DARK MATCH (2024)

New streaming on Shudder!
Directed/Written by Lowell Dean.
Check out the trailer here!!

Traveling around the country with a small time wrestling crew, Miss Behave played by Ayisha Issa struggled with playing the heel (the role of the villain), meaning ever being the crowd pleasing champion will never happen. When the troupe, along with her boyfriend and fellow wrestler Mean Joe Lean played by THE WALKING DEAD’s Steven Ogg, her arch rival Kate the Great played by Z and INFLUENCER’s Sara Canning, sleazy manager Rusty played by Jonathan Cherry and the silent masked wrestler Enigma played by Mo Adan, lands a gig too good to be true in a small winter town. But once they arrive, they realize the residents of this small town are strange, though they open the group with open arms. Once the match begins, lead by games-master Spencer played by the always awesome Michael Eklund, Miss Behave and the group realize they are playing for their lives in a match that turns out to be a dark ritual lead by cult leader Prophet played by Chris Jericho. Now Miss Behave and her fellow wrestlers must fight for their lives as this wrestling match becomes all too real.

DARK MATCH is a whole bloody barrel of fun. In a day and age where horror sometimes takes itself too seriously with its heavy drama and elevated themes, it’s refreshing to see a film simply made to please the crowd. WOLF COP director Lowell Dean makes every match count in this tournament for the wrestler’s lives, creating unique scenarios representing the natural elements of fire, water, air, earth, and spirit to keep this action horror mashup going. The results are gruesome and bloody, never sparing the lingering shot of the carnage.

But what makes it all work is the deft use of character added by a very talented cast. Ayisha Issa is phenomenal in the lead role Miss Behave. With a large stature, she is believable as a wrestler, but more importantly she is a good actor on top of that. This film would have fallen apart without her impassioned performance. We feel her frustrations for not having a chance at the best and her conflicting emotions with her relationship with her white co-star Steven Ogg. This film is set in the eighties after all and multi-racial relationships were somewhat of a newer thing. This subtle social message is handled without beating you over the head over it and it is all the more effective because of that sole fact.

The rest of the cast rocks too. It’s great seeing Steven Ogg in a lead role of the good guy. He so often plays the scuzzy tough baddie and it’s great to see him get a chance to show his virtuous side for a change. Ogg got a wonderfully gruff Everyman vibe and I hope he gets to show this side more often. I also have to mention Michael Eklund, who always gives his all in his slithery performances. Here he is pretty much playing to type, but he always adds gravitas to a cast whenever he appears. Finally, while he has had cameos in the TERRIFIER series, Chris Jericho shines as the cult leader Prophet . Basically, he’s playing the role of the villain often seen in wrestling performances, but since this is an over the top movie, that style and presence works here. You really loathe this guy by the end.

I don’t know a lot about modern wrestling. My interest in it ended just about when the Rock got popular. But DARK MATCH really encapsulates the low fi wrestling vibes of old, with gimmick matches and colorful characters. Add in loads of gore and violence and especially characters worth investing in, and this one is a winner. Sure, the satanic ritual stuff is very cliched and while I liked the ending, the CG effects were less than great. DARK MATCH most importantly gives you colorful characters to root for and loathe, just like the good old days of wrasslin’! I recommend this one for old school wrestling fans and those who like a little gop and gore with their ultra-violence!

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