Described by the filmmakers as the 'spiritual sequel' to the cult 1992 horror film Candyman, this contemporary incarnation returns to the now-gentrified Chicago neighbourhood where the legend began.

For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago's Cabrini Green neighbourhood were terrorised by a ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. A decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his girlfiend Brianna (Teyonah Parris) move into a luxury loft in the area, now gentrified beyond recognition.

With Anthony's painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.

Directed by Nia DaCosta with a screenplay co-written by Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld and DaCosta, original Candyman stars Tony Todd and Vanessa Estelle Williams return to reprise their old roles while the character of Anthony McCoy is the baby that survived the rampage in the first film all grown up.

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