Get a taste for The Devil’s Candy with Sean Byrne’s (The Loved Ones, Dangerous Animals) ‘heavy-metal horror opus’ (Variety), arriving in a delectable new Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray Box Set on 25 May 2026, courtesy of Second Sight Films.
I want to tell a bit of a story about a film that completely caught me off guard. It’s one of those rare occasions where a misunderstanding actually led to discovering something fantastic. Have you ever watched a film by accident? I definitely have. Because I run this site as well as The Geek Hangout YouTube channel, I occasionally get sent screener discs from PR companies and distributors. Usually, they send over a press release asking whether I’d like to review a particular film, and if it interests me, I’ll request a screener copy. That’s exactly what happened with The Devil’s Candy.
When the press release landed in my inbox, I immediately thought it was The Devil’s Backbone, the Guillermo del Toro film I’d been meaning to watch for years. I’d somehow mixed the two titles up in my head. So I happily replied saying I’d post coverage on the website and would love a screener for review purposes..
When posting the press release I realised that in fact this wasn’t The Devils Backbone, but was in fact The Devils Candy. In fact, I’d not heard of The Devil’s Candy. At that point, I felt pretty ridiculous, but but also chuckled a little to myself. However that did mean that when The Devils Candy arrived, that I would go into the film not knowing much about it (which if I can, is always something I like to do)
And honestly, it turned out to be one of the best accidental discoveries I’ve had in a long time. I absolutely loved this film.
From the moment it started, the sound design grabbed me. It’s the kind of movie that demands to be played loudly. The music choices are incredible, packed with heavy rock and metal tracks that fit the atmosphere perfectly. Even if those bands aren’t normally your thing, they work beautifully within the film’s world. Bands such as Pantera, Queens of the Stone Age, and Metallica all feature on The Devils Candy soundtrack.
Visually, the movie is stunning too. When you strip cinema down to its essentials, sometimes all you really need are strong visuals, powerful sound, and an engaging story. The Devil’s Candy nails all three. It pulled me in almost immediately and never let go. The story follows Jesse (played by Ethan Embry) , a painter who moves into a new house with his wife Astrid (played by Shiri Appleby) and daughter Zooey (played by Kiara Glasco). They’re a close family with a shared love of metal music, especially Jesse and his daughter. Importantly, the film never turns them into caricatures or jokes. Director Sean Byrne clearly respects these characters and portrays them as genuine people rather than stereotypical “metalheads.” which he talks about on the special features included on the disc.
Ethan Embry is brilliant as Jesse. He gives the character warmth and authenticity, making the family dynamic feel believable from the start. And of course praise needs to be given to Shiri and Kiara for also making the family feel real. Things begin to unravel when Ray, the former owner of the house returns (played by the always fantastic Pruitt Taylor Vince). His presence immediately creates an unsettling atmosphere, and the film gradually transforms into a deeply creepy blend of home invasion horror and supernatural thriller. What makes the movie especially effective is its ambiguity. It never fully explains whether the horror is genuinely supernatural, psychological, or some combination of both and it doesn’t need to I love films that let the audience make up their own minds, and The Devil’s Candy handles that balance perfectly.
By the time the end credits rolled, I already knew I wanted to watch it again. In fact, I immediately decided I needed to show it to my partner because I was so impressed by it and knew she would be too.
After watching the film itself, I dug into the special features included on the release. The edition comes packed with interviews with some of the cast, the production designer, the editor and much more, the commentary track by Sean Byrne is great and gives you insight into what Sean was going for with the film and some fun stories from the films production and behind-the-scenes featurettes. There is around 2 hours of extras on the disc (plus the commentary track) so there’s plenty for you to investigate) The release also includes a couple of Sean Byrne’s short films, which are well worth checking out if you enjoy his style and ar e a fan of short films.
By the end of my indepth dive into The Devils Candy, the film and all the extras on the disc which I did complete in the same evening. ll, I came away genuinely amazed by The Devil’s Candy. It’s a very smart, very intense, beautifully shot, and amazing sounding movie. The performances are excellent across the board, and the film balances a great family drama with unsettling horror extremely well.
Horror fans probably already know about this film, but if you’ve somehow missed it like I did, it’s absolutely worth your time. Sometimes the best movie discoveries happen completely by accident and for me, the ‘gem discovery’ of the year goes to The Devils Candy. Great work Second Sight Films!
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 film: Advantage Satan
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
• Six collectors’ art cards
