Folklorics graduate student Helen Lyle's (Virginia Madsen) thesis research leads her into the urban underworld of Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing projects, whose residents are genuinely terrified of "Candyman" (Tony Todd), 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 wants her to join him in his mythic world; when she refuses, he murders those in her wake, leaving her to be charged with the crimes. She tries to explain who the real culprit is, but her efforts fail, and authorities commit her to a mental hospital.