The Devil's Candy

Short and sweet, a bit too short in my opinion. At face value this film feels kind of unfinished, with a story that's not fully fleshed out and a bit too simple, too quaint. Frustratingly so. But as I analyzed (and researched) the films symbolysms I grew to love its underlying themes. The Devil's Candy clearly has its problems making it far from being perfect, but the fantastic acting, its overflowing stylishness and messages about passion, sacrifice and family really make it a stand-out horror feature. It's not love at first sight, but it's a uniquely poetic and effectively disturbing film.

A film about satan and the devil, how classic. There's an undercurrent of pure dread to this flick. It works its way through the film's veins using music cues, whispering demonic voices and haunting images. Ethan Embry's performance is superbly crafted. A well-meaning dad, that rocks out to metal and paints pictures all day. He feels very real and not like a caricature. (He also gets ripped for this flick, I guess because he paints shirtless for a few scenes. It seems unnecessary, distracting and unfitting for his character but sure). He begins to hear voices and see things and paint horrible stuff he doesn't understand. It's all very unnerving and convincing and seems to be leading to some inevitable catastrophe. But the film lets up in the home stretch. It becomes a bit of a supernatural home invasion flick. The film seems undecided about whether there are real demons at play, which unfocuses the movie and makes it seem unsure of itself. The film isn't exactly about investigating the place demons have in the modern world either. It just knows they are inextricably linked with metal. A lot of the build-up seems for naught in the end and it's a real shame. Byrne has great ideas, a wonderful grasp of character, atmosphere, tension, but maybe not enough to say?

I wanted to like this movie so bad. It has moody visuals, beloved and underrated character actors disappearing into their roles, blood spattering everywhere, satanic nonsense driving nefarious deeds. And **** ending was so terrible that it tanked the whole thing for me. I remember laughing out loud at how bad it was. Maybe this one deserves a rewatch, but I can't shake the feeling of being let down after I was done with it.