Candyman

"Say his name" is the mantra in this politically charged and atmospheric horror sequel, which draws on the events of the iconic 1992 original, albeit decades down the line. Written and directed by Nia DaCosta, who shares screenwriting duties with Win Rosenfeld and Get Out's Jordan Peele, the film opts for unsettling yet impressive imagery over jump scares. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Anthony McCoy, a creatively blocked African-American painter. Living with his more successful gallery director partner Brianna (Teyonah Parris) in a new condo in Chicago's Cabrini-Green, he becomes obsessed by the area's macabre history and summons the titular bogeyman in the process. There's strength in the basic concept, with Anthony a man possessed by both artistic inspiration and the ghosts of the past, and Abdul-Mateen brings great conviction to his portrayal. Meanwhile, Parris, Colman Domingo and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett provide robust support. Police brutality and the cycle of ghettoisation and gentrification make for meaty themes and there are some savage portrayals of white tastemakers, including Rebecca Spence's sneering critic. The occasional crowd-pleasing concession includes Candyman taking down some mean teens, but this is predominantly a film with the courage of its creepy convictions.