Director Nia DaCosta’s reboot of the Candyman franchise / “spiritual sequel” to the original (which you can watch HERE) received a Digital release on November 2nd (check it out HERE), and the 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD release is set for November 16th (Amazon is accepting pre-orders). With just a few days to go until fans will be holding the physical media in their hands, we have gotten our hands on an EXCLUSIVE featurette that goes behind the scenes of the film. Check it out in the embed above! This featurette explores the art world setting of the film and digs into its approach to the Candyman legend.
DaCosta wrote the screenplay for the new Candyman with producers Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. It has the following synopsis:
For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood were terrorized 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. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright, move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.
sponsored contentWith 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 terrifyingly viral wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.
The film stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and original Candyman cast member Vanessa Williams, reprising the role of Anne-Marie McCoy. The Anthony McCoy mentioned in the synopsis is Anne-Marie’s son, the baby from the first film. Tony Todd is also in the film, and so is a Candyman who is named Sherman Fields and played by Michael Hargrove.
Here’s the list of bonus features on the home video release:
Alternate Ending
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Say My Name: Filmmakers and cast discuss how the horror at the center of Candyman is both timely and timeless, which is a tragedy in and of itself.
Body Horror: We explore director Nia DaCosta’s influences in the subgenre of body horror, and what Anthony’s physical transformation means to the story.
The Filmmaker’s Eye: Nia DaCosta: Take a closer look at director Nia DaCosta, and how her singular voice and perspective were perfect to tell this story.
Painting Chaos: Filmmakers reveal how Anthony’s artwork evolves throughout the film and how they strived for authenticity in recreating Chicago’s vibrant art scene.
The Art of Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe: Composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe reveals some of the unconventional methodology he used to create the unique and haunting soundscapes sounds of the film.
Terror in the Shadows: A behind-the-scenes look at how the analogue shadow puppetry scenes were created and an unpacking of why this ancient artistic medium was the most conceptually relevant for depicting the legends’ cycle of violence.
Candyman: The Impact of Black Horror: A roundtable discussion moderated by Colman Domingo about the nuanced relationship Black Americans have with Candyman, the horror genre and the overall idea of monsters and victims.
Ian Cooper produced this Candyman with Peele and Rosenfeld.
Our own The Iceman gave the film a 7/10 review.
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