The Bottom Line
Pros
- Great villain
- Solid acting
- Lighthearted tone
- Slasher throwback
Cons
- Kills aren't very interesting
- Makeup is a bit uneven
- Doesn't stretch the concept far as it could've
Description
- Starring Rey Misterio, Leyla Milani, Irwin Keyes, Adam Huss, Jeremy Radin, Margaret Scarborough, Catherine Wreford
- Directed by Jesse Baget
- Rated NR
- DVD Release Date: March 11, 2008
Guide Review - 'Wrestlemaniac' DVD Review
The Movie
Wrestlemaniac has all the ingredients for a cult classic: Mexican wrestlers, porn, a ghost town, porn, a great title and porn. While it never quite reaches "classic" status, though, it's gleefully low-brow entertainment that hearkens back to the heyday of '80s slasher films.
The plot is slasher-basic: a porn film crew ends up in a Mexican ghost town haunted by El Mascarado (Rey Misterio), a homicidal Mexican wrestler who's rumored to be a Frankenstein-like hybrid of body parts brought together to create the ultimate wrestler (in an alternate reality where pro wrestling is an Olympic sport).
El Mascarado is one of the best slasher villains in recent memory. The sheer outrageousness of the concept of a homicidal Mexican wrestler -- his gimmick is to rip people's "masks" (faces) off -- separates him from the horde of generic masked slasher baddies that have flooded the video shelves in the past few years. The burly Misterio, a renowned ex-"luchador" himself, cuts an imposing figure, despite his 5' 6" frame.
Writer/director Jesse Baget is very much in tune with the professional wrestling vibe. The film never takes itself too seriously (How could it?), and cheap sexual exploitation runs rampant. There are enough gratuitous butt shots to fill a wrestling arena, as the porn bunnies run around in skimpy shorts, making one wonder if wedgies are possible in the Wrestlemaniac universe.
As entertaining as the film is, though, it doesn't exploit the concept to its full potential. Only in its second half, when El Mascarado reveals himself in all his glory, does the fun begin. I can only hope that a sequel will provide more over-the-top kills, preferably involving a suplex or flying clothesline. Maybe a tag-team partner?
The DVD
The special features are basic: filmmakers' commentary and a five-minute behind-the scenes piece.
Movie: B-
DVD: C-
