"Dark Match" (2024) [Blood in the Snow Film Festival]

by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden

In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s Lowell Dean’s Dark Match.

Synopsis

A small-time wrestling company accepts a well-paying gig in a backwoods town only to learn, too late, that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.

The Good

Joseph: Writer/director Lowell Dean is probably best known for his two Wolf Cop films. Fans of those movies looking for the same outrageousness on display here will find the violence and gore intact but the humor toned down. Although the characters don’t feel fully developed, the relationships between the main protagonists — lovers Miss Behave (Ayisha Issa) and "Mean" Joe Lean (Steven Ogg), and their fellow wrestler Enigma Jones (Mo Adan) — are a strong point of the film. I like that Dean didn’t shoehorn in pro wrestling “smart fan” and insider terms, which has been overdone in other wrestling movies. If you’re here for the gore, you won’t be disappointed, as the acronym for the SAW wrestling company shouldn’t be lost on any genre film fan. Most of the cast, especially Issa and Ogg, turn in performances that fit the film nicely. Dean is a solid genre-movie filmmaker and his writing and direction here are once again impressive.

Mike: Finally, a wrestling horror movie that isn’t played for camp or even straight up laughs. There’s no overabundance of wrestling terms thrown around to try and make the viewer feel like they’re some sort of insider who’s hip to the inner workings of a wrestling show. Set in the 80s, Dark Match feels very much a product of that time without overdoing it - and that seems to be a theme that director Dean is leaning into here (more with less), and the end result is an extremely fun ride.

Steven Ogg - who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite actors (see our review of Scared Shitless for more on Ogg) - as “Mean” Joe Lean and Ayisha Issa as Miss Behave, are the main characters (along with Michael Eklundwho plays the promoter of the SAW wrestling federation and Mo Adan who plays Enigma Jones) with everyone else mainly just inhabiting a role with little to no character development and just about as little introduction. That’s okay though - somebody has to play the fodder for the gimmick death matches that The Prophet (Chris Jericho) has the grapplers pitted in against each other.

The Bad

Joseph: What felt quite awkward to the point of taking me out of the film’s mood somewhat was that many of Chris Jericho’s scenes seemed that they were filmed separately from most of the rest of the movie; that is, with only him alone in a scene or maybe with a very few other people. That may be down to scheduling or something similar, but it felt very noticeable to me. Jericho’s performance also feels a bit phoned in or at least heavily reserved, especially knowing from his lengthy mat career that he can pour on the charisma. Also, there aren’t a lot of surprises in store, and fear-fare aficionados are likely already quite familiar with the tropes and beats on display.

Mike: Aside from Jericho who really could have sunk his meathooks into his role but instead plays it with a bit of reserve, there’s not much to complain about when it comes to Dark Match. Sure, some of the names sound like corny cabinet video games names from old 80s arcades, but that’s so inconsequential that it’s not worth dwelling on.

The basic plot - the revenge scenario hiding a secret occult ritual - feels rather familiar, but not distractingly so.

The Verdict

Joseph: You don’t need to be a professional wrestling fan to enjoy Dark Match, but being a fright-fare fanatic will definitely help, as Dean’s film features plenty of gruesome mayhem. If you’re in the mood for a Saw-meets-wrestling spectacle, you should find yourself sufficiently entertained by Dark Match.

Mike: Fans of pro-wrestling and horror should really enjoy this marriage of the two art forms - like a cinematic Resse’s Peanut Butter Cup. There’s plenty of gore to be had here as well as a fair bit of wrestling action (some may have liked more, but I felt the amount was just about right), along with some great turns by the actors of the main characters - although Jericho comes across a little flat in his role.

All in all, Dark Match is a solid affair.