News

Movie Review: ‘The Devil’s Candy’

Published

7 years ago

March 14, 2017

“The Devil’s Candy,” is an enthusiastic horror movie from Tasmanian director Sean Byrne of 2015’s critically lauded “The Loved Ones.”

Here he takes a different approach to the genre sacrificing the blood and guts of his inaugural work and replacing it with atmosphere and art direction. The result isn’t as heavy-handed as most supernatural thrillers, but it deserves a look if only to see the potential this director will surely showcase in the future.

This story involves the Hellman’s, a family of free spirited parents and their teenage daughter who buy a home in a remote part of the Texas countryside.

The real estate agent under legal abide must inform them that a killing took place in the home’s history, which is played out in the film’s opening sequence, but he offers no other details.

Not able to pass up the great price, they move into the house even though it’s much further from the bustle of town than the mother is comfortable.

This is an unfortunate decision because the original killer Ray Smilie (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is still wandering around town hearing the devil chant ancient scripture in his head which he can only squelch by playing loud guitar riffs and killing children.

He makes his way back to his old house to torment the family while dad is trying to figure out the reason he’s having blackouts resulting in some truly disturbing but masterful artwork.

The Devil’s Candy isn’t a jump scare, she-crawled-out-of-the-TV shocker, rather Bryne takes his time to give all of his crew a chance to showcase their works especially his male lead Jesse (Ethan Embry) suffering through displacement, artistic struggles and father/daughter bonding.

Their daughter Zooey played by Kiara Glasco is right at her rebellious stage, but really has nothing to challenge since her parents are already more accepting than most.

The Devil's Candy

Dad is a struggling artist with plenty of unappreciated ideas while mom Astrid (Shiri Appleby) seems to be doing her own thing and for some reason can never pick their daughter up from school; that responsibility falls on dad and sometimes he can’t get that right.

The director probably won’t fault me for pointing out his male lead has an uncanny resemblance to Matthew McConoughey, or moreso, the Anglo-centric countenance of Jesus Christ. And it makes sense if you appreciate the good versus evil subtly (And not so subtle; the dad’s name is Jesse Hellman) of the storyline.

Jesse has to go from unbathed, acrylic stained conceptualist to a confused family man haunted by unsettling visions. He’s also trying to protect his family from Ray Smilie dressed in a red tracksuit who is stalking his daughter with malintent and a large pruning saw.

All of this tension is excellently portrayed through Embry, just as the race for Ray to abduct his daughter, there too is an urgency on figuring out why he’s suddenly having visions and painting demons over butterflies.

The daughter, it would seem, is a bit of a social outcast, favoring acid metal and vintage hard rock over anything else. She’s integral to the plot and has a rather taut scene involving duct tape, but this is Embry’s movie and Byrne knows that’s where his spotlight should remain.

Unlike the director’s torture porn debut The Loved Ones, where the horror comes from sociopaths reveling in the art of mutilation, humiliation, and cannibalism, The Devil’s Candy takes the opposite approach wherein cinematography, art direction and tone almost serve as the director’s reel and effectively tell viewers that there might be nothing he can’t tackle with horrific appeal.

In The Loved Ones, Byrne gave homage to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining with his use of kitchen wallpaper patterned after the Overlook’s iconic carpeting.

Here his references are left to his lead’s devices. Embry must channel some essence of Jack Torrance for Byrne to make the connection. Perhaps this is a tribute not only to Kubrick, but Nicholson.

Although “The Devil’s Candy” isn’t going to give you nightmares, it’s clear with each carefully framed shot and Embry’s performance, Byrne is the maestro behind the podium conducting every section of things with an able and steady hand. And everyone watching the baton is in pitch-perfection of their part.

Coming away from “The Devil’s Candy,” I was left wondering which I was more excited about; Byrne’s next directorial work or Embry’s next role.

“The Devil’s Candy” is a stylish thriller directed by someone who obviously runs a tight ship.

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Related Topics:the devils candy Timothy Rawles

Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks.

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story.

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did.

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD.

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind.

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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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News

Morticia & Wednesday Addams Join Monster High Skullector Series

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Believe it or not, Mattel’s Monster High doll brand has an immense following with both young and not-so-young collectors.

In that same vein, the fan base for The Addams Family is also very large. Now, the two are collaborating to create a line of collectible dolls that celebrate both worlds and what they have created is a combination of fashion dolls and goth fantasy. Forget Barbie, these ladies know who they are.

The dolls are based on Morticia and Wednesday Addams from the 2019 Addams Family animated movie.

As with any niche collectibles these aren’t cheap they bring with them a $90 price tag, but it’s an investment as a lot of these toys become more valuable over time.

“There goes the neighborhood. Meet the Addams Family’s ghoulishly glamorous mother-daughter duo with a Monster High twist. Inspired by the animated movie and clad in spiderweb lace and skull prints, the Morticia and Wednesday Addams Skullector doll two-pack makes for a gift that’s so macabre, it’s downright pathological.”

If you want to pre-purchase this set check out The Monster High website.