George Lemore Says There's No 'Candyman' Without Tony Todd

George Lemore, who starred in the 1995 film "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh," doesn't think anyone should pick up the villain's famous hook in the aftermath of Tony Todd's death.

We caught up with the actor a week after his former costar died of natural causes at the age of 69, prompting George to advocate to the powers that be to leave the 'Candyman' franchise alone.

As George put it ... the horror series, which dropped its first film back in 1992, should be left as a classic and shouldn't be rebooted again ... declaring it's comparable to other greats in the popular genre.

Per George, the franchise's success is largely thanks Tony's legendary performance as the 'Candyman' ... a vengeful spirit terrorizing those who say his name 5 times. Tony played the titular killer in all 4 movies of the franchise, including its most recent 2021 installment, also called "Candyman."

GL said Tony didn't just give moviegoers a fright -- he gave George himself a proper scare on the set of 'Candyman 2.'

He shared ... "I remember one night we wrapped set and it was, like, late at night ... I went to my trailer to grab my backpack so I can leave set after working all day ... and he was in my trailer and he scared me. Yeah, he scared me and I'm like, 'This is real.'"

TMZ broke the story ... Tony's rep Jeff Goldberg confirmed the actor passed away at his Marina del Rey home on Nov. 6. No cause of death was shared at the time.

After more than 4 decades in the business, Tony racked up a number of impressive acting credits, many in the horror genre ... including "The Crow," "Final Destination," and "Night of the Living Dead."