Review | Candyman movie review: supernatural horror sequel starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is fresh, frightening and relevant
- A successful artist takes inspiration for his new paintings from the legend of Candyman – but as time goes on, strange things begin to happen
- Produced by Jordan Peele, of Get Out and Us fame, Candyman is a slick sequel to the original that builds atmosphere from the opening credits to the very end
4/5 stars
The 1992 horror film Candyman, directed by British filmmaker Bernard Rose and based on a Clive Barker short story, The Forbidden, became an instant classic.
The story of an urban myth, it examined the legend behind Candyman – a 19th century son of a slave who was tortured and killed by a lynch mob. Those foolish enough to do so can summon him into being by saying his name five times in front of a mirror.
While two other sequels were shot, Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Day of the Dead (1999), neither matches up to this latest version by Nia DaCosta, director of 2019’s Little Woods. Titled simply Candyman, the film can be considered a direct sequel to the original, returning as it does to the setting of Chicago’s Cabrini Green public housing estate seen previously in Rose’s film.
Here, the ’hood has been gentrified almost beyond recognition. Living in a luxury condo is Anthony McCoy (Watchmen’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a successful visual artist who is in a relationship with art gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris). He’s looking to mount a new show when he encounters a Cabrini Green resident, William Burke (Colman Domingo), who tells him of the Candyman myth and its connection to the area.