Candyman Double Feature (18)

Double feature: Candyman (Bernard Rose, 1992); Candyman (Nia DaCosta, 2021)

A graduate student researching urban legends inadvertently summons the Candyman, a murderous figure, tied to the history of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects. Decades later, Nia DaCosta’s reimagining follows an artist who becomes dangerously obsessed with the legend, uncovering the violence and trauma that continue to haunt the neighbourhood and those connected to it. Presented together, these two landmark films reveal how the Candyman myth has evolved across generations while remaining rooted in questions of race, memory and social inequality.

Part of Black Horror in “Post-Racial” America: Fear on Film After Obama through Trump 2.0

About the series

Black Horror in “Post-Racial” America: Fear on Film After Obama through Trump 2.0 is a week of screenings exploring the rise of contemporary Black horror cinema and the genre’s power to confront histories of racism, violence and inequality. Featuring landmark films including Get Out, Us, Candyman, Sorry To Bother You and Sinners, the series examines how horror can unsettle dominant narratives, challenge systems of power and reimagine America’s relationship to race, class and identity.

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Films in the series

• Us (Jordan Peele, 2019) - Tuesday 26 May (Please note: This screening is taking place at Ultimate Picture Palace)
• Sinners (Ryan Coogler, 2025) - Thursday 28 May
• Double feature: Candyman (Bernard Rose, 1992); Candyman (Nia DaCosta, 2021) - Friday 29 May
• Sorry To Bother You (Boots Riley, 2018) - Saturday 30 May
• Get Out - (Jordan Peele, 2017) - Sunday 31 May 

Presented by the Schwarzman Centre in partnership with Ultimate Picture Palace

Curated by Dr Christy Wensley, Faculty of English, whose work is supported by a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship