REVIEW

“Not the Bees!”: ‘CANDYMAN’ Returns in First Trailer for Jordan Peele-Produced Sequel

By Matt Oakes · February 27, 2020

1992’s Candyman embodied the idea that good horror movies touch on greater social issues of our times. To an almost unwavering degree, the horror film spoke to racial superstition, director Bernard Rose using the projects as a backdrop to deliver an underrated supernatural slasher with something real on its mind. Leave it to Jordan Peele to pick up the ball nearly 30 years later and run with these ideas.

Though it’s not entirely clear yet whether this 2020 version of Candyman will be a direct sequel, a reboot of sorts, a “spiritual sequel”, or a mash-up of all of the above, the first look promises, at the very least, something worth looking forward to. Directed by Nia DaCosta (Little Woods), the new Candyman looks to tackle gentrification in Chicago, one of America’s most notoriously dangerous neighborhoods, where racial violence often still crackles in the street.

With a predominantly black cast that includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen), Teyonah Parris (Dear White People), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Four Weddings and a Funeral), Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead), and Vanessa Williams (no, not that Vanessa Williams), Candyman looks to continue Peele’s penchant for telling horror stories from a black perspective, stories with purpose that also offer huge entertainment value.

Take a look at the trailer below: