In the horror genre, directors often limit the use of special effects and often prioritize using special measures to create highly realistic visual effects. Therefore, when filming scenes related to animals, many film crews also seek to use “real things” to visually impress viewers. One of the most classic scenes is the character Candyman (played by Tony Todd) letting bees fly out of his mouth in the horror masterpiece of the same name released in 2019. 1992.
Directed by Bernard Rose, Candyman inspired by Clive Barker's short story The Forbidden. The film tells the story of Helen (played by Virginia Madsen), a person who specializes in researching supernatural stories and accidentally learns the anecdote about the murderer Candyman (Tony Todd). However, she later became the object of the monster's pursuit.
Actor Tony Todd's performance as Candyman is considered one of the best villains in the horror genre. In particular, in the scene where the murderer confronts the female lead, he takes off his jacket, revealing a punctured abdomen filled with bees. Then, the devil opened his mouth and let hundreds of these insects escape, before bending down to kiss the beauty.
According to FSR site, to make this scene, the Candyman film crew completely used real bees while filming. Actor Tony Todd had to wear a mesh in his mouth to prevent them from flying down his throat. It took the crew more than half an hour to put about 500 bees into the actor's mouth. They use a pheromone, a chemical to fool that Tony Todd is their queen bee.
The individual bees used in the film were also specially prepared. All of the animals selected were only 12 hours old to have an adult appearance, but when burned, it would be less painful for the actors. Director Bernard Rose also hired entomologist Norman Gary to advise and supervise this important scene. This is also the person who set the Guinness record for keeping 109 bees in his mouth for 10 seconds.
As for Tony Todd, in addition to agreeing to take on this challenging scene, the actor also succeeded in adding an additional clause in the contract with the producer. Specifically, he will be compensated 1,000 USD for each bee sting. “As a result, I was stung 23 times. To do something good, you usually have to endure pain. When I realized this scene was important to Candyman, I accepted. Having bees on my body is like like you're wearing a beautiful shirt,” the actor said in an interview with The Guardian.
In the movie, Candyman is not the only character tormented by bees. Female lead Virginia Madsen also had to film scenes where they were applied to her face and body. At first, she refused because she was allergic to bees. Director Bernard Rose had to hire many emergency medical professionals to stay on set to ensure Virginia's safety while filming. After filming ended, the actress said she discovered that she was actually allergic to wasps – an insect that looks like a bee.
“You feel crazy because their legs are so hairy, like hundreds of cotton swabs gliding across the skin. I had a special chemical applied to my body to make the bees think I was their queen. But the bees The most difficult part was how to remove the bees. They used a small vacuum cleaner and it took more than 45 minutes to remove them all,” Virginia recounted.