A vanload of goofballs goes into Mexico to make a homemade porn film. What they find instead is a ghost town inhabited by an insane Mexican wrestler whose signature move is to rip your face off. Aye carumba!
Alphonse (Adam Huss) has borrowed his stoner buddy Jimbo’s (Zack Bennett) van and is heading into Mexico to make a homemade porn film. What would a porn film be without some lovely ladies so he hauling along Daisy (Catherine Wreford), Debbie (Margaret Scarborough), and Dallas (Leyla Milani from NBC’s “Deal or No Deal”).
There’s also camera operator Steve (Jeremy Radin) who is well steeped in the lore of luchadors (aka Mexican wrestlers). When they stop at a service station the creep on duty (Irwin Keyes) tells them to keep traveling and stay away from the town of “La Sangre de Dios (The Blood of God).”
Since Steve is our expert he relates the tale of El Mascarado (wrestling legend Rey Mysterio) who was created by the Mexican government using drugs, lobotomies, and a host of horror staples to try and win a big competition. Trouble was that they made him too well and he had a habit of killing his opponents. He was retired and sent to live in exile in La Sangre de Dios. Of course, our van full of goofballs decides that would be a great place to shoot their porn film.
However, the legends of the insane masked luchador turn out to be true and this one when he defeats you in the ring pulls off your mask to humiliate you and if you don’t happen to be wearing one he pulls off your face.
According to the IMDB, this film was shot under the provocative name the Mexican Porn Massacre. That really doesn’t fit the actual occurrences in the movie but the title made me smile. They might’ve rented more product if they had kept the title but they chose to re-title it Wrestlemaniac.
The characters are typical archetypes and mostly destined to be as faceless as they’re written. The tale of the mad luchador is told by the bug-eyed, over-the-top Steve and that’s partially the problem. There seems to be far too much talk and not enough action. The premise of the film seems like it would be ripe for the picking but the low budget delivery sinks that creativity that might’ve been milked from the wacky premise.
The titular Wrestlemanic really doesn’t make his appearance until much later in the film and it could’ve helped if he turned up sooner. Casting the wrestling legend Rey Mysterio is a novel approach, but since we really don’t get a good look at him until much later the novelty seems pretty thin.
Wrestlemaniac seemed like an interesting idea for a horror film, but the idea seems to have been dulled in the making and this film is down for the count. Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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