First trailer for Candyman “dares you to say his name.”

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The first trailer for CANDYMAN has arrived and it's looking to put a fresh spin on a familiar tale.

Produced and co-written by Jordan Peele and directed by Nia DaCosta, the film is not being described as a reboot but more of a "spiritual sequel" to the 1992 original that introducted Tony Todd as the titular character. Set to take the lead in this new film is Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who you may remember as Black Manta in AQUAMAN & Cal Abar on HBO's Watchmen. The actor is clearly cleaning it up with projects because he's also currently shooting MATRIX 4.

Also written by Win Rosenfeld and based on characters created by Clive Barker, few details were revealed about the film ahead of the new trailer that debuted today. Our first glimpse at the film came on Tuesday when the official poster was released along with a short teaser on the film's official Twitter page that was unlocked when you tweeted #Candyman 5 times. Before all of this, all we knew was that the film was set to return to the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood that provided the setting for the original 1992 movie.

My first thoughts on the trailer is that, despite being over two minutes, it still doesn't give away too much and that's exactly how I like it. There was a lot of speculation that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was playing the title character but from the looks of it he seems to be an artist that becomes consumed by the legend, even hinting at a bit a possession angle. I also like that Jordan Peele and company is continuing to make mainstream songs creepy. Much like they used "I Got 5 On It" by Luniz in the trailer for US, Destiny's Child's "Say My Name" becomes a creepy jingle for the titular character. Speaking of "Candyman", although Tony Todd has been officially been announced to appear in this film in some capacity,  I didn't spot him at all in the trailer so perhaps they're holding off showing his reveal in later promo for the film.

In the original film, based on the short story "The Forbidden" by Clive Barker, a graduate student named Helen Lyle (Virginia Madden) is completing a thesis on urban legends in Chicago and it leads her to the legend of "Candyman", the ghost of an artist and son of a slave who was murdered in the late 19th century. The legend states that Candyman (Tony Todd) appears whenever one looks in the mirror and says his name 5 times. Helen goes from skeptic to believer when she witnesses the atrocities herself and soon realizes that he has plans for her to join him in the afterlife.

CANDYMAN also stars Tony Todd, Candyman himself returning from the original film, Colman Domingo (LINCOLN, SELMA) & Teyonah Parris (IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, Dear White People). You'll get your chance to tempt fate and say his name 5 times when CANDYMAN hits screens on June 12, 2020.

Did YOU like the first trailer for CANDYMAN? Do YOU think it will live up to the original?