Say his name: Candyman delivers terrifying frights in new trailer

You’d think knowing that saying an evil spirit’s name multiple times in a mirror would dissuade people from doing it but based on the new Candyman trailer, that couldn’t be further from the truth. No one can stop saying his name. Did none of these people learn anything from years of being tormented by Bloody Mary at sleepovers that go terribly wrong?

In just two months, we finally get to see the new Candyman movie, a film that we should have gotten last year until the pandemic ruined the theatrical release schedules for the foreseeable future. But this summer, the Nia DaCosta-directed movie is finally releasing. Ahead of the movie’s August 27 release, Universal has released a brand new trailer.

Also, yes, Jordan Peele is involved in the film as a producer under his Monkeypaw Productions company but keep in mind this is DaCosta’s film! Many people see Peele and immediately assume he’s the director but it’s important to recognize that Candyman has a black woman director, which is something rarer than it should be, especially in the horror genre.

The new Candyman is a direct sequel to the 1992 movie

For those unfamiliar, Candyman is a direct sequel to the original 1992 movie starring Tony Todd. While there are already sequels in existence, the new movie will skip those similar to what Halloween did when it was rebooted a few years ago.

Speaking of Todd, he’ll be back in this movie, but the story’s main focus is on Yahya Abdul-Mateen III’s character Anthony McCoy. If you recall the little boy rescued by Helen Lyle in the first movie, he’s now all grown up and obsessed with the wicked legend of the mysterious Candyman.

The new trailer also teases more of the film’s themes, as it will explore some of the racial violence that happened in the first movie given a Black man was accused of a crime he didn’t commit and then killed for it.

In this instance, the shadow puppets used to tell a story (which were present in other teasers released for the film) portray a Black man who was believed to be putting razor blades in candy given to children. But after he was beaten to death, the razor blades continued showing up in candy, meaning he was innocent all along.

Watch the official trailer for yourself below:

Candyman hits theaters on August 27.