With the release of the southern gothic thriller The Devil to Pay, I sat down with the husband and wife writing, directing, and producing duo Ruckus and Lane Skye to talk about the film and their writing process.
The Devil to Pay centers on an Appalachian woman named Lemon (Danielle Deadwyler) who must fight to save herself, her son, and her home after her husband disappears and a powerful family demands her husband’s debt be paid, or else.
Horror Fuel: “I love the location you chose for your film. There’s just something about the mountains. And they also seem sort of like a character in the film. It’s great cinematography. How did you go about capturing that?”
Ruckus: “We shot in Hiawassee, Georgia, about two hours north of Atlanta. It’s actually a pretty town. We had to erase some houses and powerlines out of the footage. It’s a little movie magic.”
Lane:” We had a guy come in and do some drone shots.”
Horror Fuel: “Tell us about how the story came to be?”
Ruckus: “The lead actress, Danielle Deadwyler, we met her through Atlanta Arts, and we wanted to work together for some time. We never found the right role for her. We wanted to make a southern gothic so this what we came up with. We didn’t tell her we were writing it, we just handed her a script. That’s really how it started.
It’s about a remote community that has cut itself off from the rest of the world on purpose. They have their own laws. Lemon and her husband have a son. She finds out that her missing husband has something of a debt to the most powerful family on the mountain. It’s up to her to pay the debt now. As the story goes on you find that there is a lot more to it than that. It’s not as clear cut as you are led to believe.”
Horror Fuel: “Danielle did a fantastic job. She really sells it.”
Ruckus: “Oh, thank you. She’s great. She says she got the accent from her grandma.”
Horror Fuel: “And Catherine Dyer’s Tommy is well, scary.”
Ruckus: “Yeah, [laughter]. We’ve been wanting to work with her for a while too. She is the nicest person. It was so funny to her that she can’t cook and spends a lot of time cooking in the movie.”
Horror Fuel: “Lane, I would love to hear about the characters and story from a woman’s perspective seeing that the movie centers on women.”
Lane: “I think particularly for Danielle, who is a filmmaker in her own right and focuses on stories of motherhood, we had that in our story. All the mothers I know are such strong women, so I wanted a character who reflects that. It’s that Southern motherhood that I’m sure you are familiar with.
Ruckus: “People might not realize it because he has a different last name, but the kid in the movie is actually Danielle’s son.
Horror Fuel: “That’s awesome! It’s great that they can share that experience. Devil to Pay is out this week, right?”
Ruckus: “It comes out Friday, October 2nd.”
Horror Fuel: “I look forward to hearing our reader’s thoughts on it. Tell us about that scene where Lemon finally gets a clue to what happened to her husband.”
Lane: “The idea was that the mountain has its own laws, an eye for an eye, a hand for a hand.”
Horror Fuel: “What do you two hope viewers walk away from this film with?”
Ruckus: “Oh, man. That’s a good question.
Lane: “I would want them to walk away with a sense for just how strong and dangerous a woman can be.”
Horror Fuel: “I really enjoyed The Devil to Pay. I love seeing women in strong roles that are realistic. We don’t get enough of those characters. If I see one more actress trip while running or begging a man to save them, I’ll scream (and not in a good way).”
Ruckus: “[laughter] It was important to us for Lemon, at every point, before she hurts somebody, give them a chance to walk away. And we love that everyone underestimates her. That’s their ruin in the end. People think, ‘Oh, it’s just a farmer’s wife.’
Horror Fuel: “That’s a big mistake for them to make. You should never underestimate a southern woman. I’m glad to see a character like her.
What is it like to work and write and make films together as a married couple?”
Ruckus: “We love it. It’s fun. It’s our passion. We have very similar tastes but at the same time very different tastes. It’s not like we are the same person. It can get interesting. We are constantly elevating each other’s ideas.”
Horror Fuel: “What happens when there’s a scene or an element of the story you don’t agree on?”
Lane: “We state our case until someone gives in or gives up.”
Ruckus: “The best idea wins. We clash all the time, but I think that’s how things get better.”
The Devil to Pay is set to be released on October 2, 2020. For more on the film and Ruckus and Lane Skye’s other projects please follow them on Instagram.