Dark Match DVD Review (Shudder)

Dark Match is a 2024 wrestling horror film written and directed by Lowell Dean (Wolfcop franchise, I Heart Regina, SuperGrid, Die Alone, and 13 Eerie). It was produced by Rhonda Baker (The Long Walk, The Midnight Man, Dolan’s Cadillac, Sniper: Rogue Mission, Siberia, Freezer, Chained, Run, and The Grudge). A small-time wrestling company ran by Rusty (played by: Jonathan Cherry from Final Destination 2, House of the Dead, Goon, They, and Wolfcop franchise) that’s desperate for a payday accepts a well-paying unknown gig in a backwoods town. They unfortunately learn too late that this that the crazed community is run by a mysterious cult leader known as The Prophet (played by: Chris Jericho from WWE, WCW, ECW, AEW, Dark Side of the Ring, MacGruber, and Terrifier franchise) with gruesome plans for all of their upcoming matches!!!! As a lifelong fan of both horror and wrestling, this grabbed my attention right away. Dark Match mixes the supernatural, horror, and professional wrestling. Director and writer Lowell Dean made those really fun Wolfcop movies from a few years ago which I covered so that added to my interest for this one. The script for Dark Match does require some patience because it takes a little bit to get somewhere. Lead actor Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead, He Never Died, Snowpiercer, V/H/S/ 99, and Scared Shitless) is so damn good as Mean Joe Lean. He’s the main wrestler that really helps with everything behind the scenes besides performing. He’s the veteran that knows the business and he’s a mentor to most of the locker room that leads this group of misfits. Ayisha Issa (Polar, Immortals, 12 Monkeys, and Brick Mansions) shines as Miss Behave that really has to test her true morals when she’s in the ring and the promoter changes the stipulations on the wrestlers. She just tries to do her job and it turns into something else. I know Chris Jericho as The Prophet has gotten lots of mixed reactions for his performance in Dark Match. I personally enjoyed his over the top and campy approach for the dangerous cult leader. I think live action cartoon fits better than serious for this type of villain role. He knew exactly what he was doing with this. It’s honestly his best performance as an actor so far. This is his real life world so this was easy for him to pull off. The supporting cast includes Jonathan Cherry, Mo Jabari (WWE), Michael Eklund (Chokeslam), Mitch Clarke (UFC), Sara Canning (War for the Planet of the Apes), Stephanie Wolfe (Mass Effect), Jonathan Lepine (Heartland), Justin Lawrick (Wrestling with the Past), Andrew Lewis, Dave Mercer, and Leo Fafard (Wolfcop franchise). I like all the easter eggs and tributes to the past of professional wrestling here. The way it was shot totally reminds me of so many events in the past when it comes to sports entertainment. The fights and matches feel legit. Dark Match biggest issue is that it takes too long to get where it needs to be. I personally still enjoyed it but I can see why some didn’t because it does drag a little bit towards the beginning but it’s worth staying around. It’s chaotic once it’s all revealed. I like the darker turn it takes once it finally settles in. It has some really nice special fx and brutal violence. It’s full of interesting characters that collide in this living nightmare. I think it’s better than it’s reputation, it just requires some patience before it comes alive. They really haven’t made that many horror and wrestling hybrids over the years so it’s awesome to see this actually getting made. It’s currently streaming on Shudder and AMC+ if you are curious about Dark Match. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this standard definition presentation and special features from Shudder! This (2.35:1) unrated still really good for being a DVD. Dark Match has it’s own style mixed with all the familiar wrestling shots. It looks bigger than it’s actual budget, I’m really hoping it gets a Blu Ray home video release someday. It has an English: 5.1 Dolby Digital track on the disc. It honestly sounds great and I wasn’t expecting that at all. Especially during the action and matches, the audio is on point. All of the dialogue is very clean, the chaos is elevated, and the music has a big boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has the “Dark Match Composers” audio track. This is a score and music only track for the feature. It has the little over 22 minute “Dark Match Diaries”. It has a variety of interviews with people who worked on this independent production. A few different segments are broken down here. It has Pre-production, Costume Design, Fight Choreography, Shooting, Table Read, and so much more are discussed. They honestly cover a little bit of everything in this. It’s very detailed for only being a little over 22 minutes. Lots of behind the scenes footage are included for it. It has the little over 14 minute “Dark Match: Inside the Ring”. The director chats a little bit about his career. He talks how hard it is to make a movie where he’s from. Lowell Dean shares when he started to appreciate professional wrestling. This is brief and honest glance of making this low budget wrestling horror feature. It has some additional footage and interviews from the set. It has the little over 3 minute “Raising Hell: Demon Creation”. It’s a quick cool behind the scenes look into some of the special fx for Dark Match. It has the “Official Shudder Trailer” for the movie. It comes with a slipcover. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!