When Jesse Hellman (Ethan Embry in a standout performance) and his wife Astrid (Shiri Appleby) snap up a huge Texas ranch home at a bargain-basement price, it seems like all domestic and artistic dreams have come true, for them and their daughter Zooey (Kiara Glasco). The haunted house, however, has other ideas. With local weirdo Ray added to the tasty mix, Byrne (Pruitt Taylor Vince) lets loose with a scary and stylish descent into madness and murder.

Ruthlessly taut, The Devil’s Candy is the follow-up to Sean Byrne’s debut, the cult Australian film The Loved Ones. Whereas The Loved Ones drew its internal logic from prom music, The Devil’s Candy’s giddy, luridly lit rush comes from heavy metal, with Sunn O)))’s devil drones facing off the speed riffs of Slayer and Metallica.