Candyman is back and more terrifying than ever in the first trailer of Universal’s update to the horror classic. Based on a short story by Clive Barker, the original Candyman was directed in 1992 by Bernard Rose but now it’s getting a modern overhaul courtesy of director Nia DaCosta and producer and co-writer Jordan Peele.
The trailer begins with the classic conceit: Say “Candyman” five times in front of a mirror and you’ll summon the monster at your own peril. A grisly mass murder occurs off-screen and suddenly we’re neck-deep in a horror movie that appears to be absolutely relentless.
The new Candyman is more than just a remake; it’s a continuation of the film, describing how Candyman has lain dormant for some time before a young photographer (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his family move to the neighborhood and discover a deeper connection with it than they expected. The film is intended to both reboot and recontextualize the original Candyman trilogy, coming at it with a unique perspective.
In an interview with Deadline, producer Ian Cooper claimed the film aims to appeal both to fans of the original and a new generation. “What we’re doing with Candyman and how Jordan is crafting it on the page is going to be very exciting and rewarding to audiences that haven’t seen the original film as well as people who’ve seen the original film,” he said. “In a broad sense of the word, this film will stand alone if you’ve never heard of a film called Candyman and will dovetail in a pretty complicated and interesting way to the original. In short, I think this will really fit in with what we’re doing with Us and did with Get Out in a way that will be circuitous.”
“The original was a landmark film for black representation in the horror genre,” Jordan Peele added. “Alongside Night of the Living Dead, Candyman was a major inspiration for me as a filmmaker — and to have a bold new talent like Nia at the helm of this project is truly exciting. We are honored to bring the next chapter in the Candyman canon to life and eager to provide new audiences with an entry point to Clive Barker’s legend.”
Peele has made a name for himself in the horror genre with recent hits Get Out and Us, both films that dealt heavily with black representation in media and sought to subvert many common horror tropes.
Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, and Tony Todd star opposite Abdul-Mateen II. Candyman is currently slated for a June 12, 2020 release.
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