2020 was a disappointing year for cinema in general, but particularly so for horror fans. One of the most painful postponements was Nia DaCosta’s Candyman. The 1992 original is one of my favorite horror movies of all time, combining a pointed commentary on class and race in inner cities with some genuinely terrifying thrills.
Our first indications were that DaCosta’s Candyman would be a reboot but we now know it’s a direct sequel to the first film, adopting the Halloween (2018) template of ignoring the franchise’s many sequels of varying quality. The sequel will once again be set in Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood, though since the original its been gentrified beyond recognition. We’ll follow a middle-class artist couple who move into a loft and begin to exploit the legend of the Candyman in their work. Judging by the trailers, this appears to be a very poor choice of subject matter.
The trailers hints that it’s in the same class as the iconic original and that it’s got a decent chance of ending up as the scariest movie of 2021, exactly as teased by the cast and crew. And in a new interview, the original Candyman, Tony Todd, underlined that this isn’t a reboot that ignores the past, praised the creative team behind it and expressed his hopes that this movie will be a smash in theaters:
“It’s a continuation of the first film. Nia DaCosta does a wonderful job directing, and Jordan Peele wrote it. It’s in good hands. You know, I was really thrilled to see that A Quiet Place opened strongly, $48 million or something. So that’s a good sign for us. If it’s successful, no one knows what’s going to happen. Maybe there will be more, and maybe that’ll be the end.” He added, “You know, after almost thirty years of carrying that character to conventions and interacting with fans, it’s nice to finally have a new chapter to discuss. And new Funkos! I finally get my own official Funko.”
Todd is also confident that those many delays are finally over:
“They don’t want to move it again. We moved that date two times, two hard dates, and there’s no way they’re going to move it again. I think they’re already running trailers in theaters now, so it’s going to get heavier as it gets closer. I can’t wait, it’s going to be great.”
Recent theatrical horror releases A Quiet Place Part II and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It opened big, indicating that audiences hungry for some supernatural horror after so long spent indoors. If what we’ve heard is anything to do by Candyman will deliver and live up its top-class horror pedigree.
We’ll find out for certain on August 27, when Candyman opens in theaters.