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Overall Rating : 7.5/10
Directed By : Jesse Baget
Rey Misterio Sr. (Mexican Wrestling Legend)
Irwin Keyes (House of 1000 Corpses)
Adam Huss
Leyla Milani (Deal or No Deal (TV) )
Supplied By : Anchor Bay Entertainment
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : February. 26, 2008
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| PLOT On their way to Caba San Lucas, the cast and crew of a low-budget film get lost and come upon "La Sangre De Dios", a ghost town with a spine-tingling legend about an insane Mexican wrestler. One by one, the cast and crew are snatched, beaten and dragged to a bloody death. The few left alive must figure out how to beat the wrestler at his own deadly game, or die trying. |
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| THE REVIEW In WRESTLEMANIAC, an amateur film crew and cast heard to Caba San Lucas to shoot a new film. On the way there, they make a pit stop, where they meet a mysterious stranger who warns them of the nearby ghost town known as "La Sangre De Dios". The sleepy town hosts the legend of a deranged masked Mexican Wrestler known as "El Mascarado" The legend boasts that the Wrestler ended up brutally killing the majority of his opponents, as well as the townspeople of La Sangre De Dios. Believing that the story isn't true and just that, a silly legend, the obnoxious Alphonse, the van's driver convinces the crew to search for the legendary town. As their luck would have it, the crew brakes down just prior to getting there, which leads them to decide to just shoot their film in La Sangre De Dios. As the skin begins to bare and the camera rolls, unbeknownst to the film crew, they are being stalked by the maniac in which the legend speaks dreary of, El Mascarado. On by one, El Mascarado takes out his "opponents" the best way he knows how, brutally, and then collects the face of that victim as the ultimate show of humiliation. Professional Wrestling and Horror may not be two things that you'd quickly associate with one another, or even imagine them ever being combined, but if you are a fan of both, the thought of such would more than likely be exciting. I am such a fan of both things, so when I first heard of WRESTLEMANIAC about a year ago, I couldn't wait to see it, as I was more so curious as to how filmmaker Jesse Baget could join the two avenues of entertainment. What Baget brings to the table here, is something that is equally faithful and respectful to both Mexican Lucha Libre(the Mexican term for the style of wrestling they display) and old school American Horror, and a film that is a whole lot of fun to watch. The plot of WRESTLEMANIAC(originally titled El Mascarado Massacre, which in in my opinion is a much better title) at first glace will be sort of reminiscent of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE(and it doesn't surprise me really, because it seems that almost all modern slashers have a hint of it somewhere - after all, it is one of the greatest Horror films ever made in my opinion), some young people are packed in a van - a Dodge, no less - they are all heading to Caba San Lucas to shoot their amateur film, but on their way, they are derailed, only to end up in the ghost town known as La Sangre De Dios, a town haunted by the dreaded "El Mascarado" Here, the stage for and old fashioned slasher flick is set, that part is routine, but there's something different about WRESTLEMANIAC. The thing is, not only is the film funny, but it is surprisingly detailed especially when it comes to the Mexican Wrestling aspect of the story. Obviously a fan of the entertaining sport, Writer/Director Jesse Baget brilliantly incorporates the heritage of the sport into his Horror story. I know most all of the things about Lucha Libre revealed in the film from being a fan of wrestling for years, but for those not familiar with at least the Mexican brand of it, may learn a few things - all while also receiving a grisly bloodbath worth of action in the process. Essentially the whole basis of the film revolves around the sport, as the film respects the rules and the showmanship of it, but the most respect is poured into the film's hulking nemesis El Mascarado, this is most apparent when it is revealed that the only way to defeat El Mascarado, is by removing his mask. The removing of a wrestler's mask in Lucha Libre usually results in the said wrestler retiring and living in shame forever. Shot in HD, the film appears to be low budget, but it's overall production value would fool you, because the look of the film looks slick for this type of film, all the while keeping that gritty feel. The direction from Baget is pretty competent, and I was surprised to see him mix two different shooting styles here, as some of the killer's kills are shot POV(point of view), where all we see is El Mascarado's hands and arms(like the opening scene of the original HALLOWEEN or the original BLACK CHRISTMAS), and others are shot more traditionally. I thought this choice of shooting was at least something different and the same old stuff we are used to seeing, it was definitely a welcome change The acting here is not an element of the film that stands out but is at least it is passable. I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, because honestly, the acting in THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE '74 was far from perfect, some stood out more than others, while those others were average at best. I'd say that this same statement applies to WRESTLEMANIAC, sure the acting won't win any awards, but the actors have done their part in assisting to make a film that is really enjoyable. Pro Wrestling and Horror, who would've thought it? - But WRESTLEMANIAC has done it. WRESTLEMANIAC takes the simple Horror film blueprint that has been laid out over the years and adds it's own unique spin to it, and the ending result is a highly enjoyable bloody good time, that begins at the opening bell and lasts to the final 3 count! |
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| GORE
METER 4.5/10 Lots of blood splatter, faces being ripped from their skulls, and a couple of impalements - not the goriest film, but definitely enjoyable |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 5.5/10 The soundtrack uses a blend of Spanish, dance, and the traditional suspense like scoring, and despite the diverse variety, I thought it worked really well. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM In closing, WRESTLEMANIAC is a film that I really enjoyed. Before seeing it, I knew that I would probably like it(or at least hoping to), I knew it had to do with Lucha Libre, but I didn't expect it to be so inspired by it in plot, which in turn differs the film from so many other cookie cutter slasher films out there. Contrary to what some other reviews have said, I feel that you don't necessarily have to be a Wrestling fan to enjoy this film, as it has something for everyone - WRESTLEMANIAC truly has the makings to become a modern Horror classic in my opinion This DVD will be released on March 11, 2008 |
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