An actor from a horror classic revealed how real bees were used to shoot a terrifying scene where he was paid $1,000 per sting.
Most films use CGI and camera tricks to bring the scary storylines to life, but actor Tony Todd endured grueling filming with insects during the making of a classic horror movie.
Todd has starred in a range of horror films including three Final Destination films, so is no stranger to being on a terrifying set.
It’s been just over 30 years since Todd starred in the horrifying movie, and in a recent interview, has revealed some behind-the-scenes facts, alongside co-star Virginia Madsen.
In the horror classic, they used practical effects rather an CGI. Credit: TriStar Pictures
The horror classic was a smash box office hit making over $25 million in the US, per IMDb.
The supernatural slasher had three sequels, including a remake by the director of Get Out, Jordan Peele in 2021, in which Todd made a cameo.
But the original has stayed with fans through the years, and as one user writes: “That movie is SO scary”
Another adds: “Scariest movie ever.”
“It scared me so bad that I could not sleep. I mean that literally, my entire body shook,” a third replies.
The plot synopsis reads: “Intrigued by local legends, Helen investigates the myths and superstitions surrounding the one-armed Candyman. However, she confronts her worst nightmare when a series of murders start taking place.”
The film explores complex themes like racism and generational trauma, all while absolutely terrifying the audience.
Most of the film is based in Cabrini-Green, a housing project in Chicago, a place known for decades for its reputation of violence, despite the people living there feeling a sense of community.
Tony Todd was paid extra for letting the bees go into his mouth during filming. Credit: TriStar Pictures
Even the mythology at the center of the horror film is not dissimilar to stories children would hear growing up on the housing project.
The film chose to not only use practical effects within the film but also employed real gang members from the Chicago area as extras.
In an interview with ET, Todd said: “There’s a couple of scenes that you see actual gang members and for them, it was the most honest living they had done up until that point.”
“They got away from whatever their day-to-day routine was and they were making a film.”
Even though the film is three decades old it remains still a huge success.
As Todd puts it: “We were saying, about how amazing it is 30 years later that it’s still in the forefront of people’s minds, particularly fans.”
He also said he still has many people telling him they do challenges, saying Candyman 5 times in the mirror to see if they can summon the urban legend.
Co-star Madsen, who played Helen Lyle, summons Candyman in the film said at the time of the press tour in 1992: “I started doing the Candyman thing and then I said, ‘No, no, no, if there is any of this going on, I don’t want it anywhere close to me!”
But even over 30 years later the actress still has the same fear: “I have never said it five times in the mirror, even in the movie, just in case.”
Candyman was filmed in Cabrini Green in Chicago, a notoriously violent housing project. Credit: TriStar Pictures
Todd also endured the physical aspects of filming a horror.
Part of Candyman’s story is that when he was killed he had his hand cut off and replaced by a hook and was then covered in honey, making bees swarm him and sting him.
So when the legend of Candyman appears, the bees are all around him.
The filmmakers decided against using CGI for one scene, in particular, we see Candyman, played by Todd open his mouth and bees all around his face and inside his mouth.
There were 200,000 insects used for the film’s most infamous scene when a swarm of bees falls out of Candyman’s mouth as he leans down to kiss Helen.
“The bees were the worst nemesis,” Todd replied.
“I had a great lawyer at the time and we got paid,” Todd answered. The actor had a clause that meant he earned an estimated $1,000 per bee sting.
Todd said: “So I didn’t mind it, I’m going like, ‘Bring it on!’ And it only totaled to 27 [stings].”
Actress Virgina Madsen is deathly allergic to bees, so they had to have paramedics on standby. Credit: TriStar Pictures
The actor had a dental dam in his mouth which meant, the bees could not travel further down his throat.
Shockingly Madsen is actually deathly allergic to bees, which meant the scene was even more of a risk to film: “That’s why they had the paramedics on the set, which didn’t make me feel very confident. But the bees that were on me were baby bees so they can sting but they said they are less likely to.”
Todd revealed that the bees got ‘feisty’ when the beekeeper had to vacuum them off the actors.
In the end, despite the risk it was all worth it for Todd, who reflected: “It was well worth it and not just the bonus check, but being one of the first African Americans in a horror film that does not enslave us.”
