The Cleansing Hour Updates: Adapted from a short film by the same name, The Cleansing Hour is a new Shudder original that will make audiences think twice about their social media use.
Directed by Damien LeVeck, the film follows Max and Drew, childhood friends who developed a successful web show featuring staged exorcisms; however, things take a terrifying turn during a live stream, and the crew must contend with a real possession being broadcast to millions of viewers.
In an interview with Ryan Guzman, he sat down to break down the complexity of his character, Father Max.
Ryan tells the audience that while he himself isn’t a horror genre aficionado, he will continue to make them if the fans like it. When asked about what attracted him towards ‘The cleansing hour’, Max replies,” The character, Father Max.
He is an audacious, egotistical, narcissistic person who was going through all these different things. There were so many unanswered questions when I first read the script.
I wanted to work with Damien and dive deeper into who this man is and what he’s really lacking and why he’s going after all these different things to fulfill him when nothing is really going to fulfill him. That was the enticing part. It was more so the human aspect of it.” He also went on to describe his character as very, very lonely.
Ryan states that he did not refer to any preexistent horror movies as they wanted The Cleansing Hour to stand out from the crowd.”I think Damien and I were in agreeance that we did not want to create something that’s already happened in other films. In doing exorcism films, damn near everything has happened.
The Cleansing Hour Ryan’s Character
Now, it’s kind of just reiterations of what an exorcism is.” He informs the audience that it was more about adding flair to the characters in the movie, creating more involvement, and develop parallel characteristics for each of them and their unique attributes.
He then goes on to drop his favorite scene from the movie, without revealing too much.”As far as an actor goes, there’s a confession of Father Max’s that I was very proud of because it was a 10-page, 11-page scene that I had to memorize by myself.
There were a lot of cut points in it, but the way they cut it up, it’s really a kind of an eerie scene. Other than that, I don’t know. It’s all very fun to watch. I like that it’s a fun movie.”
As the interview is about to be wrapped, Ryan lets the audience know that social media when used incorrectly can lead to dangerous consequences, people seeking fame may regret the paths they choose, and if there’s anything to be taken as a lesson from the movie, it’s to use social media responsibly.
Directed by Damien LeVeck, The Cleansing Hour stars Ryan Guzman, Kyle Gallner, and Alix Angelis. The film is now streaming on Shudder and is available on VOD, Digital HD, and DVD.
