Folklorics graduate student Helen Lyle`s thesis research leads her into the urban underworld of Chicago`s Cabrini-Green housing projects, whose residents are genuinely terrified of Candyman, a legendary figure with a hook for a hand. Skeptical, she summons him in front of a mirror and discovers with horror that he`s real--and deadly. A surprisingly taut horror thriller, based on Clive Barker`s The Forbidden. Barker also executive-produces.