THE DEVIL'S CANDY: Complete World Premiere Post-Screening Q&A With Sean Byrne & Ethan Embry

Here is the compete The Devil's Candy world premiere post-screening Q&A with director/writer Sean Byrne and actor Ethan Embry moderated by programmer Colin Geddes.

THE DEVIL'S CANDY: Video World Premiere Interviews with Sean Byrne, Ethan Embry

Sean Byrne made his long awaited return to Midnight Madness with The Devil's Candy. Sean's first film, The Loved Ones, won the 2009 Midnight Madness People's Choice Award. Robert A. Mitchell had the opportunity to speak to Sean and actor Ethan Embry mere moments before the world premiere of The Devil's Candy.

 

THE DEVIL'S CANDY screens:
Tue, Sept 15, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK
Sat, Sept 19, 1:15 PM SCOTIABANK

Pics From The Premiere of THE DEVIL'S CANDY!

I can honestly say that Sean Byrne's Loved Ones followup, The Devil's Candy is one of my favourite Midnight Madness selections in years. Every twist and turn and burning guitar in Byrne's new film, fresh from post-production which only wrapped last Thursday, kept a rabid audience at the edge of their seats. With Devil's Candy writer/director Sean Byrne and star Ethan Embry in the house, as well as a big surprise outside the theatre, Ian Goring was there to capture all the excitement!

Some of you are probably thinking 'throwing up the horns at a movie called Devil's Candy is a little on the nose, huh?' to which I say SATANNNNN!!!

Ethan Embry enters a fugue state thinking about his next painting

YEAHHHH METAL!

You'd never suspect that good pals Ethan Embry and Sean Byrne are being controlled by the dark lord.

Hooray for these guys!

Tired of being constrained by worldly concepts like gravity? Try SATAN today!

Byrne and Embry talk about Devil's Candy with programmer Colin Geddes

Ethan Embry and Sean Byrne answer some questions from the audience.

Tee hee! Hail Satan!

Ethan Embry provides a visual reminder of how much of his soul he had to sell to make such a chilling, brilliant movie.

Ethan Embry pays homage to the Ryerson's dark lords.

A very very big surprise awaited the Ryerson audience outside the theatre.

Imagine seeing this after walking out of a movie at 2am. Yikes!

Woo hoo! Evil!

Bawwww!

A day later and that painting still gives me the skeeves.

Byrne and the satanic painting from Devil's Candy were both hits after the WORLD PREMIERE screening!

Colin Geddes and Sean Byrne pose with some fans.

You have two more chances to see Devil's Candy and by gum, I think I might go see it again.  Don't miss this one!

THE DEVIL'S CANDY Screening Times:
Sun, Sept 13, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Tue, Sept 15, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK 9
Sat, Sept 19, 1:15 PM SCOTIABANK 14

THE DEVIL'S CANDY: Profile of Director Sean Byrne

If the name Sean Byrne, director of The Devil's Candy, sounds familiar, there's a reason why.

Byrne's first feature, The Loved Ones, screened at Midnight Madness back in 2009 where it won the People's Choice Award. It was also a huge critical success, both with horror fans and more highbrow critics like Variety's Dennis Harvey who said it "transcends mere torture porn in its deftly controlled mix of empathy, grotesquerie and sardonic humor."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves, Dennis. For those who don't already know, here's the plot of The Loved Ones.

That's gotta hurt.

High school student Brent has become super emo since his dad was killed in a car crash. When classmate Lola asks him to the prom, he politely declines, since he's already going with his girlfriend Holly. Bad idea, Brent. Taking the events of Carrie one step further, all of the truly terrible things that happen to people in The Loved Ones don't even take place at the actual prom. See, Lola and her dad have a way to ensure sure the word "rejection" isn't a part of her would-be boyfriends' vocabularies... literally. They kidnap, torture, and disable the vocal cords (syringe + bleach = silent screaming) of every guy who says no to her and then keep the poor fellows locked up in the basement.

With such an auspicious debut, the horror community has been salivating for another taste of Sean Byrne's particular flavor of cinematic psychosis. (Not like we were going to kidnap him and keep him in our basements or anything, mind you.) So it's great that he's back at the Festival this year with The Devil's Candy. Here's the scoop on what this movie is about:

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.

"Why yes I do look like Franco Nero in The Visitor!"

It's a short and (not-so) sweet synopsis, but as Byrne explained to Midnight Madness blogger Robert A. Mitchell, "the fun is in not knowing!" (If you haven't read that interview, you can do so here.)

My fave quote? " I hope it creeps like death, sends chills then attacks the throat. I hope it feels like hell has risen."

Prepare your throats to be attacked when The Devil's Candy hits the screen!

THE DEVIL'S CANDY Screening Times:
Sun, Sept 13, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Tue, Sept 15, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK 9
Sat, Sept 19, 1:15 PM SCOTIABANK 14

THE DEVIL'S CANDY: Interview with Director Sean Byrne

The Devil's Candy marks director Sean Byrne return to the Midnight Madness program. His first feature The Loved Ones was so beloved that it won the 2009 Midnight Madness People's Choice Winner. I recently spoke with Sean about his eagerly awaited sophomore film. -- Robert A. Mitchell

Your first film The Loved Ones had an amazing world premiere in 2009 at Midnight Madness. Could you share some of your memories from that night? How did that screening change your life?

