DARK MATCH -- A Tag Team of Wrestling and Horror That Doesn't Quite Get the Win

Review by Jonathan Berk

The world of professional wrestling seems like the perfect topic for cinematic exploration. Films like Iron Claw or The Wrestler provide examples where this works to tremendous effect — while other films, like Ready to Rumble or the Hulk Hogan-led No Holds Bars fall short of achieving this feat, or simply don’t quite work for everyone. Even horror has used the squared circle and the costumed contestants for its setting. Well, making its way to the ring is director Lowell Dean’s new film, Dark Match, which blends the world of professional wrestling and horror for 90 minutes of in-ring mayhem…sort of. 

The movie begins in the ring with a few matches that culminate with Miss Behave (Ayisha Issa) versus Kate the Great (Sara Canning). After Miss Behave hits Kate for real, she’s punished by the small-time wrestling company’s promotor through a pay cut. Thus, when she and several of the other wrestlers are given an opportunity to earn some extra money by wrestling a ”dark match” by a private party, none of them are really in a position to refuse. It’s not long before the wrestlers take notice to the fact that there is something very wrong with these people and that the stakes are much higher than they expected. 

The problem with this film which appears to be intently focused on wrestling is that there is a pretty substantial section of the film that is completely devoid of wrestling. Sure, the film starts there, and once it kicks back in it becomes a centerpiece of the finale. However, the moments in between aren’t nearly as exciting or compelling. Fortunately, Issa and Steve Ogg have significant chemistry, and when they’re on screen together, there is enough to keep you on the hook. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough horror or wrestling for a good thirty minutes — and that feels like a bit of a waste. 

Fans of wrestling may nitpick some of the sequences. They are edited to death and thus don’t quite emulate the feeling of watching wrestling on TV. What’s probably worse than those edits is the use of jargon and in-ring conversation that feels like someone is only vaguely familiar with the industry. For the casual wrestling fan, these elements may be easy to ignore, or may even spark enough recognition to be meaningful on a basic level. The film is set in the late 80s — which is a prime era of professional wrestling — and kayfabe was the law. One thing that announcers never did was refer to wrestlers as “heels” or “faces”, which this film throws out the window pretty early on. Modern fans will know those terms, as the concept of kayfabe has fundamentally changed, and fans are allowed to peek behind the current more and more. While these details may seem inconsequential, it just makes you wonder why wrestling was chosen for the subject matter. 

The horror elements that take a minute to truly kick in are solid enough, once developed. The types of matches the wrestlers are put in vary, and only partially utilize their unique premises. The most frustrating was the water match, which ultimately didn’t do anything with its premise. However, the violence that erupts lives up to the genre. Still…for a film that goes very into the genre, it seems like there was quite a bit of room to be more creative with the types of matches presented. 

Dark Match moderately, at best, lives up to its name. It’s not something everyone should see, but there is enough here for fans of the style to enjoy. One would think that the inclusion of AEW’s Chris Jerico (billed as Chris Irvine) should have added even more credibility to the wrestling…but it kind of doesn’t. Despite some of the film's weaknesses, it’s an easy watch.

Dark Match will be on Shudder starting January 31. 

Rating: 2.5/5

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