Rating: ***
Starring: Rey Misterio Sr., Irwin Keyes and Adam Huss
A film crew of a low-budget porno ventures off road into the lost ghost town of "La Sangre de Dios." (which means "Blood of God, but ends up as "Blood of Christ" in this film for some reason) Seeing the place as the perfect spot for a skin flick sequence, they stay for a shoot despite the warnings of a nearby gas attendant, who tells them of the legend of a crazed Mexican masked wrestler, "El Mascarado". After one of them fails to return, it soon becomes clear to the crew that they'll be dropping off like flies as El Mascarado turns out to be real and he's ready to take on anyone (and their faces) whether they want to or not.
Wrestlemaniac is everything a B-movie is; overacting casts, cheesy script, and a rather obscure killer, all over a really basic slasher formula while giving some new elements to it. (in this case, Lucha libre (free wrestling) and it's luchadors (wrestlers)) It doesn't try hard to beat any contenders, (no wrestling pun intended) the movie instead plays it up for simple B-grade horror fun, with kills simply bloody enough to like and some healthy dose of T&A to titillate.
Despite the cheese and campy idea, horror in Wrestlemaniac did have its workable elements. The titular killer, El Mascarado (played by Rey Misterio Sr. of WWE) may have failed to bring any sense of fear or threat in appearance alone, he makes up for it with some merciless brutality, heightened by his sheer indestructibility and superhuman strength, perfected after massacring what appears to be the entire town. (Cleverly hinted with a room full of our killer's "trophies") There's also the matter of tone and atmosphere in this film; the isolated ghost town really brought out a sense of hopelessness in this movie, which by far makes it creepy at some angle.
Wrestlemaniac undoubtedly left no dent or anything memorable in slasher history, but it is a sweet ride while we're at it. It's interesting enough to keep you glued and it rarely has a dull moment. (Something I look for in low-budget horror flicks) Funny, fun, and partially scary slasher flick at its best.
Bodycount:
1 female killed offscreen, later found faceless
1 male hoisted and strangled, later found faceless
1 male had his neck punctured with a nail, bludgeoned and had his face peeled off
1 female had her back broken against killer's knee, face peeled off
1 male body slammed, face peeled off offscreen
1 female impaled with metal pipe.
Total: 6
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| By the way. This film's also famous for its "money shot"... |
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