The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself creator explains ‘horrifying’ gore in new Netflix teen series

‘I did have a mild panic,’ said writer Joe Barton

The creator of The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself has spoken out about the extreme violence and gore in the new Netflix series.

Released on Netflix on Friday (28 October), the eight-part YA series has been well-received by critics and viewers alike.

However, several reviews have made reference to the “horrifying” violence depicted in the show, which follows a teenage boy caught in the middle of a war between witches.

Based on Sally Green’s novel Half Bad, the show was adapted for the screen by writer Joe Barton.

Speaking to Radio Times, Barton discussed his reaction to the extreme violence in the series.

“I remember getting into the edit room on this and just suddenly being, like, ‘Oh s***, it’s really violent!’ I did have, like, a mild panic... like, was the audience for it?

“I think sometimes, especially when you do things for film, you do have to water them down because the money is bigger, and there’s the distribution... it’s just a stricter thing,” Barton said. “But as soon as you’re in the TV world, I think you can push at those edges.

“People sort of assume a YA thing has to be slightly sanitised, but I don’t think that’s true. I think an audience is there for a tougher story. Well, we’ll find out!”

‘The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself’ is out now on Netflix (Netflix)

The show’s star, Jay Lycurgo, also defended the decision to include violent content in a series aimed at a teen or young adult audience.

“Teenagers these days see a lot of things. And as gory as it can be, it’s also really fun and romantic. There’s a beautiful love story in it,” he said.

The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself is available to stream on Netflix now.