The first "Candyman" movie gained an appreciative audience by virtue of its unique take on the "slasher" motif — an urban legend set in the inner city about a killer with a hook in place of one hand that could be summoned up by looking in a mirror and repeating the name "Candyman" five times.

The film's visual structure was also unusual, as was the pulsating score by Philip Glass.

And while I enjoyed the first third or so of that film, it soon degenerated into a more typical, gory bloodfest and became quite disappointing. (And we haven't even discussed the racial controversy, centering around the film's back-story of a post-Civil War slave who romanced the blond daughter of a plantation owner and was tortured by locals — ultimately finding his soul condemned to search present-day Earth for a blond replacement, randomly killing innocents along the way.)

Still, the film was a hit, so the inevitable sequel has finally arrived, "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh." And this time, the modern story is bolstered by post-Civil War flashbacks to the title character's origins. Despite that twist, however, "Candyman II" doesn't offer even a small portion of interesting material.

From the opening sequence, with Candyman (again played by Tony Todd) showing up in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and impaling an author who has written a book about him, the film signals that it will be just another bloody mess. And it is.

This time the blonde he pursues (Kelly Rowan) is a descendant of the woman Candyman was in love with all those years ago. And Rowan's mother (Veronica Cartwright) harbors a family secret that Candyman knows, but Rowan does not.

Loaded with illogical plot points and silly machinations, the film ponderously proceeds with Candyman's random killings and ill-fated attempts at romancing Rowan, as the film teases the audience with brief flashbacks until it finally decides to unravel the story, concluding with a special-effects climax on a dark and stormy night in the swamps.

Even fans will likely be disappointed this time around, as the film rapidly sinks into a morass of gore and blood . . . but no brains.

"Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh" is rated R for considerable violence and gore, as well as sex, nudity and profanity.