Fantasia International Film Festival 2024 – Horror and wrestling have long had a cross-pollination of fans. For instance, it’s not uncommon to see wrestling stars who were big in the 80s and 90s at horror cons. That’s why it’s likely that Dark Match, written and directed by Lowell Dean, will find an audience. There’s already a built-in fanbase, especially considering that retired pro-wrestler and uber horror fan, Chris Jericho, has one of the leading roles, starring as an occult leader simply called The Prophet, who orchestrates deadly matches. It makes for a gruesome good time.

Other than Jericho, the film stars Ayisha Issa as Miss Behave. She’s part of a small wrestling company run by the shady Rusty (Jonathan Cherry). Miss Behave desperately wants to become a bigger star, and she certainly has the skills. However, another wrestler, Kate the Great (Sara Canning), stands in her way and is on the cusp of rising to something greater. For her part, Issa turns in a gritty and determined performance. It’s easy to cheer for an underdog, so her character is relatable. You want her to kick serious butt, especially when even Rusty doubts her and says that sometimes, it’s good to play the role of the witch instead of the hero.

To earn more money for his fledging company, Rusty agrees to a deal which takes his core group of wrestlers, including Miss Behave and her on and off again partner Joe (Steven Ogg), to a backwoods town. It’s there that they’re confronted with Jericho’s unnerving character and dozens of occultists who gleefully cheer for the death of Rusty’s group. The matches are quite creative. Each is based off of one the four signs of the Zodiac- earth, air, water, and fire. There’s an additional fifth match entitled spirit. Each one is more gruesome than the last with stakes that couldn’t be higher. The Prophet and his ilk use each death as part of a ritual to conjure Satan himself. Yes, the plot is pretty bonkers, but the movie is still fun and quite bloody, too. They certainly didn’t skimp on the practical effects and gore once the matches ramp up.

Because the film is set in 1988, there’s a grainy quality to it, especially in the opening ten minutes. This makes it feel like you’re watching it on a VHS tape. It’s unclear why the film is set in the late 80s, other than nostalgia and a callback to pro-wrestling’s heyday. It’s likely that wrestling fans will really dig the aesthetics. Yet, for horror fans who don’t necessarily enjoy wrestling, there’s still a story here involving the occult and plenty of grisly kills. Still, there are moments where this feels like a PSA for pro-wrestling itself, especially one of the monologues by Jericho late into the film. It’s rather distracting. Yet, despite that, the film also says a little something about false prophets and spectatorship without feeling preachy. In fact, it could have used just a little more of that to elevate it beyond the ring.

Overall, Dark Match is a gory romp that never takes itself too seriously. Issa makes a great final girl, and I’ve love to see her in other genre films. While aspects of the film are over the top and sometimes silly, the feature is still a gruesome thrill ride that leaves the ring blood-soaked with savage kills.