Review by Michael Vaughn
Directed by: Brad Twigg
Written by: Brad Twigg, Matt Furman
Starring: Richie Acevedo, Rosanna Nelson, Julio Bana Fernandez, Rick Jermain, Luba Hansen, Brandy Mason
Horror and wrestling seems to be a “match” made in heaven (or hell) so it seemed only a matter of time before the two would smash violently into each other. I have to say I was excited about this project and lobbied for a screener after viewing the trailer, which promised a nonstop slobber knocker filled with wrestling and mindless violence.
Randy (Richie Acevedo) is a gardener with dreams to one day be a pro wrestler, following in the footsteps of his father. When our hapless hero tries to make it he is laughed at, and to make matters worse, his personal life is in a spiral. Finally driven to the edge, Randy goes on a rampage to smash`em up outside of the ring - namely everybody that hurt him.
Based on the title and artwork I was expecting something similar to Dude Bro Party Massacre 3, which is a wild over the top gore fest that doesn’t take itself even a little bit seriously. I was sorely mistaken. It takes almost an hour to get into full throttle mode and the film spends a lot of time wading through melodrama and a worthless subplot involving a loan shark (which serves only to set up a few kills in the finale).
One goes into a movie titled WrestleMassacre with the notion that you can expect very little plot and lots of gore. And that’s why its so frustrating/baffling that the film takes so long to get there. I will say I do give props to the director Mr. Twigg in attempting to give us a killer with a back story and reasons behind his spree. Is it brilliant? No but I will say it’s awesome that the effort was made - it's more than most films will give you.
WrestleMassacre also tries - in a clumsy way - to inject some social/religious satire, and it comes off incredibly cringe-worthy.
After the hour mark, things finally pick up and Randy finally goes on the rampage that was promised, and when it does arrive it really is a wonderfully blood soaked sight to behold. This brings me to one of the film's highlights, the incredibly well done gore FX. Considering this was done on a low budget, the practical effects are proper grisly and not as hooky as I thought. It certainly harkens back to the heyday of pre-CGI splatter.
The other highlight is actor Acevedo, who plays our misunderstood goon. He's big and hulking and everything you`d hope for in a blood covered, mostly naked bruiser. But he also is not terrible acting wise and you certainly get a kind of sympathetic monster from him.
As it’s a wrestling movie, the stunts are on point and I can’t give enough credit to the actors that performed them. Great job.
WrestleMassacre is a mixed bag and it's really a shame, as the premise is awesome and Twigg clearly has a passion and drive for the material. Had the film been trimmed by a good 15-20 minutes - dropping the drama and needless padding - it easily could rank as a favourite neo-slasher. Frankly, it had me bored in spots, and that is unforgivable in movies, especially a good old fashioned slash-a-thon.
The film does cleverly set itself up for a second film, so let's hope that they ditch the prolonged drama/origin story and cut right to the gory heart of things. Sorry I had to take ya to the mat on this on Brad, but we can always have a rematch.
Randy (Richie Acevedo) is a gardener with dreams to one day be a pro wrestler, following in the footsteps of his father. When our hapless hero tries to make it he is laughed at, and to make matters worse, his personal life is in a spiral. Finally driven to the edge, Randy goes on a rampage to smash`em up outside of the ring - namely everybody that hurt him.
Based on the title and artwork I was expecting something similar to Dude Bro Party Massacre 3, which is a wild over the top gore fest that doesn’t take itself even a little bit seriously. I was sorely mistaken. It takes almost an hour to get into full throttle mode and the film spends a lot of time wading through melodrama and a worthless subplot involving a loan shark (which serves only to set up a few kills in the finale).
One goes into a movie titled WrestleMassacre with the notion that you can expect very little plot and lots of gore. And that’s why its so frustrating/baffling that the film takes so long to get there. I will say I do give props to the director Mr. Twigg in attempting to give us a killer with a back story and reasons behind his spree. Is it brilliant? No but I will say it’s awesome that the effort was made - it's more than most films will give you.
WrestleMassacre also tries - in a clumsy way - to inject some social/religious satire, and it comes off incredibly cringe-worthy.
After the hour mark, things finally pick up and Randy finally goes on the rampage that was promised, and when it does arrive it really is a wonderfully blood soaked sight to behold. This brings me to one of the film's highlights, the incredibly well done gore FX. Considering this was done on a low budget, the practical effects are proper grisly and not as hooky as I thought. It certainly harkens back to the heyday of pre-CGI splatter.
The other highlight is actor Acevedo, who plays our misunderstood goon. He's big and hulking and everything you`d hope for in a blood covered, mostly naked bruiser. But he also is not terrible acting wise and you certainly get a kind of sympathetic monster from him.
As it’s a wrestling movie, the stunts are on point and I can’t give enough credit to the actors that performed them. Great job.
WrestleMassacre is a mixed bag and it's really a shame, as the premise is awesome and Twigg clearly has a passion and drive for the material. Had the film been trimmed by a good 15-20 minutes - dropping the drama and needless padding - it easily could rank as a favourite neo-slasher. Frankly, it had me bored in spots, and that is unforgivable in movies, especially a good old fashioned slash-a-thon.
The film does cleverly set itself up for a second film, so let's hope that they ditch the prolonged drama/origin story and cut right to the gory heart of things. Sorry I had to take ya to the mat on this on Brad, but we can always have a rematch.
Michael Vaughn is a rabid horror and cult fan who turned that love into a career. He is a writer, blogger and film historian and now author of 'The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema' which Shock Wave Podcast named their pick of the month, and Chris Alexander of Fangoria called “recommended reading.”
You can get your copy at amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Strange-Cinema/dp/0764354280
His other credits include Scream Magazine, Fangoria and websites like Films in Review and Bloody Flicks(UK). Please follow his Twitter @StrangeCinema65 and Instagram @castle_anger.