Candyman: Chilling new teaser praised as 'stunning'

Horror character's traumatic origin story is told using nothing but shadow puppets

The creators of the Candyman remake have released a chilling new teaser that could very well cause nightmares.

After unveiling the official look at the horror film earlier this year, Universal and Focus features have struck gold with this new teaser, which tells the character’s horrifying origin story using shadow puppets.

The character – played by Tony Todd – is the ghost of an African-American man who was brutally beaten, mutilated and killed in the late 19th century.

This animated prequel contains no new clips from the film, but the creativity on display indicates audiences will have something special on their hands when it’s released in September.

“Candyman, at the intersection of white violence and black pain, is about unwilling martyrs,” director Nia DaCosta wrote on Twitter after sharing the short film.

“The people they were, the symbols we turn them into, the monsters we are told they must have been.”

Forbes called the teaser “stunning” and “a perfect example of spoiler-free marketing”. Watch it in full below.

Get Out Oscar-winner Jordan Peele is on producing duties, with Todd returning to play the vengeful spirit 18 years after his first appearance.

Watchmen actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II also stars in the film alongside Teyonah Parris and Colman Domingo.

Candyman will be released on 25 September.