It began as a blur of jet-lag and sleep deprivation and ended as one of the most vivid memories of my life. Making a film is a marathon. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is hopefully getting it in front of a big audience like at the Ryerson. The nerve-racking part is there’s no guarantee the audience will like it and all those thousands of hours that go into creating a film end up amounting to nothing more than egg on your face. So the way the audience embraced the film - screaming, cheering, wearing their heart on their sleeve - was so satisfying it’s hard to put into words. So much so I’ve been fighting to get back to Midnight Madness ever since.

As far as changing my life, the fact we won the Audience Choice award opened a lot of doors. It got me an Agent, countless meetings, and meant scripts were sent to me for the first time in my life. After flirting with various projects I ended up coming back to my own material because in the end I wanted to retain some sort of voice but thanks to Midnight Madness I suddenly had more than one avenue open to me.

I'm eagerly anticipating The Devil's Candy. What is the basic premise of the story? Where did the idea come from?

I don’t want to say too much because half the fun is in the not knowing! And The Devil’s Candy definitely has an air of mystery to it. I guess all I can say is it’s a haunted house movie about a father desperately trying to protect his daughter from the darkness in disguise. As for where the idea came from, I started wondering what’s the greatest disparity of power, the ultimate David versus Goliath battle in a horror context, and it seemed like child versus monster. After that the challenge became how to create a monster we haven’t seen before. There’s echoes of The Shining in terms of how a location can wreak havoc on the mind and also a hint of the Crossroads mythology: would you sell your soul for personal gain even if it meant jeopardizing the lives of those around you? 

What are some things you learned about film making from The Loved Ones? How did you apply this knowledge to your second film?

Prepare as much as you can then once the train leaves the station just hang on. Tackle one obstacle at a time and eventually you’ll reach the finish line. Surrounding yourself with the right producers and heads of department who not only share your sensibility but are also decent, passionate, supportive and great at what they do is also crucial. If you’ve got a good script or blue print, understand the tone of the film, do your best to communicate it clearly and work with the right people then you’ve at least got half a chance!

You have teamed up with producers Keith Calder and Jessica Wu of Snoot Films who  has a history with the Midnight Madness program producing You're Next and The Guest to name a few. How did their experience producing genre films aid the production of The Devil's Candy?

Keith and Jess have made sixteen films. I think The Devil’s Candy is their eighth film at TIFF. You can’t buy that kind of experience. You have to earn it and they have. So in a practical sense I felt in very safe hands. Everything is handled in a calm, methodical manner. But what was perhaps most rewarding was their ability to creatively align themselves with the film. We were all striving to make the same movie. As a writer/director I end up living with the material for an unhealthy length of time and to have producers who are able to remind you what was so exciting about the story in the first place is invaluable. They have strong commercial instincts but aren’t afraid to take risks because they understand horror, to avoid being predictable, sometimes needs to be dangerous, even taboo. And that’s where I live as a filmmaker so to share that ethos and have that kind of faith and support was incredibly helpful.

What kind of cinematic experience awaits the audience?

I wanted to pay homage to the classics of the supernatural genre - Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, The Omen, The Shining - but with a distinctly modern sensibility. Like The Loved Ones, metal plays its part. In a perfect world The Devil’s Candy would lift the underground into the mainstream. We’ve been calling it a Doom Opera. I hope it creeps like death, sends chills then attacks the throat. I hope it feels like hell has risen.

THE DEVIL'S CANDY screens:
Sun, Sept 13, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Tue, Sept 15, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK
Sat, Sept 19, 1:15 PM SCOTIABANK

Midnight Madness Flashback: THE LOVED ONES

In  2009, when Sean Byrne’s The Loved Ones had its world premiere at Midnight Madness, the audience was delighted and thrilled by the story of Lola’s DIY prom. Dressed in a blindingly pink dress, Lola and her father kidnapped the boy who wouldn't go to prom with her, and tied him in his bloodied tuxedo, to a chair in their school dance decorated kitchen. The scenes that followed had the crowd eating out of the palm of writer/director, Byrne’s hand, and when the week was over, The Loved Ones was named the Cadillac Midnight Madness People’s Choice Award winner.

The Loved Ones seemed like it was about to take the world by storm, but that didn’t really happen. It wasn’t released theatrically in North America until 2012, and without the promotional push it deserved. Its premiere in 2009 remains one of the best Midnight Madness screenings I’ve attended, and it would be an understatement to say that I’m excited that Sean Byrne is back this year with his new film, The Devil’s Candy.

Will it win the twisted hearts of the Midnight Madness audience in the same way, The Loved Ones did? I can’t wait to find out!

