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
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.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 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.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments