Disc Reviews
The Devil’s Candy 4k Review
Second Sight was in danger of slowing down this year with nothing released in April, but you get the double whammy of The Devil’s Candy and Insomnia (original) for the month of May. The Devil’s Candy sees The Loved Ones director Sean Byrne finally get around to his second feature after over half a decade, and it was well worth the wait.
Ethan Embry plays a rock-loving artist and family man, Jesse, who moves his family into a home that has a dark past. Parallel to this, we also follow the deeply disturbed and potentially possessed Pruitt Taylor Vince, a man who needs to let rip on a guitar to keep the demons at bay, and when they are not, he sets his sights on young prey, eventually leading him to Jesse’s teenage daughter. Jesse’s latest artwork has also taken a turn for the dark, it seems.
This is a tense psychological horror that builds throughout the fairly short running time, allowing Embry and Vince to deliver some sterling work as actors. Director Byrne delivers something relatively new in the genre, whilst working on a minuscule budget, which does show at times, but the distraction of the story and performances more than compensate.
Second Sight work their usual magic in terms of picture and sound quality and new extras. Byrne provides a decent commentary and a half-hour interview. Embry also shows up to give some tales of the making of the film. There are also decent interviews with the DoP, Editor and production designer for the film. This is an expected package from Second Sight as they continue their way through some of the 2010s best American horror directors’ work. Is Cheap Thrills going to be on offer soon? We can wait and see.
Top Notch!
Steven Hurst
Special Features
- 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?
Limited Edition Contents
- Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Huan Do
- 120-page book with new essays by Anton Bitel, Reyna Cervantes, Becca Johnson, Joe Lipsett, Mary Beth McAndrews and Zoe Rose Smith
- 6 collectors’ art cards
The Devil’s Candy is out on May 25th.