 THE DEVIL'S CANDY screens:

Sun, Sept 13, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Tue, Sept 15, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK
Sat, Sept 19, 1:15 PM SCOTIABANK

Five Reasons Why We Love Ethan Embry

Beloved actor Ethan Embry is coming back to our big-screens this September in The Devil's Candy, where he plays a struggling painter who becomes possessed by a demonic force, soon after him and his family move to their dream home. Embry's portrayal of a patriarch fully at the end of his rope works as a perfect compliment to writer-director Sean Byne's graphic, jolting style, who is perhaps best known for his horrifying teenage flick The Loved Ones, which begs the question, "You thought your prom night was bad?"

Wrapped in the excitement of The Devil's Candy, we thought we'd take a look at five reasons why we love Ethan Embry:

5) He is fantastic in any dramatic role - RE: Brotherhood 

Embry arguably is most recognized for his character in the Showtime series Brotherhood, where he plays the Rhode Island state detective Declan Giggs. Brotherhood had only three seasons, but effectively captivated critics everywhere.

4) He steals the scene, even when he's a tertiary character - RE: That Thing You Do!

In this movie about fictional band The Oneders (now that's One-ders, not Oh-need-ers), Embry has a small part as the bass player of the band (or T.B. Player as per his credit). Although Ethan barely has any lines at all, his adorable presence is felt in any scene he's in as the doe-eyed, sweetheart bassist. Also, is there anything funnier than when he totally abandons the band to go to Disney?

3) He very effectively plays extremely sympathetic characters - RE: Late Phases: Night of the Lone Wolf 

In this smart and subtle werewolf flick, Embry plays Will, the son of the stubborn, blind, war veteran Ambrose (played by Nick Damici). Will puts his father into a retirement community because he fears for his safety if he were to continue living totally alone, and although the audience sees Ambrose's anger about his liberties being taken away due to age - we still sympathize with Will because his actions are out of a place of love.

2) He can do comedic and light roles just as well as drama - RE: Can't Hardly Wait 

Starring as Preston Meyers in this quintessential 90's teen romp, Embry is funny and lovable as the artistic Preston, who vows that on graduation night, he will finally tell Amanda Beckett (Jennifer Love-Hewitt) that he loves her.

1) He is clearly going to crush being a main character in a horror movie - RE: The Devil's Candy

We have absolutely no doubts that Embry's portrayal of the tortured (in more ways than one) painter is going to be thrilling and chilling, even just seeing him in official stills, the kind-faced actor is barely recognizable in his dishevelment.

THE DEVIL'S CANDY screens:
Sun, Sept 13, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Tue, Sept 15, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK
Sat, Sept 19, 1:15 PM SCOTIABANK

A Very Sparse First Look At THE DEVIL'S CANDY!

Details about Sean Byrne's new haunted house feature are pretty hard to come by, but let's just say it's one of the most anticipated movies of the Festival for me. Byrne's last Midnight Madness entry, 2009's The Loved Ones, was the winner of the Midnight Madness People's Choice Award that year and is one of my all-time favourite horrors. I can't wait to see what he does with Devil's Candy.

This is literally the only image we have for Devil's Candy, and it's certainly intriguing:

Smart money says to keep Byrne's creepy candy on your Midnight Madness shortlist!

The Devil’s Candy screens:
Sun, Sept 13, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Mon, Sept 14, 10:45 AM SCOTIABANK
Tue, Sept 15, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK
Wed, Sept 16, 9:45 AM SCOTIABANK
Sat, Sept 19, 1:15 PM SCOTIABANK

MM Blog Flashback: And the award goes to...

An entry from the 2009 Midnight Madness blog. You can check out the archive for it at http://tiff.net/Blogs/category/Midnight-Madness.aspx

And the award goes to...
September 19, 2009 - By: Eric Veillette

For the first time, TIFF is awarding a top prize to a Midnight Madness selection. Announced moments ago in a conference room at the Hotel Intercontinental, the recipient of the Midnight Madness Cadillac People's Choice Award is Sean Byrne's The Loved Ones, the 'Dark Horse' of this year's lineup.

There was heavy competition, from neo-noir vampires in Daybreakers -- which was the runner-up for the award -- incubated demons in [REC]2, stop-motion toys on amphetamines in A Town Called Panic and absolute absurdism in Symbol. But as far as the Midnight Madness audience is concerned, Byrne's tale from down under tugged, pulled and stabbed at the heart-strings of the audience. With a fork.

It's an unprecented move for a genre film to receive such accolades at one of the world's most prestigious film fests, and we're hoping it leads to a bright future for this fresh, fun and gory film. The MM blogging team wishes to congratulate Sean Byrne and his entire cast and crew for this award.

This just in from Sean Byrne himself:

"I just received the best wake-up call of my life informing me THE LOVED ONES had received the Midnight Madness Audience Choice Award (and I'm still pinching myself!). The MM audience is the most educated, passionate and hardcore horror audience I've ever encountered, which makes receiving this award an especially great honor. Team LOVED ONES thanks Colin for hunting down our 'darkhorse', his team of bloggers for so kindly spreading the word and, finally, we thank you, the MM audience for voting for us!!! You ROCK!!! I can't wait to come back with another film that goes straight for the jugular! Sweet dreams!!!" --- Sean Byrne (Writer/Director, THE LOVED ONES)

Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes (in his pjs from Symbol)
accepting the Midnight Madness Cadillac People's Choice Award for The Loved Ones.