Writer/director Ian Ebright (From the Sky) is back with his latest short film, the dark dramedy The Devil Needs a Fix, which has already been going like gangbusters on the film festival circuit including its premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival along with screenings at HollyShorts, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Portland Film Festival, Flyway Film festival and several others. 

The Devil Needs a Fix tells a unique story about an ambivalent reporter, Jeffrey (Stefan Hajek, Eden, Dawson's Creek), who will get a big break if his planned interview with the Devil goes as planned. 

Ebright, whose From the Sky earned high praise from The Independent Critic, once again works from tremendous literary inspiration including C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce. While the film continues on the festival circuit, Ebright is hoping for a mid-to-late April 2018 online release. 

The Devil Needs a Fix is a clever film, at first appearing to be a rather straightforward comedy with a rather obvious story before Ebright toys with both his characters and the audience and turns up the film's darkness a notch or two. 

Stefan Hajek is terrific as Jeffrey, a dutiful reporter caught within this world that is immersed in healthy doses of comedy, drama and a twisted sense of fantasy. Returning Ebright collaborator Steven Soro is a delight as The Man in the Red Ascot, while Rosalie Miller (SyFy's Z Nation) hits a home run as Dee, a waitress with a gleam in her eyes. 

The Devil Needs a Fix also features music from Helsinki-based based Husky Rescue and inventive lensing from D.P. Oguz Uygur that helps to bring alive a story that changes directions in ways that are a blast to watch. 

According to Ebright, The Devil Needs a Fix "explores disconnectedness, longing, and the nature of fear." It does so in ways that are both entertaining and thought provoking and with a story that wisely leaves you wondering what happens after the closing credits have rolled by. 

For more information on The Devil Needs a Fix, visit the film's Facebook page linked to in the credits to the left of this review. If you get a chance, on the big screen or online, check the film out.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic