Ville Valo Names '90s Movie Character That Influenced Him Most

It's not uncommon to name other artists as influences, but former HIM frontman Ville Valo has credited the fictional '90s movie character Eric Draven from The Crow film franchise as influencing him "on all possible levels."

Speaking with Metal Hammer about the '90s cult classic film, Valo not only showed his affinity for the lead character in the movie, but credited the character for providing influence on his musical future. The iconic gothic rockers HIM initially formed in 1991 a few years ahead of the The Crow's theatrical release, but they didn't issue their first studio album until 1997, three years after the movie. Given the embrace of darker things and even Valo's look, it's easy to see from where the influence derived.

What Ville Valo Said About Eric Draven + The Crow

"Eric was my hero," explained the singer, then reflecting, "The film happened right after grunge broke and was really grungy in a cool way. There were a few darker films, but I don’t think there was anything considered ‘gothic’ coming out of Hollywood at the time, and it had a bit of rock ’n’ roll. Eric was carrying a crow and a guitar.”

He credits fellow musician Jyrki 69 of The 69 Eyes for turning him on to the movie and adds, "It influenced me and affected me on all possible levels, music-wise and lifestyle-wise: ‘Oh, this is how it’s supposed to be!’”

According to the singer, Draven and The Crow film gave his band HIM “the sonic palate, and the visual palate as well, for years and years to come."

About The Crow

The 1994 film was directed by Alex Poyras and starred Brandon Lee, who was fatally wounded by a prop gun during shooting, providing an even darker backstory to the movie.

The film centered on a young couple who were brutally murdered by a ruthless gang ahead of their wedding. The groom-to-be, rock musician Eric Draven, was then resurrected from the grave by a crow to avenge the deaths.

The Crow 1994 Trailer

Ville Valo's Thoughts on The Crow Reboot

While The Crow did spawn a trio of sequels, earlier this year it was announced that a reboot of the original film would be made with It star Bill Skarsgard in the lead role.

When pressed on his thoughts about the updated version of the film for 2024, Valo was cautious about giving it his approval. “The fairy-tale quality of the 90s material looks quite different from the new one,” he says. “It’s like [late rapper] Lil Peep being Eric Draven. It’s really weird. Bill Skarsgård is a great actor, but we’ll see if it retains the romance," said the singer.