The first trailer for the new Candyman film, directed by Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) has finally appeared. A “spiritual sequel” to Bernard Rose’s 1992 horror stunner, which was itself based on the Clive Barker story “The Forbidden,” Candyman explores a modern Chicago in which the Candyman myth not only lives on, but is becoming commodified into art.
Fresh off his star-making turn in Watchmen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Anthony, a visual artist who moves into the gentrified area where the Cabrini Green projects, the setting of the first film, once stood. “Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world,” reads a synopsis. “Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifyingly viral wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.”
The social commentary—it’s been said to explore “toxic fandom”—looks to mingle with some traditional slasher tropes in the below trailer, which trades shots of Chicago’s upper-class and lower-class neighborhoods with shots of some horny art-types coming face to hook with...is that Tony Todd? He’s in this, but we’re not sure how just yet.
Watch the trailer below.
In addition to producing, Get Out’s Jordan Peele co-wrote the script with BlacKkKlansman producer Win Rosenfeld. Colman Domingo and Teyonah Parris round out the cast of the DaCosta’s film, which hits theaters on June 12.