On August 27, the legend takes form (again). But for now, you can learn about the significance of Candyman straight from filmmakers Jordan Peele and Nia DaCosta.

Watch the pair describe what Candyman means to them below:

“I’ve always been fascinated with urban legends,” said Peele. “Candyman is the patron saint of the urban legend.”

“It’s always the time to tell a story like Candyman, which is the big tragedy of the tale in the first place,” adds DaCosta.

The pair collaborated to write the screenplay for the film, which Peele produces and DaCosta directs. It’s a contemporary approach to the cult classic 1992 horror flick.

Here’s the official synopsis from NBC Universal:

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; A supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, 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 (Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; Watchmen, Us) and his partner, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris; If Beale Street Could Talk, WandaVision), move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials. 

With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini-Green old-timer (Colman Domingo; Zola, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) exposes Anthony to the horrific true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, and spurred on by his white art dealer, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh inspiration 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. 

Candyman poster

Candyman premieres in theaters August 27.

So, will you tune in for this new iteration of the urban legend? Let us know in the comments.

Meanwhile, check back to THS for more updates on horror.

Source: NBC Universal