Twisting the Natural Hair of “Candyman” from Art Chic to Dark Terror

Can having great hair protect you from a monster in the mirror who cuts down his victims at the mention of his name a mere five times? There’s evidence in the new Candyman that it can. Department head hairstylist Jessi Dean stepped elegantly into the glossy art world of Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris). The killer begins as a mere myth, but hair and terror intertwine as the rumors prove true and the slayings mount.

How “Candyman” Composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe Manipulated Madness Into Music

It’s hard to believe that someone as soft-spoken as Brooklyn musician Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe could be responsible for the dread-inducing soundscape that underscores the return of cinema’s most horrific throat-slashing boogeyman. And yet, that’s exactly what Lowe has achieved in his score for Candyman (opening Aug. 27). The film, from co-writer/director Nia DaCosta and co-writer/producer Jordan Peele, updates the original 1992 horror movie by tracking artist Anthony (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) as he tries to wrap his bee-stung arms around the mysterious re-emergence of the murderous Candyman in Chicago’s newly gentrified Cabrini Green neighborhood.

“Candyman” Review Round-Up: Searing, Strikingly Beautiful, & Savage

The reviews are in for writer/director Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, and they only further cement DaCosta’s status as one of the rising stars of her generation. “It’s easy to shock viewers with splatter but the old gut-and-run gets awfully boring awfully fast. Far better is the slow creep, the horror that teases and then threatens,” writes The New York Times’s Manohla Dargis. DaCosta’s film teases,

New “Candyman” Video Puts The Focus On The Art Behind the Horror

“The art within Candyman is definitely about devolution to mirror his psychological descent,” says co-writer and director Nia DaCosta at the top of this new video. DaCosta’s film, co-written with Jordan Peele, is centered on Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Anthony McCoy, a talented artist looking for inspiration. This search will lead him to some seriously dark places. McCoy, along with his girlfriend Brianna (If Beale Street Could Talk‘s Teyonah Parris),

Go Inside “Candyman” With Writer/Director Nia DaCosta and Co-Writer/Producer Jordan Peele

“I’ve always been fascinated with urban legends,” Candyman co-writer and producer Jordan Peele says at the top of this new behind-the-scenes video released by Universal Pictures. “Candyman,” Peele continues, “is the patron saint of the urban legend.” Peele co-wrote the script with rising star Nia DaCosta, who directs the film. DaCosta says that while growing up, Candyman wasn’t just attached to the 1992 film from director Bernard Rose,

Watch The Thrilling Second Trailer For “Candyman”

Two days ago we shared Candyman director Nia DaCosta’s stirring Juneteenth message—today, we share the second trailer for her eagerly anticipated film. DaCosta’s legacy sequel to the 1990s cult classic has been one of the hottest commodities for a long time now, but we’re finally getting close to the premiere date and chance to see this talented director’s fresh take on a classic horror film.

DaCosta directs from a script she co-wrote with Win Rosenfeld and Jordan Peele,

“Candyman” Director Nia DaCosta’s Stirring Juneteenth Message

One of the best TV spots for any film in 2020 was the gut-punch of a prologue Candyman director Nia DaCosta shared with the world on June 17 of that year. Exactly a year and a day later, DaCosta was back, sharing a different kind of message, but one equally potent, with her long-awaited film finally nearing its release date. DaCosta delivered the message the day before Juneteenth—now an officially recognized federal holiday—talking about what Juneteenth means to her,

“Candyman” Director Nia DaCosta Will Helm “Captain Marvel 2”

Director Nia DaCosta is going from Chicago’s Cabrini Green to the cosmos. Deadline broke the story and Variety has confirmed that DaCosta, the director behind the hotly anticipated reimagining of Candyman, will helm Captain Marvel 2 for Marvel, replacing Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. DaCosta will be directing off a script from WandaVision story editor Megan McDonnell.

New “Candyman” Spot Creates More Buzz for Nia DaCosta’s Film

A new TV spot for Candyman utilizes the gut-punch of a prologue director Nia DaCosta shared with the world on June 17 and mixes in new footage to hype the upcoming horror flick. That prologue, a thing of haunting beauty, teased the backstory to DaCosta’s continuation of the horror franchise, which first began in 1992.

The prologue—created with shadow puppets—revealed the nested stories that hint at the origins of the film’s titular “monster” and the world in which he was created.

Candyman Director Nia DaCosta Reveals The Film’s Incredible Prologue

It’s safe to say that even without everything that has happened in the United States this year, this haunting prologue to co-writer and director Nia DaCosta‘s Candyman would still be incredibly potent. Yet DaCosta shared this two-and-a-half-minute work of shadow puppet wizardry in a country that has seen protests against police brutality and systemic racism in all 50 states (the protests have gone global, too) after the murder of George Floyd,

Behold the Buzz-Worthy Trailer for Jordan Peele’s Candyman

Now this is how you generate buzz.

Apologies for the pun (not really), but the official trailer for Candyman, co-written and produced by Jordan Peele, is here, and bees play a fairly significant part. Peele’s “spiritual sequel” to the 1992 original, directed by rising star Nia DaCosta (Little Woods), looks straight-up fantastic.

We now know that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman, 

Here’s Your First Look at Jordan Peele and Nia DaCosta’s Candyman

Reasons to be excited for director Nia DaCosta’s upcoming Candyman reboot, in no particular order. DaCosta herself, a rising star directing her biggest feature yet. Your screenwriters are Jordan Peele (!!) and Win Rosenfeld (executive producer of Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman), based on the characters first created by horror legend Clive Barker and writer/director Bernard Rose. Then there’s the cast—Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman, Watchmen),

Aquaman Star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Your New Candyman

Beware next time you look in the mirror. The Candyman is back.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II must not have a fear of bees. Variety reports the Aquaman star has landed the coveted role as the new Candyman in the upcoming reboot produced by Jordan Peele. Abdul-Mateen will step into the role of the tortured soul who was murdered by a lynch mob and stung to death by bees.

Jordan Peele Confirms Candyman Project and Announces Director

Someone must have said “Candyman” five times because the supernatural killer is back. Deadline confirmed those rumors that Jordan Peele may be working on a sequel to the 1992 horror classic.

Peele and business partner Win Rosenfeld will produce the Candyman reboot via their Monkeypaw Productions. Busy with Us, his directorial follow up to Get Out, and assuming hosting duties of the new Twilight Zone,

Jordan Peele in Talks to Bring Back the Candyman

Hellraiser might be the film that comes to mind most quickly when you hear the name Clive Barker, but Candyman is an even juicier slice of Barker’s works. The horror legend began both ideas as short stories with Candyman being adapted into a 1992 film starring Tony Todd. If you’re unfamiliar with the 90s trilogy, the story is gruesomely scary. It also has a socio-political narrative that begs to be explored and Jordan Peele may just be the man to do it.