Professional wrestling in the early 1980s was something akin to the Wild West. While there were major organisations in a regional sense, before the national expansion of the WWF, territories were the lifeblood of the industry. However, the lack of regulation and the carnival-like nature of the business meant that conditions and quality varied from region to region. A24's The Iron Claw did a great job of showing one side of this period, but it's in a far more dingy, outlaw federation that the events of Dark Match unfold.
Dark Match follows the fortunes of a group of wrestlers in a tiny company who are down on their luck. With money running out the company owner accepts a large financial offer to put on a non-televised show, or “Dark Match” in a far-flung location in the middle of nowhere. When the wrestlers arrive things are somewhat amiss even with a relatively warm welcome, but with drink and drugs flying things get very weird, very quickly. As the matches begin, the dark and twisted plan of former wrestler The Prophet (Chris Jericho) and his satanic cult of followers leaves the wrestlers literally fighting for their lives.
One major advantage that Dark Match utilizes to great effect is the low-budget aesthetic of the era. It allows for everything to feel very low-fi, but also very atmospheric throughout and director Lowell Dean does a great job of creating a slow feeling of unease that permeates the screen. The compound that the Satanists operate in is genuinely terrifying, somewhere between a mansion and a demented barn. It helps that a lot of the inhabitants of the venue come across as particularly unhinged, and none more so than their leader. Chris Jericho is genuinely creepy in his role as The Prophet, eschewing some of his more bombastic traits from his own in-ring career in favour of a more restrained, unnerving performance which works well for the role.
In the opposite corner, there are a few outstanding performances too, with Sarah Canning as Kate the Great and Ayisha Issa as Miss Behave both putting in an excellent shift. There's a really strong chemistry between the two female leads who are also rivals both in the ring and out. However, perhaps the most affecting performance comes from Steven Ogg, famously the inspiration and voice for Trevor Phillips in GTA V and also featuring in a second FrightFest 2024 film, Scared Shitless. Ogg feels every inch the 80s wrestler, and his grizzled veteran look and demeanour lend a certain legitimacy to his positioning as the biggest threat to The Prophet's mission.
Dark Match is far from perfect. The script is perhaps a little light on conflict and almost everything takes place within one location. There are also a few pretty gaping logic holes and a pretty significant twist midway through that feels underdeveloped. While Chris Jericho shines as The Prophet, his motivations beyond “hail satan” feel a little undercooked given the scale of the scheme involved. However, this is not the sort of film that necessarily requires a forensic deconstruction, it's probably best to accept it at face value as a silly, schlocky popcorn horror that makes use of the 1980s wrestling theme and creates a very fun – if not necessarily intellectual – journey for the audience. It might not be a five stars on the Meltzer scale, but there's more than enough to enjoy in Dark Match to make it worthwhile for wrestling fans and non-fans alike.
Dark Match had its international premiere at FrightFest 2024 on Sunday, August 25.