PopHorror Let's Get Scared
With some films, you have that instant gut feeling just by the pictures and trailers that it’s going to phenomenal. Although that instinct isn’t always right, you always hope it will be, and when it is the film will often exceed your wildest dreams. I’ve been wanting to watch The Devil’s Candy for awhile now and I finally got the opportunity after months of anxiously waiting for it to be released. Will I be coming back for more of this demonic candy?
Distributed by IFC Midnight, The Devil’s Candy is directed and written by Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones). The film was released on March 17th and is a uniquely disturbing horror story that is beautifully crafted with a wickedly awesome soundtrack, and wonderful characters played by Ethan Embry (Can’t Hardly Wait, Cheap Thrills), Shiri Appleby (Roswell, Swimfan), Kiara Glasco (I’ll Follow You Down, Map to the Stars), and Pruitt Taylor Vince (Identity, The Walking Dead). The Devil’s Candy has received much love and praise from critics and the horror community including winning an award for Official Selection during Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Official Synopsis:
A struggling painter (Embry) is possessed by satanic forces after he, his wife (Appleby), and their daughter (Glasco) move into a beautiful home in rural Texas. Everything seems perfect until weird disturbances begin to happen that frighten and risk the safety of the family Hellman family.
Sean Byrne is a brilliant filmmaker who really knows how to tell a sadistic story in a beautiful way. We saw this with his work in The Loved Ones, which is one of my favorite indie horror movies ever. Now we see it again with The Devil’s Candy. I loved how the story slowly developed, not rushing into the drama, blood, or screams, but taking its time to develop a strong foundation and build the suspense so that when the intense moments happen, the audience is glued to the screen. Also, although a unique demonic story, parts of the film reminded me of Sinister, so it’ll be interesting to see if other viewers see a similar connection.
As mentioned previously, the soundtrack was wickedly awesome. It included bits and pieces from Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, and an original score rock legends SUNN O))). The hardcore beats and sound helped intensify specific scenes, engaging the viewer even more. By this point, the filmmakers basically have the audience wrapped around their little finger just like the demon does with certain characters in the film.
Speaking of characters, every single performance was outstanding and fiercely driven into my heart. Ethan Embry, however, was above and beyond fantastic. After Bryne, Embry was one of the main reasons I wanted to see The Devil’s Candy as I’ve been watching him since I was a little girl, in films like Dutch and All I Want For Christmas to fun ones like Empire Records, Can’t Hardly Wait, Cheap Thrills, and everything in between. He’s a versatile actor who can play and become any character that comes his way, but this was hands down, in my opinion, his best performance thus far. I’ve never seen him play a role like this – one that was sexy, genuine, disturbing, and overall fucking badass.
The other characters in The Devil’s Candy – Shiri Appleby and Kiara Glasco – also executed terrifyingly heart-wrenching moments that broke my heart. Pruitt Taylor Vince was a monstrous human who played his role perfectly. That didn’t surprise me much because I’ve seen him play the bad guy in a few different things. His character alone made me incredibly uncomfortable, which is more horrifying to me than cheap jump scares any day. “He’s right. You’re the sweetest candy of them all…”
Last, but not least the ending of The Devil’s Candy was one of my favorite parts of the film. Also, the special effects created for it were perfect. This was such an intense moment and everything played into it: the lightning, the characters, the music, and the special effects. It’s one of those rare moments where the filmmaker used every element around them to make the scene light up and shock you. It was crafted perfectly and is also the moment where I thought, “Yep, Ethan Embry just took it that next level of amazing and it can’t get any better than this.”
Final Thoughts:
Overall, The Devil’s Candy over and beyond exceeded my expectations. It was a unique twist on a demonic story, which isn’t easy to do, and it slowly built the tension up so that when the moment hit, my heart was racing. I hope that Sean Bryne will continue to execute such amazing horror films because every time he creates one he knocks it out of the park. You can find The Devil’s Candy on iTunes, Amazon Video and all VOD outlets or cable On Demand on XFINITY, Spectrum, Optimum or your local cable provider.
You do such a wonderful job with these reviews. Much better than the stuff they are putting out at sites like Fangoria.