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Jordan Peele's Candyman sequel buzzes up first creepy, killer trailer
Keep away from mirrors! The first terrifying trailer for the Jordan Peele-produced sequel to 1992's Candyman has arrived and it isn't afraid to sting you with fear.
Directed by Nia DaCosta (Little Woods), the 2020 follow-up to the '90s horror classic finds the titular entity returning to the Chicago neighborhood where his myth first began. In the years since Candyman first terrified Helen Lyne, however, the once gang-infested and crime-riddled Cabrini Green has become gentrified and safe. Or so our characters think, anyway.
The gruesome 19th century murder of Daniel Robitaille continues to linger over the place, opening the door for a whole new set of rusty hook-related deaths. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) leads the cast as Anthony McCoy, a young artist looking to spark renewed interest in the local myth. Instead, the local myth takes an interest in him and McCoy is slowly tormented by Candyman. He may even be transforming into a new version of the eponymous entity.
Say his name five times and watch the trailer (set to a perfectly creep-ified rendition of Destiny's Child's "Say My Name") below:
In a sleek connection to the original movie, Anthony is the grown-up version of the baby that Helen saved from a fiery death nearly 30 years ago. He's also the son of Anne-Marie McCoy, a character played by Vanessa A. Williams in the first film. Williams is reprising that role and you can see her in the trailer (at the 1:28-mark), shushing someone about to say Candyman's name.
Teyonah Parris (If Beale Street Could Talk), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Utopia), and Colman Domingo (Euphoria) co-star in the film. Tony Todd, the OG Mr. Robitaille, is returning to the franchise in this project, although it's unclear who he'll be playing. Will he be relegated to a William Bludworth-type cameo role?
"Out of the blue I get a phone call from Jordan Peele," Todd said last spring. "Yes, Jordan, you called me! ... The way he explained it to me was that it’s gonna be applause-worthy moments. That’s his words. You know, and it's flattering. No matter what happens with that, it’s gonna just put renewed attention on the original."
The original Candyman film (written and directed by Bernard Rose) was a modest success in the fall of '92, but is now considered one of the best horror flicks ever made. It spawned two sequels with Todd starring in the namesake role: Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999). Like the David Gordon Green's Halloween or Tim Miller's Terminator: Dark Fate, DaCosta's Candyman is a direct sequel that ignores all other follow-ups.
The new Candyman buzzes into theaters on Friday, June 12. DaCosta co-wrote the movie's screenplay with Peele and Monkeypaw Productions president Win Rosenfeld.
