The Candyman Challenge on TikTok Will Have You Avoiding All Mirrors (2024)

As far as horror movie classics go, the Candyman may not get the kind of appreciation he deserves. In a world with possessed dolls, haunted houses, Jason, and more, it's gotten harder to share the spotlight. And scaring people isn't what it used to be.

A Candyman movie originally came out in 1992, but now a reboot with names like Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peele behind it is coming out in August 2021. For some, what's even scarier is the Candyman Challenge that more people are taking part in. But what is it exactly? It turns out that it isn't connected to just one thing. In fact, there are a few different aspects that make most of the challenge pretty creepy.

What is the Candyman Challenge?

Those who have been a fan of Candyman horror movies may already know what the challenge is. In fact, it's part of the legend that started it all. It's said that all you have to do is enter a dimly lit room, stand in front of a mirror, and say the name "Candyman" five times in a row. Then, the killer will show up behind you and kill you with his hook hand.

People have actually been doing this for years, but now, thanks to the internet, we can see them try to summon a serial killer basically in real-time. People have been posting TikToks in which they try the challenge and survive to see another day. Many of them feature audio from a user named @tattoomanpaige who captioned his video "If Terrence Howard starred in Candyman."

It features the TikToker pretending to be the actor and super scared to look in a mirror and say the name. But the more he says it, the more he doesn't get the name right, and at the end, Candyman gets annoyed and refuses to come out.

But this isn't the only Candyman challenge. A song by Christina Aguilera is also called "Candyman." Users of the app have been dressing up like her in the song's music video, singing and dancing along to the lyrics.

There are also some TikToks about that woman in NYC who found a second apartment behind the one she was renting. Called the "Candyman Apartment," it featured a woman who noticed a draft in her bathroom even when the door was closed. She took the mirror off the wall and discovered it had been hiding a hole that led to an entire closed-off living space. Especially since it was hidden behind the mirror, the Candyman could have definitely been living in there.

Does the Candyman Challenge have anything to do with candy?

Right now, there are some videos on TikTok of people doing a Candyman Challenge that has to do with literal candy and nothing to do with hook-handed killers. Most of these videos appear to be in German, but they feature people who share a bag of "Candyman Frisse Fruitmix" while staying a large distance apart.

In one video, two people are sitting across the room from each other. One of them puts the bag of candy on his foot and kicks it into a trash can in front of the other person. In another, the bag is shared when one person attaches it to a long pole and uses that to share the treats. And of course, Christina Aguilera's "Candyman" is the audio.