Fantasia 2024: ‘Dark Match’ Review
Stars: Ayisha Issa, Steven Ogg, Chris Jericho, Sara Canning, Michael Eklund, Jonathan Cherry, Leo Fafard, Skene Kittle, Damian Chao, Stephanie Wolfe | Written and Directed by Lowell Dean
There’s actually been a few wrestling-themed horror movies but the quality has been somewhat lacking. From Wrestlers vs Zombies to Wrestlemaniac to Parts Unknown to Wrestlemassacre. At best, these have been somewhat average, so could Dark Match buck the trend and actually blend horror and wrestling and still be entertaining?!
In Dark Match, a small-time wrestling company in the eighties accept a well-paid booking in a backwoods town, only to realise too late that it is run by a cult leader with devious plans. On the face of things, that doesn’t sound like the story for a great movie but Dark Match might just surprise you.
Right off the bat, we are introduced to the wrestling companies show. If you have any love of old-school wrestling or have maybe seen and enjoyed the Netflix series GLOW, then you’ll love this opening. The show’s titles, announcing and the way it is shot are all perfectly executed. It’s like a really good version of the eighties wrestling shows that you can probably check out on YouTube. The whole film looks great in truth, and if I’d looked up before that this was made by Lowell Dean, I needn’t have worried about its quality. Lowell is the director of the excellent Wolfcop and Another Wolfcop, and there are similarities between those films and his latest offering. As I’ve said, they all look great. Dark Match has this kind of ‘haze’ which gives it an eighties, snuff movie style that works really well.
And if you have seen Wolfcop, you’ll know how excellent the make-up and practical effects are, this also carries through in Dark Match. The wrestling matches get bloody and the blood spray is both inventive and really cool-looking. One of the things I liked is that the movie could have easily gone down the real-life deathmatch style of wrestling for its gore. I don’t think that would have suited the movie and the matches here are much more inventive and original, while still not holding back on the gore. The final moments of the movie produce something that could seem absolutely ridiculous but it somehow works and I loved it!
Performances are all really solid even with the mix of experienced (Michael Eklund), inexperienced (Ayisha Issa) and wrestlers (Chris Jericho). I assume plenty of the cast are indie wrestlers, although I didn’t recognise anybody, and whoever of the cast of wrestlers wasn’t obviously trained and studied well for the scenes. All the wrestling scenes look exactly how they should, I’m sure wrestling fans will be pleased with that. Jericho actually gets a pretty decent role and has more than a cameo. I didn’t quite believe him enough as a cult leader but he’s still enjoyable. Ayisha Issa in one of the lead roles is superb and I’m sure she’ll start getting more prominent roles in the future.
There’s no doubt that wrestling fans will love this movie, especially ones who love the eighties scene. It is made for these people. That said, this is a great movie in its own right and genre fans are absolutely going to love this too. Director Lowell Dean keeps making these (soon-to-be) cult classics and Dark Match is the first ever great wrestling horror movie.
**** 4/5
Dark Match screened as part of this year’s Fantasia Film Festival.
