Every time I say I’m not sure we need a reboot, or a refresh, you get something like this come along and director Nia DaCosta, backed and co-written by Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld of Monkeypaw Productions, has seemingly got a very intriguing vision for Candyman, one of the most iconic, psychological horrors of the last 30 or so years.

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Based on the 1992 film, written by Bernard Rose, and the short story The Forbidden by horror maestro Clive Barker, this urban legend, and I’m honestly being careful about how many times I write the film title, will be getting a contemporary incarnation from DaCosta for this cult classic that follows this chilling setup:

For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood were terrorised by a word-of-mouth 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.

2021’s film is set in the present day, a decade after the Cabrini towers were torn down, where visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his partner, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris), move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition. With his painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini-Green old-timer (Colman Domingo) exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman…. and Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels everything! Here’s the trailer:

Candyman opens in UK cinemas from 27 August