The new 'Candyman' isn't exactly a remake or a sequel. Here's what to expect from Nia DaCosta's take on the horror classic.

• The new "Candyman" follows a struggling artist who becomes enamored with a grisly urban legend.
• Starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, the new movie pays homage to the 1992 cult classic.
• But it's not exactly a remake or typical sequel, as new characters and storylines take center stage.

Released in 1992, the original "Candyman" movie has since gone on to become a cult classic. Starring Virginia Madsen, Vanessa Estelle Williams, and Tony Todd, that version followed a young graduate student Helen Lyle (Madsen) studying an urban legend called the "Candyman" - only to become terrorized by the evil spirit, played (once again) by Todd.

Director Nia DaCosta takes on the beloved horror film in her new version, which premieres Friday.

Fans of the original might be wondering whether DaCosta's film is a remake, reboot, or sequel to the 1992 movie - and while it can be tricky to keep track of all the different terms, here's what you can expect from the new version of "Candyman."

The new movie is being described as a 'contemporary incarnation' of the 1992 film

In a press release, Universal Pictures wrote that Dacosta's film is a "fresh take" on the original, and also noted that it's a "contemporary" version of the '90s classic.

Trailers for the movie have featured several key characters from the original played by the same actors (including Anne-Marie, played by Williams, as well as Todd's Candyman), so the film is most definitely not a remake.

Instead, it seems to be a sequel (of sorts), focusing on the enduring legend of the Candyman after the events of the first film.

And based on the trailer, the legend of the Candyman is significantly expanded upon from the backstory presented in the 1992 version.

In the original, the Candyman was an accomplished painter and son of an enslaved person who achieved success among the 1800s white community in Chicago. But after the painter, named Daniel Robitaille, fell in love and fathered a child with the daughter of a white patron, a lynch mob hunted him down, maimed him, and smeared his body with honey, causing him to be stung to death by bees.

His soul was then transferred to a mirror, and according to legend, can be summoned by saying his name five times in the mirror's reflection.

DaCosta's 'Candyman' presents a new addition to the character's backstory

A trailer for the new version shows that the Candyman in DaCosta's movie was a friendly man who enjoyed giving sweets to the neighborhood kids. After razor blades were found in some candy, police beat him, tortured him, and killed him - only to find more razor blades in candy, proving the Candyman's innocence.

In another teaser, however, other elements of the Candyman's backstory are shown, including a scene that matches Robitaille's story from the original.

Coupled with a longtime resident's (Colman Domingo) statement that Candyman isn't a "he, Candyman is the whole damn hive," it seems possible that the new film might present the story of Candyman as a curse that affects multiple men - not just a single evil spirit, as in the original.

The new 'Candyman' reimagines the terrifying legend, with numerous references to the original

Given the reappearances of Williams and Todd in their original roles, as well as the clear callback to the first movie's Candyman legend, DaCosta's version of the horror film adds new characters and plot points while still remaining faithful to the 1992 classic.

The new "Candyman" premieres Friday in theaters.