The Devil's Candy - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Devil's Candy

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Scream Factory’s collaborative works with IFC Midnight productions has been a bit of a hit or miss scenario with them. Some of their films are utter trash, while others are actually good to really good. So far they have been a solid hit for the last several releases, with my favorite still being The Autopsy of Jane Doe. A Dark Song (which I reviewed about a week ago) was a nice slow paced thriller/horror, but The Devil’s Candy takes us back to one of the most primal, and oldest, forms of cinematic horror that we know of. Yup, the good old twists and turns of Satan’s old influence on mankind, and the blood and horror that usually ends up arriving in his wake.

They say that the best trick that the devil ever perpetuated on mankind was convincing us that he didn’t exist. Well, if you’re a believer in a demonic force, then very few things are more terrifying than the though of being possessed by an evil spirit, or slithering down the throat of the beast down to hell itself. Fire, damnation, eternal torment, they’re all things that plague the victim of Satan’s ire and the visuals have been emblazoned (sorry for the pun) in our minds for countless eons. We’ve had everything from the big horned Tim Curry style representation, the cheesy little “giant nose and sunglasses on a red horned Devil”, and even more esoteric tweaks to the fallen angel, and none of them are particularly pleasant (except for the Arizona Sun Devils mascot. That we find a pitiable object. At least us Arizona Wildcats do). The Devil’s Candy is not a particularly inventive take on a demonic possession film, but it is delightfully creepy and makes up for lack of ingenuity with a distinctly heavy metal vibe and take on the devil.

They say that opposites attract, and that seems to be the case for Jessie Hellman (Ethan Embry) and his wife Astrid (Shiri Appleby, most notable for playing Liz in the show Roswell). Astrid is a fairly standard looking woman with a salaried career, while Jessie is a full on metal head with an artistic side. She is working hard at her job and Jessie slaving away as a contract artist in hopes of making it big time. Right now the greasy long haired metal head is working at painting a giant piece of art for a bank, complete with butterflies and all, in hopes of making the down payment on a home of their own. When they and their daughter Zooey (Kiara Glasco), who happens to be a LOT like her father, move into their dream house, all seems to be at ease. However, there is one slight hitch with the house. It was home to a double murder a while ago, when mental patient Ray Smilie (Pruitt Taylor Vince) killed his mother and father with a guitar under mysterious circumstances.

Things seem fine at first, but soon Jessie starts hearing whispers and voices in his head, and his art starts to take a serious turn for the macabre. A few hours in his studio suddenly turns into an entire day, responsibilities start to become an irritant, and Jessie’s own family starts to wonder what is happening to him. Simultaneously Ray Smilie is back in town, and kid’s start disappearing one by one (kids that seem to be inspiration for Jessie’s disturbing paintings), and soon Zooey becomes the object of his twisted affection. Before long Jessie and his family while know just exactly WHAT those little whispers are in his ear, and it may not be exactly the news he was hoping for.

As I said, The Devil’s Candy is not exactly a wildly inventive film from the premise. It’s your classic tale of moving into a house that was previously lived in by a pawn of Satan, and soon the new family finds out that his presence is STILL their. What makes The Devil’s Candy unique and appealing is the very obvious imagery and style from the Heavy Metal industry. I’ve been a classic metalhead back when Metallica was actually GOOD, and still have a few Slayer or Dust T-shirts lying around, so I was honestly shocked to see a LOT of the classic pieces of heavy metal album art used as the backdrops for the movie. Even the score is pretty much non stop metal, which gives it a very grungy and oppressive tone to the movie. Jessie just REEKS of grown up metal head, with the greasy long hair, the shirtless attire with tattered jeans, and the slight eye shadow worn about the eyes to give a haggard appearance. The whole combination makes for a deliciously creepy experience that feels unique in the horror world.

The imagery doesn’t just stop at classic fonts and 1950s visions of the devil. There’s some not so subtle artistic cues around the film that really sell the feel as well. Look at the art gallery that Jessie is torn between submitting his art to and taking care of his family. The name alone should clue you in (Belial), as well as the seductive looking secretary with the flaming red dress, and black nail polish. They’re never used as a plot device per se, but more of an environmental tone that sets the mood for the visual horror. Ironically the film isn’t as horrific and bloody for most of the short 80 minute run time. Instead if focuses on the slow and steady nervousness of Ray hanging around the place, as well as Jessie’s dip into the supernatural realm of demonic possession. The last 20 minutes DO explode out with a confrontation that is just as bloody and gory as one could have hoped for, though, and makes for a solid climax to the movie.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

Scream Factory’s 2.39:1 AVC encode of the film does the source justice, just be warned that this is a HEAVILY stylized film that was shot on the cheap (it IS IFC Midnight after all). Sharpness can be very clean and clear at times, but the image is bathed in this bronze glow that gives everything the greasy texture and feel of a Rob Zombie movie. Facial tones look amber at times, and the cheap glow of the CGI fire gives the film a devilish look that really fits the tone of the movie. Black levels are solid enough, but fine detail sometimes suffers as a result of the “grunge” look the film employs. There’s some mild banding in the background (especially near the end), but overall it’s a fairly faithful representation of the movie’s visual style. While I’m giving the film a 3.5/5 it’s not because the transfer is bad, but because the filming style and grungy look don’t exactly lean towards eye candy.






Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track (there is also a 2.0 night listening DTS-HD MA track) is a good one. Nothing fantastic, but it is solidly aggressive with the heavy metal score, and has a nice ambiance to it. Vocals are well placed in the center channel, and the little voices and whispers work well in the surround channels. LFE is very impressive, with heavy down beats and quite a few times where the windows were a rattling from the tense “dun dun dun!!!!” moments. The rest of the time the track could be rather forward heavy as the low budget film doesn’t have a whole lot of wild activity happening.





Extras:

• Audio Commentary with Director Sean Byrne
• Art Gallery
• Behind the Scenes, Visual Effects
• Advantage Satan Short Film
• Music Video
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

The Devil’s Candy is a very solid entry from IFC Midnight, and works as a rather creepy watch. It’s not going to blow anyone’s doors off as best movie of the year, but it does work on a visual and disturbing level that actually got me really engrossed in the low budget affair. While it was actually made about 2 years ago, it took a bit for it to find a distribution partner, and that is where Scream Factory came in to save the day. Audio and video are about right for the budget and the style, and the minimal extras are actually pretty good. Definitely a fun watch for a horror fan.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Ethan Embry, Shiri Appleby, Pruitt Taylor Vince
Directed by: Sean Byrne
Written by: Sean Byrne
Aspect Ratio: 2.39.1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, DTS HD MA 2.0
Studio: Scream Factory
Rated: NR
Runtime: 80 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: September 26th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Solid Horror Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will add this to my list to watch.

 

[Asere]

I saw this one. Eerie and disturbing if you ask me but I liked the message behind it. Thanks for the review.

 

[Michael Scott]

yeah ,I agree. Very eery, and since I'm an old metalhead from the 80s, the music really was awesome too. a nice change of pace from the stupid jump scares and dub step scores

 

[Asere]

yeah ,I agree. Very eery, and since I'm an old metalhead from the 80s, the music really was awesome too. a nice change of pace from the stupid jump scares and dub step scores

Yeah great music from Metallica and Slayer.

 

[JBrax]

I also enjoyed watching this. Very creepy!