FilmDistrict and TriStar’s Evil Dead premiered earlier this week at SXSW, and I thought it was a pretty damn groovy thing to experience with a crowd. Lou Taylor Pucci (Carriers) is one of the film’s MVP’s as Eric, a sensitive and thoughtful school teacher. He’s the most relatable character in the movie, has all the best lines and takes quite a beating.

In the new rebirth, “five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin. When they discover a Book of the Dead, they unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival.” Directed by Fede Alvarez, the R-rated remake stars Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Elizabeth Blackmore and Jessica Lucas.

Check out my review here! Head inside for the interview! MILD SPOILERS INSIDE!!

You take quite a beating in this, possibly more than any of the other characters. What was it like to just add on wound after wound after wound?

It’s hard to even remember, because we did it over a three month period and we did it fairly chronologically. They wanted to keep the wounds in continuity. They didn’t want to have a lot of blood on us in one scene and then less in the next one. So they more or less shot in sequence, which was great. It was good for us as actors too because we could start with the drama and then go into the beatings. And we took beatings every single day.

The movie is intense and gory, but it never feels like it’s out to punish the audience. What do you think the balancing act there is?

I think it’s the sincerity of the whole thing. When people wink at their stuff, and you see them wink, it takes on a totally different tone. Which is fine. But what I loved about Fede’s idea is that he wanted to put people in this world and not let them out until the movie was over. There’s no wink, there’s no comedy. Even my character reading the book, of course he’s going to read it because he’s curious and who believes in demons? It’s crazy! You can see that happening and you can be in their shoes.

I feel like there’s a little bit of comedy in the film, but it mainly stems from an identifiable place. I think one of my favorite lines is –

“It’s not a science book!” Yeah!

How did you guys stay “on” during the three months of shooting?

Personally I’ve learned from the ten or so years I’ve spent doing this that I need to take care of myself. If you don’t stretch or do yoga or something… it’s the “your body is your instrument” type of deal. In the beginning we had this yoga trainer who was teaching us movement and how to move like a deadite. And that was all Fede’s idea. We spent a lot of time rolling around on the floor so every single day I stretched an hour or more just to be healthy about the whole experience. But it was super difficult, there’s no way around that.We just had to work our ass off.

Had you seen the originals when they asked you to read the script?

Oh yeah, I’m a huge huge fan from when I was a kid. I showed them to my best friend Jackie in New Jersey. One day, when I was 15 years old I was sick and staying home from school. And Jackie came over and I was like, “we’re going to watch all three Evil Dead movies because you need to see this, this is the most awesome sh*t you’ve ever seen.” And then we watched the original and I explained the backstory that it was supposed to be serious, etc… and that they turned it into a comedy with the sequel. It’s such a great story.

So it must have been pretty surreal to work with Bruce [Campbell], Rob [Tapert] and Sam [Raimi] on this?

It was a surreal dream. Thank God I’m not asking myself to wake up. I’m so blessed to be a part of this, this is the world I appreciate.