Paintings are a window into the soul of “Candyman,” the story of a budding artist who becomes fascinated with the urban legend of a killer with a hook for a hand.

In Nia DaCosta’s update of the 1992 horror film, opening Aug. 27, the artist’s work starts to consume him and begins affecting his life. Yahya Abdul Mateen II plays artist Anthony McCoy, while his girlfriend Brianna Cartwright, played by “WandaVision” actor Teyonah Parris, is a gallery director steeped in Chicago’s art scene.

DaCosta hand-picked Black artists Cameron Spratley and Sherwin Ovid to create Anthony’s work in the film. Currently completing his Mfa at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Spratley says he hadn’t seen the 1992 version when he got the call from DaCosta. At the time, he was living in Richmond, Va., contemplating his move to the Midwest. “My introduction to Chicago was by...