ERIC MABIUS
THEN:
Did you ever see the brilliantly sardonic WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE from 1995? If you have yet to see it, you should. And while it may not be very horror-centric, it certainly proves that junior high school is about as terrifying as you can get. There is one thing that this dark comedy did feature, and that is the young wannabe rock star ‘Steve Rodgers’ who is played by a talented gent by the name of Eric Mabius. The actor started off with this subversive Todd Solondz feature and continued down the path of independent cinema. Over the next couple of years, the young actor appeared in THE JOURNEY OF AUGUST KING and the quirky I SHOT ANDY WARHOL.
Eric’s first real introduction into the world of horror came with THE CRAFT-ish BLACK CIRCLE BOYS in 1997. While this gothic teen flick didn’t light much of a fire with fans, it did continue to prove that Mabius could be a legitimate on-screen badass. Frankly, I enjoyed both he and Scott Bairstow’s performances. Now it’s been awhile since I’ve sat down with this black magic celebration, so maybe it is one that would hold up better than I remember. It might very well be worth a look to see this weeks’ subject rockin’ and rollin’ and getting all cultish in a freaky flick. What do you think, is it worth a re-watch? Possibly maybe?
After that brief introduction to teen terrors, Eric found himself back on the Indie route with appearances in A GUN FOR JENNIFER and LAWN DOGS in 1997 and AROUND THE FIRE in 1998. In 1999, the actor found work in an intriguing mix of flicks and television guest spots. This included the low-key thriller THE MINUS MAN – arguably Owen Wilson’s best performance to date – and an appearance on the underrated Chris Carter series “Millennium,” as well as two episodes in “Party of Five.” That same year he starred opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe in the campy buy fun CRUEL INTENTIONS.
In 2000, Mr. Mabius took on what is one of the most impossible roles imaginable to tackle. The idea of casting any actor as THE CROW you are bound to get a ton of vile spewed your way – you can’t beat the iconic and tragic perfection of Brandon Lee’s work as Eric Draven. While not a great flick, I much prefer THE CROW: SALVATION to the ludicrously goofy THE CROW: WICKED PRAYER starring Edward Furlong and David Boreanaz from 2005. It helps that some of Eric’s co-stars include the great Walter Goggins, Fred Ward and William Atherton. This flick is also currently on Netflix streaming, so if you are in the mood for a little vengeance fueled mayhem on a low-budget, check it out and see how well he fared in the role. I say good on him for being up to the task! Oh yeah, and Kirsten Dunst is in this one too, so there is that.
It was in 2002 where the actor found himself in what would become a surprisingly massive franchise, although he only appeared in the first. In RESIDENT EVIL, he starred as Matt Addison, who along with his on-screen sister Lisa (Heike Makatsch), had plans to infiltrate The Hive. He attempted to fight off all sorts of beasties along with Milla Jovovich, including the Licker, but he wasn’t terribly successful in the end. Considering Matt began one hell of a hideous mutation near the finale of the film, we never saw the actor in the franchise again. While the Paul W.S. Anderson created film series is not a hit with all fans of the video game on which it was based, they keep making these flicks and they still make a decent amount of box office dollars.
After his association with a couple of franchise features, Eric Mabius continued to work in smaller films and television series guest roles. However, in 2005, the actor appeared in a little film called REEKER alongside Devon Gummersall and Derek Richardson. Directed by Dave Payne, this surprisingly cool movie is a fun video release. Call me crazy but I enjoy the hell out of people trapped in a desolate place fighting off rotten smelling baddies. This certainly was a worthwhile watch for fans of this sort of thing. Besides, I dig Mr. Mabius in horror, even if it seems he has found success far away from the blood and gore of independent horror.
NOW:
Over the next few years, aside from starring in a 2006 TV Movie called “Voodoo Moon” with the lovely Charisma Carpenter, Mabius took to series television in a big way. From short-lived television shows including “Eyes” in 2005 to “Outcasts” in 2010, he found a home on “The L Word” from 2004-2009 as well as “Ugly Betty” from 2006 to 2010. Occasionally he would reemerge into feature films like WHERE THE ROAD MEETS THE SUN in 2011 and PRICE CHECK in 2012 with Parker Posey, but television gave him steady work. In fact, the actor is currently headlining the Hallmark Channel mystery/romance “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” And for those of you still in the holiday spirit, you can probably find the recent Christmas TV-Movie special “Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas” on demand possibly.
With his work on the Hallmark Channel original series, it seems that Eric Mabius is doing just fine and dandy without stepping back into horror. And if you’d like to keep up with his latest series, you can follow him on Twitter, Facebook and of course his IMDB page. As a fan of this talented actor, I’m happy to see him find continued success. However, just because you are spreading the love on the Hallmark Channel, we horror fans would be thrilled to see you return to something dark and scary once again. You’ll always be pretty badass in my book Eric! And who knows, maybe one day Alice will finally find Matt on-screen!