The Devil’s Candy (2015) (4K Ultra HD REVIEW)
Director: Sean Byrne
Starring: Ethan Embry, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Kiara Glasco
RATED: UR/REGION 0/1:85/2160P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Second Sight
The Devil’s Candy (2015) is what happens when somebody takes the “metal music is evil” panic from the ‘80s and actually makes it cool for once. Written and directed by Sean Byrne, the film cranks the amps to eleven and delivers a nasty little slice of horror that somehow manages to be brutal, stylish, and weirdly heartfelt all at the same time. Ethan Embry absolutely kills it as struggling artist Jesse, looking like the guy who definitely owns at least three Sleep albums and smells faintly of spray paint and cigarette ash. Meanwhile, Pruitt Taylor Vince shows up and reminds everyone that few actors can radiate “human skin suit stretched over pure evil” energy quite like he can.
What makes The Devil’s Candy stand out from the endless sea of “family moves into spooky house” movies is that it actually has personality. The soundtrack slams with doom and sludge metal, the visuals are soaked in sweaty Texas heat, and the violence lands hard without feeling like torture-porn garbage. Byrne knows exactly when to tighten the tension and when to let things explode into chaos. Plus, unlike a lot of modern horror films that seem terrified of entertaining the audience, this one actually remembers to have fun.
And thankfully, the recent 4K release from Second Sight Films looks fantastic. The film already had a gritty, textured look, but the UHD presentation really brings out the deep shadows, neon reds, and grimy atmosphere without scrubbing away the rawness that gives the movie its bite. It’s one of those transfers that makes you appreciate how good the cinematography actually was instead of just making everything look like a wax museum exhibit. As usual, Second Sight loaded the release with quality extras too, because apparently they enjoy making the rest of the boutique Blu-ray labels look lazy.
The Devil’s Candy may not reinvent horror, but it doesn’t need to. It’s lean, mean, loud as hell, and refreshingly sincere. In a genre packed with forgettable streaming filler, this one still feels like a sharp punch to the face wrapped in a Black Sabbath riff.
Extras
- New 4K Producer restoration
- Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
- UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision
- Audio commentary with Director Sean Byrne
- Into the Fire: a new interview with Director Sean Byrne
- Those Fragile Things: a new interview with Actor Ethan Embry
- Devil in the Details: a new interview with Director of Photography Simon Chapman
- The Cutting Room: a new interview with Editor Andy Canny
- A Big Step Forward: a new interview with Production Designer Tom Hammock
- Behind the Scenes: VFX
- Sean Byrne’s Short films: Advantage Satan and Work?
