Ardis Barrow makes her film debut in Feed the Devil, a terrifying new thriller hitting VOD first week of August.
Given a map to marijuana planted in the remote wilderness of Alaska, Marcus and his girlfriend Stella head off on an expedition to cut down the crop and make easy money. The mission quickly turns deadly when Stella vanishes and the quest to find her uncovers a trail of victims tied to an ancient Indian myth. The search becomes a lethal game of survival when they are hunted down by the demonic beast behind the legend.
Great to see a real ‘girl power!’ role in a film like this. How much did that element in your character play a part in your decision to do the movie?
It was a huge part of why I took the role. Unfortunately, as an actress you audition for a lot of one-dimensional characters. Lydia was not your typical horror film ‘damsel in distress’ or ‘half naked eye candy’ running for her life. She’s wary, focused and resilient. Her strength and anger at the situation, coupled with her vulnerability made her this beautifully complex character that I wanted to play.
How early were you involved in the film? Were you attached from the concept stage?
I wasn’t involved until more final stages. After my initial audition and being cast it was only a few months until filming.
Did the director have anything to show you at your initial meetings that helped convey to you the type of movie he was trying to make?
Max showed me pictures of the plastered skulls of Jericho, which were the inspiration for some of the makeup effects in the film. He also said that it was going to be as much of a psychological thriller as a horror film. He wanted to build suspense and use the landscape to create an additional sense of danger.
What do you think makes the film scary?
I think it builds your sense of fear and isolation from the beginning. These people are stranded in a majestic but inhospitable environment that they are not equipped to handle. You get this feeling that the land itself doesn’t want them there, and neither do those that come for them. The movie really preys on your fear of the unknown, of being an outsider in a place that you most likely won’t survive.
What kind of set was it? Was it a relatively light one?
We filmed almost entirely outdoors in national parks (about two hours North of Montreal). So the landscape really was the main location. That being said, there was a lot of subtle set dressing that had to happen for many of the shots. Max was very intentional about every shot in the film, so what looks like happenstance on camera was often purposeful. They built some very eerily beautiful wooden structures out in the wilderness as well for some of the final scenes.
Any scenes in the film that you especially had trouble doing?
There were a great amount of physically demanding scenes in the film that required a lot of focus to pull off. There was this one scene that took place in a sinking boat on a partially frozen lake that was probably the biggest challenge for me. Luckily we got it in one take!
Thanks a ton to Ardis for chatting with us about Feed the Devil. You can learn more about the film by checking out the website HERE and watching the trailer below.
