Eric Erickson Talks ‘Snake Outta Compton’, His Directing Debut, & Being An Angry Viking

October 24, 2017

Written by Kelli Marchman McNeely

Kelli Marchman McNeely is the owner of HorrorFuel.com. She is an Executive Producer of "13 Slays Till Christmas" which is out on Digital and DVD and now streaming on Tubi. She has several other films in the works. Kelli is an animal lover and a true horror addict since the age of 9 when she saw Friday the 13th. Email: horrorfuelinfo@gmail.com


 
Eric “The Angry Viking” Erickson and I had an interesting conversation about his film Truth, becoming a werewolf, and his role in the upcoming spoof film Snake Outta Compton, which is drawing a lot of attention since its trailer was released last week.
 


 
Horror Fuel: “On Instagram, where we first connected, you go under the title “The Angry Viking”. That’s a unique title. How did that name come to be?”
Erickson: “I got that name when I was doing stand-up comedy. My act was a bit… loud. Ronnie Ray, one of my comedian friends, was hosting a show and after I finished my set he commented to the audience, “Now that’s one Angry #$%^$% Viking!” I liked it and kept the name… although I did clean up the language a bit.”
Horror Fuel: “You do look a bit like a Viking.”
 
 
Horror Fuel: “You appeared on Lucha Underground under The Angry Viking. How many episodes were you on it?
Erickson: “I appeared in a couple of episodes as one of the street thugs who attack Konnan, one of the legendary wrestlers who starred on the show. I definitely didn’t come out the victor in that face off.”
Horror Fuel: “What was that experience like?”
Erickson: “As a lifelong wrestling fan, it was a lot of fun. Sort of wish fulfillment. It’s always a blast to throw your body around and see how much abuse it can take!”
Horror Fuel: “It sounds a bit painful to me.[laughter]”
 
 
Horror Fuel: “Have you always been into comedy?”
Erickson: “I have. Although when I was younger, comedy wasn’t seen as “real acting.” I thought I had to be a heavy dramatic actor to be taken seriously. No pun intended. Later I found out that if you can make someone laugh, it’s as fulfilling as making them cry. So I pride myself on being able to do Shakespeare but also play silly characters like Kenny in ‘Dam Sharks!’ or other projects.”
 
 
Horror Fuel: “I know that you played Norman Reedus on the episode of MADtv where they poke fun at ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘Talking Dead’. Are you a ‘Walking Dead’ fan? ”
Erickson: “I have to admit, I was for the first few seasons, but then I fell out of it. There’s so much great entertainment out there now, that if you can’t grab my attention 100 percent, I’ll move on. Once they (spoiler alert!) dealt with The Governor and got out of the prison, I wasn’t as excited anymore and moved on. Nothing against the show. I know people who work on it and they are creating great entertainment. Who knows, may the All Out War Arc will pull me back in.”
Horror Fuel: “I know what you mean when you say there are so many great things on TV. You should start backing watching though, it got interesting again after season 6.”
 
Horror Fuel: “Speaking of characters and shows where people face life and death, you face a serious obstacle in the upcoming movie ‘Snake Outta Compton’. Fill us in on the movie.”
Erickson: ‘Snake Outta Compton’ is complete madness. It’s a spoof film, referencing everything from Training Day to Game of Thrones and beyond, but it has some heart as you follow this ragtag rap group to their ultimate goal of performing for music executives. Along the way, they have to battle a giant snake. So it’s an average day in Los Angeles.”
I have to say when the trailer hit I was amazed by the response. People around the world seemed to get the fun aspect of the film, that we weren’t taking ourselves too seriously so they shouldn’t either. The feedback has been amazing.”
Horror Fuel: “I really enjoyed the trailer. I look forward to seeing the movie.”
 
 

 
 
Horror Fuel: “You play the role of Alley Jaws. What kind of guy is he?”
Erickson: “Alley Jaws is a misunderstood guy. Sure, he is a wanna-be gangster and pimp with a gold AK47 and corn-rows, but down deep he really just wants to be loved. He has some daddy issues as well, but you’ll have to see the movie to get what I mean. He was so much fun to play and I hope audiences like him.”
Horror Fuel: “I’m sure they will.”
 
