It’s all fun and games until somebody summons a killer urban legend. Candyman is back, and he’s hungry for vengeance. Thankfully, we don’t have anything to worry about — because the star of the movie’s got Deco’s back.
You can say it once, even twice, but don’t you dare say it three more times.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (as Anthony McCoy): “The urban legend is, if you say his name five times while looking in the mirror, he appears in the reflection and kills you.”
Candyman is back on the big screen. The supernatural slasher movie is a sequel to the 1992 film of the same name.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Anthony McCoy, the baby from the original movie, who’s now all grown up and dealing with some scary stuff.
Yahya tells Deco he’s no stranger to the urban legend.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II: “I remember being five years old, and playing Candyman in the mirror and never getting up to five because we were never that brave. No one wants Candyman to pop up out of nowhere.”
You know it’s bad…
Colman Domingo (as William Burke): “He’s the monster that’s part of this neighborhood.”
When you’d rather mess with other supernatural forces than Candyman…
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II: “We would even test out Bloody Mary before we did Candyman, you know. People just want no part of that!”
Yahya doesn’t scare easily, but he says even he gets freaked out by the trailer for his own movie!
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II: “I rewatched the trailer just thinking that, you know, I would watch it like a normal person, I could watch it and be unaffected, and that was not the case. It was kinda terrifying. A little bit more than kinda. It was definitely, definitely terrifying, so I’m excited to see what happens when I do watch the movie in theaters.”
In the movie, Yahya’s character is an artist who starts exploring the history of Candyman through his works, which parallels what the movie is trying to do.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II: “In making this film, it’s sorta doing a little bit of the same thing that Anthony is attempting to do. He’s being affected by the state of the world and being affected by history, and he’s making art about it, similar to what we’re doing with this film.”
Candyman is a big deal, and with all the hype around its upcoming release, we had to ask Yahya if people are daring him to say those five terrifying words.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II: “No, no, no, not so much, but we’ll see what happens after it does come out.”
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (as Anthony McCoy): “You should say his name. I dare you.”
Kyle Kaminsky (as Grady Greenberg): “Candyman.”
Rebecca Spence (as Finley Stephens): “Candyman.”
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (as Troy Cartwright): “Candyman.”
Abdul-Mateen II (as Anthony McCoy): “Candyman.”
Vanessa Williams (as Anne-Marie McCoy): “Shhhh, don’t.”
“Candyman” creeps into theaters on Friday.
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