The horror classic Candyman has been receiving considerable attention lately. Ever since it was announced that modern horror icon Jordan Peele would be producing a sequel to the terrifying 1992 horror flick, fans have been wanting to either revisit the movie or watch it for the first time. Now, thanks to Netflix, they’ll be able to do that just in time for Halloween.
The original film is based on a story by Clive Barker and tells the tale of a young grad student who’s working on a thesis about urban legends. While conducting her research, she comes across the story of the titular hook-handed slave. It’s been rumored that his ghost can be summoned by saying his name five times in the mirror. The protagonist’s studies eventually draw her into Chicago’s housing projects and subsequently deeper into the world of the dreaded Candyman.
Tony Todd played the eponymous villain in the feature and, after some uncertainty, will be returning for next year’s follow-up movie. There’s a good chance he might even be reprising his role from the first installment. Details surrounding the upcoming sequel are still fuzzy, but we do know that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will also star and Nia DaCosta will direct. There’d been rumors that Abdul-Mateen would be replacing Todd as the Candyman, but that’s since been debunked.
We’ve also been told that toxic fandom will be addressed at some point and that the movie will return to the neighborhood where the horror began back in the early nineties. The story takes place in the now-gentrified section of Chicago where the Cabrini-Green housing projects once stood. The people who once lived there may be gone, but the evil spirit of the hook-handed man still lurks in the shadows.
Candyman is currently streaming on Netflix, while the sequel will hit theaters on June 12th, 2020.