Why Guy Pearce Was Surprised At How Scary His New Movie Is - Exclusive
The Seventh Day is the tale of two modern-day priests who set out to combat demonic possession. Guy Pearce stars as the rebelliously hardened Father Peter, a renowned exorcist who is tasked with teaching a rookie the ropes. Together, they embark on a hellish journey to save a young boy's soul that unearths an unexpectedly sinister pattern.
As Father Peter, Pearce dives headlong into the horror genre after a storied career that has spanned more than 30 years. He's appeared in Academy Award-winning fare such as L.A. Confidential and The Hurt Locker, as well as crowd-pleasing action flicks like Iron Man 3 and Bloodshot. But The Seventh Day, which is out now in theaters and on demand, takes him to an unexpected place — a place that even scared the actor himself.
In an exclusive interview with Looper, Pearce revealed why he was surprised by just how scary The Seventh Day really is. Mild spoilers ahead!
Shooting the exorcism scene spooked Guy Pearce on the set of The Seventh Day
Pearce admits that watching the final cut of The Seventh Day gave him chills. "I remember thinking to myself, 'Wow, this is a whole lot scarier than it seemed when we were making it,'" he said.
But just what made the difference between being on set and sitting down to watch the end result? "I'm aware, obviously, that with sound effects and score and general editing, etcetera, that things are far more effective in the finished product than they are while you're there making it," says Pearce. "But I was quite surprised at how scary the film actually appeared."
There was, however, at least one scene that spooked him while filming The Seventh Day. "When we did our final sequence, where we're sort of trying to exorcise the demon from the young boy, and I walked onto that set and saw all the windows boarded up with tape and going, "Yeah, okay. This is pretty spooky.' Because if you walked into this for real, it would be fairly confronting. You just instantly go, 'So if there's no tape, then what's going to happen?' The glass is going to come flying into the room, I suppose."
The Seventh Day is out now in theaters and on demand.