New Candyman Reboot Trailer Makes An Urban Legend Relevant For A New Generation

The new Candyman reboot trailer finally showcases what the brand new take on this horror classic looks like. The recently released trailer from producer Jordan Peel showcases the first look we’ve gotten at this new horror remake. And it looks amazingly scary, with enough homages to truly make it a new take on a classic film.

What Was Candyman And How Did It Became Such An Influential Horror Movie

Candyman was a supernatural horror movie from 1992 that became a massive success. The film is one of the greatest classics in the horror genre. Before films like Scream that made horror movie stories meta and self-referential, there was Candyman. The story of the film saw its lead protagonist researching an urban legend known as Candyman. So the premise of the horror movie was a horror story that turned out to be real. The late Clive Barker, mastermind of horror in his own right, wrote a short story called “The Forbidden.” Set in his native Liverpool, the story dealt with class and segregation. When Barker met director Bernard Rose, he agreed to sell the rights of the story to him. That’s how the original Candyman came to be. 

Image via Tristar Pictures.

The film takes the tropes of horror movies and depicts them in a new light. In a genre where stereotypical portrayals show Black characters often being victimized, Candyman was different. Not to mention that the character’s backstory also touched upon America’s sordid racial history. The origins of Candyman was that he was the ghost of an artist, the son of a slave, who fell in love with a Caucasian woman in the 1800’s. He was brutally lynched by his lover’s father, with his ashes spread over what would later become a housing project in 90’s Chicago. Since then Candyman appears anytime someone says ‘Candyman’ 5 times in front of a mirror, brutally murdering them. 

The Candyman Reboot Makes Sense Knowing The Original’s Origins

Jordan Peele has had a penchant for telling stories that are very much in the horror genre, while also being an underlying allegory for the Back experience in America. His debut film Get Out was most notable for this. The themes similarly continued with Us. And more recently, his Amazon Prime Video series Hunters, deals even more directly with the persecution of minorities, with a Nazi-hunting premise. A horror movie where the titular antagonist was the son of a slave and was the victim to a lynch mob after falling in love with a white woman, seems completely tailor-made for a subject for Peele. And the newly released Candyman reboot trailer does not disappoint in any of those aspects. 

Reboot Or Sequel?

Image via Tristar Pictures.

While it’s technically a reboot, the new Candyman is meant to be a spiritual sequel. The original story featured Chicago as its setting. And the new movie returns us to the same neighbourhood. The casting of the original Candyman, Tony Todd, also confirms the new movie as something of a sequel. The trailer even seemingly, features Todd’s voice in one sequence. It’s part of a growing trend of new instalments of an existing franchise that harkens back to the original, but more as a legacy. Similar to the upcoming Ghosbusters: Afterlife. The story may recall events and characters from the original, enhancing the experience for existing fans, but the new movie is accessible to new audiences.

The Story Behind The New Candyman Reboot Trailer

The trailer for Candyman recaps the urban legend. The myth of Candyman will be part of the story, as in the original film. And while Virginia Madsen was the protagonist of the original Candyman, it’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) who is the hero here. Although, ‘hero’ might not be the right word for the character. The new Candyman reboot trailer sees Abdul-Mateen II as an artist who discovers the myth of Candyman in his new neighborhood. Inspired by the legend, he uses it to influence his art, putting Candyman on display as part of an art exhibition. And that’s when Candyman surfaces full force to cause chaos and carnage. 

Image via Universal Pictures.

Does The New Candyman Reboot Trailer Reveal Too Much?

The reason I said ‘hero’ may be pushing it earlier, is because the new Candyman reboot trailer seems to reveal a lot about the new movie that could be a spoiler. It seems that Candyman in the new movie is Abdul-Mateen II’s character himself. Scenes showing that he is the titular character, and the one committing all the terror is very clear in the new trailer. Although it’s ambiguous if Candyman possesses him later, or if he’s always been the supernatural killer. But knowing both producer Jordan Peele’s style, as well as director Nia Long’s sensibilities, it would be too simple to think the trailer spoiled such a big twist. There is of course more in play that we may not have seen yet in the trailer. 

What Does The Twist In New Candyman Trailer Mean? 

This new twist in the Candyman reboot trailer is interesting, to say the least. While the original Candyman was an artist, so is Abdul-Mateen’s character. Does that mean he becomes full fledged takes over the Candyman persona at the end of this film? The beginnings of another planned franchise? Which would make this new Candyman almost like a modern-day origin story from the original. It’s too early to say, but the conjecture alone shows how it’s one of the most anticipated Horror movies of 2020. Not just for genre fans, but casual audiences as well.

Candyman releases on June 12. 

Did the Candyman reboot trailer scare you? Let us know in the comments below. 

New Candyman Reboot Trailer Makes An Urban Legend Relevant For A New Generation
Shah Shahid