'Candyman' Clip: Listen To The Legend Of The Candyman

We all know better than to chase down ghost stories, right? More than enough horror movies have kickstarted their action with a naive protagonist summoning a ghost or playing with a ouija board, so surely the message is hammered into our heads? Well apparently not everyone got the memo, because in Nia DaCosta's Candyman, visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is obsessing over a serial killing urban legend.

The film will teach us that Anthony has his reasons, but that won't make his journey into darkness any less painful. Still, if you're wondering what's behind Anthony's curiosity, look no further than this latest clip from the movie.

Candyman's release is just over a week away, so here's a quick glimpse at what to expect.

In the housing projects of Chicago's Cabrini-Green neighborhood, residents have been terrorized for generations, by the word-of-mouth urban legend of the supernatural serial killer, Candyman. Summoning his ghost is apparently as simple as speaking his name five times in the mirror. It's exactly the kind of horror movie nonsense you laugh off but know better than to actually test out. But it seems Anthony's journey will be all about testing the limits of the Candyman legend.

When we meet Anthony, he's just moved to the newly gentrified Chicago neighborhood. Instead of the projects of the past, Anthony settles into a luxurious loft with his girlfriend, Brianna (Teyonah Parris). But however the neighborhood may look, the roots are unchanged and the legend of Candyman lives on. Anthony learns this for himself after meeting long-time resident Burke (Colman Domingo), who recounts a story from his childhood about his own personal encounter with Candyman. Burke's story proves very educational — for both Anthony and the audience.

Traditionally, Candyman was an 1800s Black artist who fell in love with a white woman and was murdered by a lynch mob for his relationship. But according to Burke, he was a Chicago local who handed out candy with razor blades in it. Or at the very least, he was thought to be. Burke reveals that his Candyman was not a man taken down by the neighborhood, but an innocent and homeless Black man murdered by the police.

Burke also makes referred to Helen Lyle, the protagonist from 1992's Candyman, who has an important connection to Anthony. Burke says, "Helen Lyle was out here looking for Candyman. I say she found him."

At the end of her film, Lyle saves a baby from Candyman, who otherwise would've been burned alive. That baby happens to be Anthony. So whoever ill-advised his obsession with the legend, Anthony has good reason. Plus, he's an artist and inspiration comes in the most unexpected places. Childhood trauma? Check. Urban legend? Check. A look at humanity's very worst? CHECK.

In a previous clip, we saw Anthony decide to summon the murderous urban legend that nearly killed him as a baby. Certainly not the smartest move and exactly the kind of scene that makes you want to scream "why" at the screen. But hey, he has some pretty solid reasons to be curious. Candyman opens in theaters on August 27, 2021.