A review by Scott Ruth
When you think of a slasher film, somehow the world of professional wrestling does not instantly pop into your head. Sure, there was the slasher film, "See No Evil", produced by WWE Films and which starred pro wrestler Glenn "Kane" Jacobs as well as it's up-coming sequel from The Soska Sisters, but overall, wrestling is not usually synonymous with horror films. And even "See No Evil" didn't actually attempt to meld wrestling with horror.
"Wrestlemaniac" (which is also titled "El Mascarado Massacre" in some markets) does just that. The films tells the tale of an amateur porn film crew that takes a wrong turn while driving through Mexico, where they soon discover that the local Mexican legends concerning a murderous luchadore may have some element of truth. The crew starts out driving down a dusty road when they decided to make a wrong turn in the middle of nowhere, and now it's beginning to look like they may never find their way back to civilization. They stop to use the restroom of an old, seemingly abandoned service station. There they meet a stranger (played amazingly by horror icon Irwin Keyes) who gives them directions back to the one and only highway in the area. He also warns them of a local ghost town where evil deeds take place, instructing them to make certain that they do not stop at this town, but rather avoid it at all costs. Naturally, the producer (and co-star) of the would-be porn film sees this a the perfect place to stop and shoot their movie. Upon pulling into the eerie ghost town of "La Sangre De Dios," the crew begins hearing whispers of a psychotic luchadore named "El Mascarado" (played by Mexican wrestling legend, Rey Misterio, the uncle of WWE star Rey Mysterio Jr.) who, according to the legend, tears the faces off of his victims and leaves them to bleed to death. As night falls, the crew begins to make their nasty little adult film, unaware of the fact that they're all about to become combatants in the most hardcore Mexican death match ever and their opponent makes the WWE's Undertaker look like a pussycat.
The film also stars Adam Huss, Margaret Scarborough, Jeremy Radin, Catherine Wreford, Zack Bennett and former WWE Diva Search contestant (as well as game show "Deal or No Deal" model) Leyla Milani.
The overall cast is a rather generic one, with none of the "porn crew" members who really stand out, other than Huss who is such an annoying jerk that you find yourself wishing for his early demise. Sadly, none of the women in the cast can scream very well, which is usually a required skill when one is hired to work on a horror film.
The two standouts in this film are the great Irwin Keyes, whose screen time is far too short as he is wonderfully creepy in the role of service station attendant, billed simply as "The Stranger" in the credits. And Rey Misterio Sr. is fantastic as the maniacal luchadore who must disgrace his unwilling opponents by removing their faces. (This is a nod to the tradition of Lucha Libre, because in Mexican wrestling, the ultimate dishonor is to have one's mask removed by an opponent.
Writer and director Jesse Baget was not seeking to make the next big revolution in horror films with this one. His goal was to make a slasher film with a slightly different villain and entertain the viewer. And he did just that. This is one of those films where, if you turn your brain off, and don't expect anything new or awe inspiring, then you will surely enjoy the movie. Leave your inner-cynic at home and just have fun.
"Wrestlemaniac" is unrated but contains sex & nudity, violence & gore, profanity, and drug use/reference and is available on DVD.
"Wrestlemaniac" earns 3 &1/2 out of 5 Lon Chaneys. I wish Irwin Keyes been on screen more, and it would have been nice if the women in the cast could scream properly, but overall, it's the kind of cheesy film that's just simply fun to watch.
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