In a new trailer for 'The Legend of Candyman', directed by Nia DaCosta ('The Marvels') and written and produced by Jordan Peele ('Get Out' and 'Us'), it's clear that the "mirror killer" is more than just one man. Rather, he is a symbol, metaphor, and personification. But from what, exactly? What is the real story behind one of the most classic antagonists in horror cinema?
Originally, the new preview was revealed through an official website of the production. To access it, the user needed to say the villain's name five times – just like in the plot, where repeating his name is part of the condition to invoke him. In the terrifying new video, you can also hear Candyman's dialogue. Watch (if you can) below:
Candyman: the urban legend
The story behind the iconic killer was born in the short story written by Clive Barker (the same as 'Hellraiser') in 1985, 'The Forbidden', published in Brazil by DarkSide Books. In the plot, Candyman was Daniel Robitaille, one of many slaves on a New Orleans plantation. The character ends up getting involved with the daughter of the owner of the land and ends up dead under torture.
After being beaten and having his hand cut off, Daniel is tied up and has honey smeared all over his body and face to be attacked by bees and ants. People who witnessed the murder mocked the slave and called him “Candyman” (“sweet man” in the English translation) five times before the (so far) victim finally died.
Before succumbing, the character cursed everyone around. In life, "Candyman" was the last word he said. A century later, Daniel returns from the Beyond with a hook in place of his severed hand. Anyone who dared to pronounce the word five times in front of a mirror would have the fate of death.
Challenging the figure behind the mythical assassin, the director of the new feature, Peele and some cast members defined the “mirror killer” in a nutshell in a new promotional video (see below).
It is noteworthy that 'The Legend of Candyman' is a “spiritual” sequel to the original released in 1992: 'The Mystery of Candyman'. The film follows practically the same plot as the short story, but has some changes. In the plot, Daniel (personified here by the stupendous actor Tony Todd) was the son of a slave who fell in love with the daughter of a rich white man. At some point, he ended up having a child with the girl. Her father, enraged, lynches the man, the group mutilating him before leaving him to be stung to death by bees.
The production directed by Bernard Rose was so successful that it even generated two (and little known) sequels: 'Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh' (1995) and 'Candyman: Day of the Dead' (released direct to DVD, 1999).
The reality behind the mirror
Believe me: Candyman's modus operandi and the idea of a killer leaving through the bathroom mirror cabinet are based on fact. In a truly chilling plot twist, it's very likely that the plot of Candyman originated through the gruesome 1987 murder of Ruthie Mae McCoy in a housing project the same as that of Barker's short story.
Reporter Steve Bogira, from the Chicago Reader, told in articles published in the year in question the story of a black woman who was violently killed in her apartment. Before the murder, she had tried calling the police several times, claiming that she "heard people in her walls". Detectives, however, did not believe the woman, as there was no clear evidence of trespassing and that she was schizophrenic.
After McCoy's death, officers searched the house again and discovered that there was a passage behind the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.
'The Legend of Candyman'
In the new origin story, Candyman will play a harmless man who distributes candy to children, but is brutalized, tortured and murdered by police officers when a minor finds razor blades in his candy. Other sharp objects continue to appear in treats after the murder, which fuels the urban legend that the character can appear if you say his name while looking into a mirror.
Another curious detail is that the production will be set in the same neighborhood as the original film, Cabrini Green, an old suburb that is now a highly urbanized area of Chicago.
Check out the official synopsis of 'The Legend of Candyman':
“For as long as residents can remember, housing projects in Chicago's Cabrini Green neighborhood have been terrorized by a famous ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook in his hand, easily summoned by those who dare repeat his name five times in a mirror. In the present day, a decade after the last of Cabrini's towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright, move into a luxury condominium in Cabrini, now gentrified and inhabited by millennials.
With Anthony's painting career on the verge of stalling, a chance encounter with an old-time Cabrini resident exposes Anthony to the tragic, horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Eager to maintain his status in Chicago's art scene, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as a new source of inspiration for his paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a plex past that challenges his very sanity and unleashes a wave of fear. terrible violence that puts him on a collision course with fate.”
The cast of 'The Legend of Candyman' features Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ('Aquaman'), Teyonah Parris ('If Beale Street Talked') and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett ('The Boy Who Wanted to Be King'). Remember that Peele produces the film and writes the script alongside Win Rosenfeld ('Infiltrated the Klan'), while DaCosta is the director. The premiere is scheduled for August 26th.
Read more:
- 'The Legend of Candyman': new trailer challenges you to face the mirror
- From the classics to the latest: check out the best movies to watch on “Friday the 13th”
- 'The Exorcist': new trilogy will return classic character and new protagonist
Source: Dread Central
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