People can't believe bees in this classic horror were real and actor was paid $1,000 for every bee sting he endured
Topics: Horror, Film and TV
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: TriStar Pictures
Topics: Horror, Film and TV
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There is no questioning that some pretty weird and horrifying stuff takes place in horror films.
But we often tell ourselves that it is fiction after all, so we don't need to worry about it being real.
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However, for the 1992 classic, Candyman, that is not exactly the case.
Based on Clive Barker's short story, the supernatural slasher was extremely popular, garnering three successful sequels.
The film follows graduate student Helen Lyle, who is researching an urban legend in a Chicago housing project, Cabrini-Green.
But as you'd probably expect with a horror movie, things quickly get horrifying as the skeptical student learns about the Candyman, a hook-wielding individual that many residents feel is responsible for a recent murder.
Well, a mysterious man begins stalking her and she begins to believe the figure may actually be real.
While we do not see the Candyman until around the 40 minute mark in the film, it's truly nothing but horror after that.
There is one particular scene in the movie that has become infamous over the years, and it involves an awful lot of bees.
A whopping 200,000 bees are used in the scene where a swarm of bees fall out of Candyman's mouth as he leans down to kiss Helen.
Nowadays, you'd expect such a scene to be created using CGI, but in 1992, the famous scene was completed with practical effects.
Speaking in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2022, Tony Todd, who plays Candyman said: "The bees were the worst nemesis. I had a great lawyer at the time and we got paid."
Remarkably, the actor had a clause in his contract that earned him an estimated $1,000 per bee sting.
"So I didn't mind it, I'm going like, 'Bring it on!' And it only totaled to 27 [stings]," he added.
With the bees in such proximity to his mouth, it could have been a lot worse for Todd if it was not for a certain object repurposed for the scene.
"We had a dental dam so they couldn't go further down [my mouth]," Todd revealed.
Virginia Madsen, who starred as Helen in the movie, added: "The bees had their own trailer! It doesn't really make you feel confident when there's a big net cage set up around our scene to protect the crew and an ambulance standing by."
Furthermore, Madsen is also allergic to bees, making the scene even more complicated to film.
"That's why they had the paramedics on the set, which didn't make me feel very confident," Madsen said.
She added: "But the bees that were on me were baby bees so they can sting but they said they are less likely to."
Candyman is available to watch via Prime Video, you can sign up for a free trial here.