The devil works in mysterious ways. And also violent ways. Very, very violent ways. That’s what writer-director Sean Byrne posits in the first trailer for his already-acclaimed sophomore horror flick The Devil’s Candy. The film follows a painter (Ethan Embry) who is possessed by the devil during a painting session, leading to some…shocking work. Byrne made a strong impact in the genre scene with his hardcore first feature The Loved Ones, and he is seemingly continuing his knack for well-composed, brutal acts of violence.
“Byrne is very subtly playing with the demonic undercurrents of art and music in The Devil’s Candy, but this is not a message film, RogerEbert‘s Brian Tallerico writes. “It is a lean, mean, tight (under 80 minutes) thriller that draws from other films like it without feeling derivative. Byrne proves to have directorial skill with actors to match his ability to make a horror film that also looks brilliant.”
See the trailer below, with a nod to Entertainment Weekly, for the film that also stars Pruitt Taylor Vince and Shiri Appleby.
A struggling painter is possessed by satanic forces after he and his young family move into their dream home in rural Texas, in this creepy haunted-house tale.
The Devil’s Candy hits select theaters and VOD on March 17th.