 

 
 
Horror Fuel: “The trailer makes ‘Snake Outta Compton’ look like a lot of fun. What was being on the set like?”
Erickson: “It was a blast. I had a lot of friends working on the film, so every day was like summer camp. And being a spoof, we were encouraged by director Hank Braxtan to improvise and throw in as many film references as we could. Many times I thought I had gone too far as Alley Jaws but Hank would encourage us to go even further.”
Horror Fuel: “That’s awesome. I must be great to have a director to tell you to push the character to its limits like that.”
 
 
Horror Fuel: “Is it difficult to react to a snake that isn’t actually there (until after the CGI is added later)?”
Erickson: “It’s really not that difficult. I’ve done quite a few projects where you have to look at a giant green screen and imagine, so you learn. It’s just a different sort of acting. You just have to rely on the director as to how much of a reaction they want.”
 
 
Horror Fuel: “How did it feel recently when you wrapped on your first film as a writer-director?”
Erickson: Exhausted but satisfied. I was also one of the stars of “Truth,” so it really pushed me to my limits in every creative area. But to be able to bring the exact film that was in my mind to the screen was amazing. Even now over a month later I’m still recovering physically and mentally.
We spent seven days in a 26 by 15 interrogation room and I grew to love and hate that set. When it was finally torn down after shooting it was bittersweet. I was sorry to see it go but at the same time, I wanted to tear it apart with my bare hands.”
Horror Fuel: “I imagine it must be both exciting and exhausting to act and direct at the same time. After spending that much time in that room I’m sure it got claustrophobic.”
 
 
 
Horror Fuel: “Can you reveal any plot details yet?”
Erickson: “Truth” is a real-time, contained location film about an accused war criminal in an unnamed country. He’s offered the opportunity for amnesty if he works with his appointed lawyer but soon learns that everything is not what it seems. It’s a great character study with many layers, something we don’t get to see in the film very often anymore. We are currently knee deep in the editing process and are already talking with distributors.
Directing my first feature definitely got my appetite going for more. I love being in front of the camera, but bringing the vision together as the director is an incredible experience as well. I’m already looking forward to my next project at the helm.”
 
 
Horror Fuel: “Besides acting, writing, and directing you also do some modeling. I hear that you have a spread in the upcoming Year of Fear calendar. Is that right?”
 

 
Erickson: “I don’t know the month yet, that will be revealed at a calendar signing next month. The Year of Fear calendar is a sort of sexy satire of beefcake calendars using horror film characters as pin-ups. Last year I was Michael Myers for October, of course, because of Halloween. This year I was lucky enough to be invited back to do the calendar again and I got to show my face a little bit more as the werewolf from Monster Squad. It’s a pretty sexy interpretation too.”
Horror Fuel: “If that doesn’t give fans something to howl about I don’t what will [laughter].”
 
 

 
Horror Fuel: “How long, makeup-wise, to become a werewolf?”

Erickson: “It took a long time. Almost four hours. There were a lot of parts and it’s a layering effect, so you can’t move on until one layer is done. And so forth. And I remember I was so hungry because I had been dieting for the shoot. It might have been feeding the character a bit there.”
Horror Fuel: “[laughter]”
By the way, those abs are 100% real, ladies.
And while he may look like one of those brooding actors, in real life he’s a comedian. Don’t believe me? Follow Eric on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram and you’ll see. It’s also a really good way to make sure that you stay up to date on his projects.
Want more of Eric? You can see him in Dam Sharks, ‘Ronnie Jackson: Worst Rodie in the World, The Retrieval, Julian, Relentless, The Hitman, and ‘The Last Ship’.
The release date for both Truth and Snake Outta of Compton have yet to be announced, but we will let you know as soon as they are.
You can get your copy of the Year of Fear Calander here.

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