The Bizarre Direct-To-Video Horror Film That Launched Mark Ruffalo's Career
On a recent episode of "Hot Ones," actor Mark Rufflao was invited on to discuss his career while chocking down incredibly spicy hot wings. Sean Evans, the show's host, read a film synopsis to Ruffalo and asked if he could identify the title. Evans read a synopsis for a 1994 film called "Mirror Mirror II: Raven Dance," a straight-to-video horror film put out by the beloved B-movie studio Image Entertainment. Ruffalo, of course, could indeed identify the movie. "That's 'Mirror Mirror,'" he said. "That was probably my first movie." Indeed it was.
Ruffalo pointed out that there was "Mirror, Mirror" and then there was "Mirror Mirror II: Raven Dance," which had a "Penthouse pornstar" as the lead actress and Billy Drago as the male lead. He noted that he played "the series actor sidekick." He joked that he had established a brand with the "Mirror Mirror" movies, sarcastically imitating a casting agent yelling "Get that Ruffalo kid!"
Ruffalo, however, is remembering things slightly wrong, as he didn't appear in the first "Mirror, Mirror." Marina Sargenti's 1990 film "Mirror, Mirror" starred Rainbow Harvest as an unhappy Goth teen who moves into a new house that still contains a creepy old bedroom mirror, left there by the last tenants. She becomes weirdly obsessed with the mirror, and the audience soon learns there's a demon inside of it. The demon seemingly gives Harvest superpowers in exchange for pieces of her soul. The film spawned three sequels.
Ruffalo didn't come along until "Mirror Mirror II," playing an eerie, seemingly supernatural character named Christian. The film with the Penthouse Pet and Billy Drago was, in fact,"Mirror Mirror III: The Voyeur," wherein he played a new character named Joey.
Mirror Mirror II: Raven Dance
All four "Mirror Mirror" movies, incidentally, are available on streaming services like Night Flight, Roku, Plex, and Tubi. These films can be easily seen, even if they're not typically discussed.
"Mirror Mirror II" features the same mirror as the first "Mirror, Mirror," but follows a new cast of characters. The protagonist is Marlee (Tracy Wells from "Mr. Belvedere") a teenage orphan and aspiring dancer who lives in a creepy convent with her little brother. Several shady characters are after Marlee's inheritance including Roddy McDowall, Sally Kellerman (playing Marlee's stepsister), and the prolific B-movie actor William Sanderson who was also in the first "Mirror, Mirror." The demonic mirror kills off the predatory characters at Marlee's unspoken behest. Veronica Cartwright plays a blind nun with psychic powers.
Ruffalo's character, Christian, appears out of the shadows from time to time to be generally creepy/charming. Is he part of the demon's influence, or is he an angelic presence trying to help? I wouldn't dare spoil the details of "Mirror Mirror II: Raven Dance." To the film's credit, there is a raven attack in the film.
"Mirror Mirror III: The Voyeur" is the film Ruffalo remembered on "Hot Ones." The lead actress, Monique Parent, was in several soft-core sex thrillers throughout the '90s including "Playboy's Erotic Fantasies," "Sins of Desire," "Sexual Outlaws," "Bikini Med School," and "Revenge of the Calendar Girls." She also played a character named Amber Dextrous in "Buford's Beach Bunnies," one of the few films to star Jim Hanks, Tom's brother. Parent is extremely prolific to this day, having starred in five films in 2023. She is far more than a "Penthouse pornstar," as Ruffalo described her.
Mirror Mirror III: The Voyeur
In "Mirror Mirror III: The Voyeur," Ruffalo plays a handsome young stud named Joey who drifts around the periphery of the story. Billy Drago plays a despondent man named Anthony who encounters the same mirror from the first two movies. In it, he can witness old murders, as well as a mysterious sexy woman, a deceased ex-lover of his. There's a lot of nudity and bad acting. David Naughton plays the cop. The overall star power in "Mirror Mirror III" has been greatly reduced from "Mirror Mirror II," but kudos to Ruffalo for showing some loyalty to the series. Ruffalo did not return for the 2000 follow-up "Mirror Mirror IV: Reflections," as he was by then appearing in notable, soulful indie films like "You Can Count on Me" and "Committed." "Reflections" did see the return of Billy Drago, albeit in a different role than in "The Voyeur."
Ruffalo doesn't seem eager to discuss his early genre work, although the "Hot Ones" episode was proof that he at least kind of remembered it. Ruffalo also appeared in the 1996 straight-to-video film "The Dentist," and the TV Christmas cheapie "On the Second Day of Christmas." After 2000, Ruffalo began appearing in higher and higher profile Hollywood feature films and more and more acclaimed indie dramas. He has worked with John Woo, Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Kenneth Lonergan, Rob Reiner, and Lisa Cholodenko. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards.
More importantly than all that, though, Mark Ruffalo was one of the thousands of hard-working actors who worked his way into the spotlight by devoting himself wholly to low-budget horror movies/softcore sex thrillers. The "Mirror Mirror" films, while not great, should be watched and celebrated.