I'm on my last review from the festival that I went to. I almost skipped straight to this review when I found I wasn't in any hurry to do some writing. I'm actually looking forward to getting this review done so I can move on to some new movies. There are a few I have lined up that I'm looking forward to watching. I don't know if I will be in a mood to write about them, but I will burn that bridge when I get to it. The Devil's Candy (2015) was the last film that was full-length on Saturday night at the festival. I did watch the movie The Boggy Creek Monster Sunday before heading back home. If you like films about Bigfoot, it was a fairly interesting movie about the film behind the legend and the legend itself. Anyway, let's see what I thought about The Devil's Candy.
Jesse (Ethan Embry) is a struggling painter who is looking for a new start in a way. Along with his wife (Shiri Appleby), they find a new home out in the country with a big barn that Jesse plans to make into his studio. The house has a bit of a history, but nothing so bad that keeps Jesse and his family away. Jesse also has a love for heavy metal music, which his daughter Zooey (Kiara Glasco) shares. With the return of Ray (Pruitt Taylor Vince), who's parents owned the house before Jesse, Jesse begins to paint some disturbing scenes. As it becomes clear that there is something not right about Ray, can the painting and Ray be somehow connected?
The Devil's Candy was one of the few movies that I had watched the trailer for before going to the festival. While the trailer did make me interested in the film, I was also worried if I would actually like it. The Devil's Candy gets a lot of praise for being a heavy metal film. I have nothing against that style of music, but, for the most part, it isn't for me. I can listen to it when in the right mood and/or mindset and enjoy it, but it isn't something I listen to often. Add to the fact that I haven't enjoyed other films with a heavy metal influence a whole lot, I just wasn't sure how much I would like this film. Writer/director Sean Byrne does make sure that his main character loves metal music. He listens to it and dresses the part most of the time. His daughter shares that love as well. The core of the story isn't heavy metal music though. The story is more about what Ray is up to, which we get to see in some cases, and Jesse and his family being thrust into it. Jesse is somehow being connected to it, which is coming out in his much darker art that he is creating because of it. The music is there enough for a lot of people to praise it, but I loved this movie for other reasons. The interaction between Jesse and Zooey was great. They actually felt like father and daughter. Even though we know what Ray is doing, to a certain extent anyway, Byrne manages to make sure that the tension is still felt throughout the film. Things get real tense once Ray sets his sights on Zooey. Byrne also did a wonderful job of keeping me guessing if his main characters were actually going to live or not. Despite the late hour that The Devil's Candy was shown at, I was still drawn in and couldn't wait to see how it would all end. It didn't disappoint me at all. It didn't bother me, but I can see how what Ray does in the film could really bother some people. It is a horror film, which to me means anything goes, but I can still understand how it could turn people away all the same.
The effects are pretty good here. It doesn't get real gory, but there are some nice effects and some blood to be found at times. There is a fire towards the end of the film, which I was having a hard time deciding if it was real or just CGI or a combination of both. It didn't look perfect, but it didn't bother me that much to take me out of what else was happening. The acting was terrific. Ethan Embry was great in his role, as well as Kiara Glasco, who won me over very quickly. Pruitt Taylor Vince was great as the bad guy of the film. He came across as very creepy, but I also couldn't help but feel sorry for his character as well.
I guess the only thing I can really complain about is that the relationship between father and daughter wasn't always the best. I didn't care for that. At the same time, I understand that relationships are never perfect. Since The Devil's Candy was there because of the sponsor of the festival, it wasn't up for any awards. This was too bad since it ended up being the best film out of those that I watched over that weekend. For some reason, the film was delayed before seeing a release. I won't pretend to know why, since no one from the film was there for the screening. I thought that Letterboxd gave the release year as further back than 2015, but that seems to have been changed now. Anyway, I know that this film can be found on VOD, and was the most rented on iTunes for a couple of weeks. I believe it is also out on DVD/Blu, but I could be wrong on that. If you haven't given this film a chance yet, please do. I was very surprised by it, so hopefully, all of you will be as well.
4 out of 5 Listen to your inner artist
Jesse (Ethan Embry) is a struggling painter who is looking for a new start in a way. Along with his wife (Shiri Appleby), they find a new home out in the country with a big barn that Jesse plans to make into his studio. The house has a bit of a history, but nothing so bad that keeps Jesse and his family away. Jesse also has a love for heavy metal music, which his daughter Zooey (Kiara Glasco) shares. With the return of Ray (Pruitt Taylor Vince), who's parents owned the house before Jesse, Jesse begins to paint some disturbing scenes. As it becomes clear that there is something not right about Ray, can the painting and Ray be somehow connected?
The Devil's Candy was one of the few movies that I had watched the trailer for before going to the festival. While the trailer did make me interested in the film, I was also worried if I would actually like it. The Devil's Candy gets a lot of praise for being a heavy metal film. I have nothing against that style of music, but, for the most part, it isn't for me. I can listen to it when in the right mood and/or mindset and enjoy it, but it isn't something I listen to often. Add to the fact that I haven't enjoyed other films with a heavy metal influence a whole lot, I just wasn't sure how much I would like this film. Writer/director Sean Byrne does make sure that his main character loves metal music. He listens to it and dresses the part most of the time. His daughter shares that love as well. The core of the story isn't heavy metal music though. The story is more about what Ray is up to, which we get to see in some cases, and Jesse and his family being thrust into it. Jesse is somehow being connected to it, which is coming out in his much darker art that he is creating because of it. The music is there enough for a lot of people to praise it, but I loved this movie for other reasons. The interaction between Jesse and Zooey was great. They actually felt like father and daughter. Even though we know what Ray is doing, to a certain extent anyway, Byrne manages to make sure that the tension is still felt throughout the film. Things get real tense once Ray sets his sights on Zooey. Byrne also did a wonderful job of keeping me guessing if his main characters were actually going to live or not. Despite the late hour that The Devil's Candy was shown at, I was still drawn in and couldn't wait to see how it would all end. It didn't disappoint me at all. It didn't bother me, but I can see how what Ray does in the film could really bother some people. It is a horror film, which to me means anything goes, but I can still understand how it could turn people away all the same.
The effects are pretty good here. It doesn't get real gory, but there are some nice effects and some blood to be found at times. There is a fire towards the end of the film, which I was having a hard time deciding if it was real or just CGI or a combination of both. It didn't look perfect, but it didn't bother me that much to take me out of what else was happening. The acting was terrific. Ethan Embry was great in his role, as well as Kiara Glasco, who won me over very quickly. Pruitt Taylor Vince was great as the bad guy of the film. He came across as very creepy, but I also couldn't help but feel sorry for his character as well.
I guess the only thing I can really complain about is that the relationship between father and daughter wasn't always the best. I didn't care for that. At the same time, I understand that relationships are never perfect. Since The Devil's Candy was there because of the sponsor of the festival, it wasn't up for any awards. This was too bad since it ended up being the best film out of those that I watched over that weekend. For some reason, the film was delayed before seeing a release. I won't pretend to know why, since no one from the film was there for the screening. I thought that Letterboxd gave the release year as further back than 2015, but that seems to have been changed now. Anyway, I know that this film can be found on VOD, and was the most rented on iTunes for a couple of weeks. I believe it is also out on DVD/Blu, but I could be wrong on that. If you haven't given this film a chance yet, please do. I was very surprised by it, so hopefully, all of you will be as well.
4 out of 5 Listen to your inner artist
