Remembering Tony Todd

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Legendary American actor Tony Todd sadly died last week (November 6 2024), at the age of 69. Tony Todd is an icon among horror fans, having been in a ridiculous number of movies, mostly horror, as well as all kinds of television shows, from Xena Warrior Princess to Scream: Resurrection (the third season of the TV series spinoff of the Scream franchise. His deep, booming voice brought an eerie gravitas to any role he played.

While I haven't seen all of Tony Todd's filmography (not even close!), I thought it might be fun to revisit some of the movies I remember him from.


1. The Crow (1994)



The American horror movie The Crow is the story of a man named Eric who is brought back by a crow spirit the avenge the murders of himself and his girlfriend, Shelly. Based on a series of comics, it's an extremely 90s gothic angstfests which spawned more comics as well as three sequels, a TV series, and a 2024 reboot. In the first film, Tony Todd plays Grange, one of the villains who is smart enough to attack the actual crow instead of the invulnerable angry undead dude.




2. Final Destination (2000)



When an American high school student named Alex is boarding a plane for a school trip to Paris he has a vision of the plane exploding, killing everyone on board. His frantic state causes a conflict resulting in Alex and a group of other students being thrown off the plane, which saves their lives when it does in fact explode. However, the group's luck doesn't last long, as one by one they are killed in a series of unlikely accidents.

Final Destination is a supernatural horror movie, written and directed by James Wong (a writer for The X-Files), based on a story by Jeffrey Reddick. It stars Devon Sawa (from Chucky, Idle Hands and Black Friday ) as Alex, and Ali Larter as Clear Rivers, another one of the students. Tony Todd is actually not a villain or a killer in this one!

He plays William Bludworth, the undertaker who explains to the teens that Death itself is hunting them because they have disrupted its plan. He appears in all four sequels, as well as the upcoming Final Destination Bloodlines, to be released in 2025. He was nominated for the Fangoria Chainsaw Award and Critic's Choice awards for this role.




3. Candyman (2021)



In 2019, an artist named Anthony, and his girlfriend, Brianna, move into an apartment building where the residents still tell stories of the Candyman, a legendary figure with a hook for a hand who can be summoned by saying his name five times while looking into a mirror.

I'm sorry to say I haven't seen the 1992 original, and I really must get on that because I hear that it's a classic of the genre. This version is directed by Nia DiCosta (director of The Marvels) and the screenplay was co-written by Jordan Peele (director of Get Out and Nope) and Win Rosenfeld. It is a sequel to the 1992 movie, ignoring the other sequels in between. It stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (from Aquaman) as Anthony, Teyonah Parris (from Dear White People and They Cloned Tyrone) as Brianna, and Tony Todd as Daniel Robitaille, aka The Candyman.

Coming at this as someone new to the franchise, the story seems similar to that of The Crow. There is someone returning from the dead to take revenge on the people who wronged him, but there is a lot of other stuff going on, with social commentary around racism and police brutality. Honestly, if you haven't seen the original I would recommend starting there instead of doing what I did, but this movie still makes sense regardless, and Tony Todd is very good in it.




4. Night of the Living Dead (1990)



Two siblings, Barbara and Johnny, are visiting their mother's grave when Johnny is suddenly attacked by a zombie. Barbara flees to hide out in an old farmhouse with several strangers as the undead gather outside.

Night of the Living Dead (1990) is the official remake of George Romero's 1968 classic of the same name. It was directed by Tom Savini, who is better known for his makeup and practical special effects work on films including Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th and Creepshow).

Unlike the original film, this version is in colour, which makes the zombies look a lot less realistic, and consequently less scary. The plot is also a little different, and personally, I don't consider the changes an improvement. Tony Todd plays Ben, a fellow survivor with whom Barbara (Patricia Tallman ) forms a bond. He is one of the best things about this movie.




5. Hellfest (2018)



A group of college students visit a Halloween-themed park called Hellfest where they are terrorised by an actual murderer who hides out among the attractions.

Hellfest is a slasher movie directed by Gregory Plotkin (who worked on Get Out, Happy Death Day and was assistant editor on The Crow: City of Angels). It stars Amy Forsyth as the main character, Natalie. It's pretty trite and silly but is partially redeemed by the ending. Tony Todd only has a brief cameo in this one as a carnival barker. I don't really recommend watching this movie, but I'd run out of movies I've actually seen where he has more memorable roles. On the plus side, I know that there are many more out there I have yet to enjoy. His legacy will live on for a long time.




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