mary legend that terrified many of us as kids. |
| 1:36.0 | The idea you could be alone in the safety of your own home and suddenly have a violent predator in front of you, |
| 1:43.0 | it's more than just a little unsettling. |
| 1:46.0 | In the film, The Candy Man legend is tied to a series of murders in the projects. |
| 1:52.0 | Our heroine Ellen aims to determine if the culprit is the |
| 1:56.6 | homicidal phantom or a real human being. Candyman is an adaptation of the short story, The Forbidden, written by British horror novelist Clive Barker. |
| 2:18.8 | Unlike the movie, the short story is set in England and a dilapidated housing development. |
| 2:25.2 | It was an intentional choice to make the character Candyman, African American in the movie. |
| 2:31.1 | Barker actually never mentions the character's race in his story and while the movie veers more towards scary entertainment rather than focusing on symbolism |
| 2:41.0 | Barker's story brings in focus the divide between the haves and the have-nots. |
| 2:46.0 | Of course, the social and racial divide were very real in the housing projects of 1980s Chicago. |
| 2:54.0 | These buildings were a physical manifestation of modern racial segregation. |
| 3:00.0 | The film setting of Cabrini Green was an actual housing development for low-income |
| 3:05.9 | residents in Chicago's near north side. But it was one of the city's several projects, |
| 3:11.8 | most of which were in constant state of disrepair. |
| 3:17.0 | Chicago's low-income housing has a long history of decline. |
| 3:22.1 | In the 1950s and 60s, the Chicago Housing Authority, or CHA, |
| 3:27.0 | prioritize building new public housing and expanding the few already in existence. |
| 3:32.0 | Most of the new developments and expanding the few already in existence. |
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