Fresh reflection

Solid horror-filled ‘Candyman’ honors original while taking on gentrification

It’s easy to understand why 1992’s “Candyman” long has meant something to filmmaker Jordan Peele. ¶ It was the first American horror film to cast a Black man as its antagonist and namesake character, with actor Tony Todd bringing to life what could be seen as the Black community’s answer to Freddy Krueger, a supernaturally summoned killer with a hook at the end of his right arm. ¶ On the other hand, despite being set largely in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing project, the film is told primarily from the perspective of a white graduate student, Virginia Madsen’s Helen Lyle. ¶ And, arguably, it helped to perpetuate certain Black stereotypes. ¶ Now, the writerdirector of 2017’s “Get Out” and 2019’s “Us” — two films that, through horror-based storytelling, offer thought-provoking commentary on the black experience — has given us a new “Candyman.” And while Peele only co-wrote this identically named direct sequel to the 1992 movie — the directorial duties are handled by Nia DaCosta (“Little Woods”) — he certainly seems to have his bloody handprint all over it. ¶ That’s not to say this “Candyman” reaches the heights of “Get Out” or even “Us,” but it is, as you’d expect, a worthwhile blend of scares and social commentary.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as artist Anthony McCoy in “Candyman.” UNIVERSAL PICTURES