Teyonah Parris and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II explore the Candyman's terrifying origin story in eerie trailer
Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peele update the origin story of the ill-fated ghost killer with a deadly hook for a hand in the new adaptation
Jordan Peele heard that someone was trying to step on his turf and decided to show them how Black horror’s really done with the new trailer for Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen, The Get Down). Peele wrote the screenplay alongside Win Rosenfeld and DaCosta.
Mixing folklore, horror, and the Black experience, Candyman follows visual artist Anthony McCoy (Abdul-Mateen II) and his partner Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris; If Beale Street Could Talk, WandaVision). The pair move into a luxury loft condo in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green, a gentrified neighborhood historically comprised of project housing. After hearing about the ghost story about a ruthless killer with a hook for a hand, McCoy begins to chase down the story’s origins in an effort to fuel his art, finding out for himself what happens when you say “Candyman” five times in the mirror. Both the neighborhood and Anthony’s psyche begin to unravel as the killer returns, leaving a trail of bodies behind him.