Candyman: The True Story Behind The Bathroom Mirror Murder
4.7/5
Critic Rating
On April 22, 1987, 52-year-old Ruthie Mae McCoy called 911 to report that someone was trying to enter her Chicago housing project apartment through the bathroom medicine cabinet. Police thought she was imagining things, but when authorities finally checked on McCoy two days later, they found her dead with four gunshot wounds. Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder, revisits the real-life account of McCoy's strange death – one of the inspirations for the Candyman horror film. Hosted by journalist and Chicago native Dometi Pongo, this 6-episode limited series – produced by 48 Hours and CBS News – explores why McCoy's desperate calls for help were i...
Critic Reviews
Score: 4
Rebecca Lavoie, Kevin Flynn, Lara Bricker & Toby Ball • Crime Writers On • Nov 14, 2024
"Kevin thought [it] was better than its click-baity title implies. Toby and Rebecca felt the series was often uneven and disjointed, but an interesting topic nonetheless."
Score: 5
Giacomo Bagni • Orecchiabile Newsletter • Oct 31, 2024
"Quello del diritto all’abitare è un tema più attuale che mai e Dometi Pongo e collaboratori fanno un ottimo lavoro di ricostruzione di una realtà locale che riflette a livello globale molte delle tematiche ancora irrisolte dagli anni ottanta ad oggi in diverse parti del mondo. Su questi “schermi” provo spesso a parlare di come si possa eticamente raccontare vicende orribili senza delegittimare o oscurare le vittime e le loro famiglie e Candyman ne è un egregio esempio, oltre ad essere un prodotto ben fatto e costruito su solide fonti. /////// The right to housing is a more topical issue than ever and Dometi Pongo and collaborators do an excellent job of reconstructing a local reality that reflects globally many of the issues still unresolved from the eighties to today in different parts of the world. On these "screens" I often try to talk about how you can ethically tell horrible stories without delegitimizing or obscuring the victims and their families and Candyman is an excellent example, as well as being a well-made product built on solid sources."
Score: 5
Sarah Ditum • The Times UK • Oct 24, 2024
"...a classier proposition and a more compelling one....I listened to this open-mouthed. This was a fantastic piece of long-form journalism told in a format that perfectly suited the subject, with contributions from the police, historians and McCoy’s neighbours. You never forget there’s a person at the heart of this horror."
